Eastlink intros device switching after one year

telecom | 07/15/2019 5:45 pm EDT

Bragg Communications Inc.’s Eastlink is bringing in a program that encourages customers to upgrade their phones after 12 months -- bucking an industry trend of switching at the end of the standard two-year contract term. ...

CRTC asks if incumbent networks should have MVNO set-asides

telecom | 07/15/2019 5:40 pm EDT

Ahead of its wireless review hearing, the CRTC is asking Canadian telecoms...

CRTC approves Stingray Alta. radio station buy

Media | 07/15/2019 4:59 pm EDT

The CRTC has approved an acquisition by Stingray Group Inc. of the radio station CHOO-FM in Drumheller,...

Gov’t denies SWIFT request to amend CRTC broadband fund

telecom | 07/15/2019 12:15 pm EDT

The federal government has declined an application by SouthWestern Integrated Fibre Technology Inc. asking for changes to the CRTC’s rural broadband fund. SWIFT -- a non-profit organization that...

‘We would suffer irreparable harm’: Bell challenging CloudWifi decision

telecom | 07/12/2019 7:07 pm EDT

BCE Inc. is challenging the CRTC's decision to allow internet service providers to access its fibre wires in multi-dwelling buildings, saying in a Part 1 application to the...

StatCan data shows higher telecom spending than CRTC pricing numbers

Media | 07/12/2019 5:25 pm EDT

The average Canadian household spent $233 a month on communication services in 2017, a $10.17 or 4.6 per cent increase from a year earlier, according to data from Statistics Canada released late last...

Telus plans could also ‘interfere’ with customer churn: PIAC

telecom | 07/12/2019 4:42 pm EDT

The same week that concerns were raised about new device financing plans...

IPTV coming by December, Cogeco says

Media | 07/11/2019 4:21 pm EDT

Cogeco Inc. will launch its new IPTV service in its entire Canadian footprint by the end of the calendar...

Rogers’ financing plans ‘might be seen as a problem’: CCTS

telecom | 07/10/2019 6:23 pm EDT

The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) said...

CRTC mandates carriers participate in two emergency alert tests a year

telecom | 07/10/2019 5:11 pm EDT

The CRTC will require wireless providers to send a second visible test of...

Over 5 billion to have digital ID globally by 2024: Juniper

telecom | 07/10/2019 5:08 pm EDT

Juniper Research is projecting over five billion people will have some form of digital ID by 2024, as the Canadian government seeks information on how it can meet its own goals for the emerging...

CRTC denies Iristel complaint about Bell rate increases

telecom | 07/10/2019 4:37 pm EDT

Iristel Inc. hasn’t provided enough evidence in a dispute with BCE Inc. to compel the CRTC to re-regulate some transport services, the commission said Wednesday.  Iristel had asked the CRTC to...

‘Deepfakes’ could trigger election security alert, gov’t officials say

Media | 07/09/2019 4:50 pm EDT

Artificial intelligence technology allowing videos to be seamlessly...

Emergency services affected by service outage, Rogers confirms

telecom | 07/08/2019 5:18 pm EDT

The wireless service outage that began on  Sunday and affected the country's four major carriers impacted 911 emergency services for nearly eight hours, Rogers Communications Inc. confirmed.  That means that between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Sunday, some cellphones on...

ISED officials frustrated with competing MB fibre project, emails show

telecom | 07/05/2019 5:32 pm EDT

The federal government approved spending on a fibre project in Manitoba...

Claire Anderson appointed CRTC commish for Yukon

Media | 07/05/2019 1:16 pm EDT

The CRTC has filled the last of its open commissioner slots, as Yukon lawyer Claire Anderson has been named to the vacant seat representing British Columbia and the Yukon.  Anderson, who practices law at the Whitehorse firm...

Videotron will take CRTC to court over set-top box data decision

Media | 07/05/2019 11:30 am EDT

Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron will challenge a recent CRTC decision ordering it to turn over information collected from TV set-top boxes to a working group. The CRTC issued that decision earlier this...

EORN funding to improve cell service in 102 communities

telecom | 07/05/2019 10:51 am EDT

The federal government will contribute $71 million to a project from the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) that aims to improve mobile connectivity in the region. “Once completed, the...

CRTC asks wireless providers to justify post-data cap throttling

telecom | 07/04/2019 4:52 pm EDT

The CRTC has asked several telecoms to explain how their throttling of wireless speeds once customers exceed their data allotments doesn’t violate the commission’s regulatory policy on internet traffic management practices (ITMPs). In a June 28 letter posted to its website this week, the regulator issued requests for information to eight telecoms related to their use of ITMPs. That includes questions to Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom Mobile, Rogers Communications Inc. regarding its Chatr flanker brand, and BCE Inc.’s Bell MTS and Lucky Mobile about throttling mobile speeds after...

ENCQOR test bed ‘up and running’

telecom | 07/04/2019 2:00 pm EDT

A wireless network announced last year that allows small- and medium-sized businesses to test 5G technology is now operational, according to a press release. The ENCQOR 5G test bed, part of a public-private partnership to...

Telus to keep no-overage plans — and subsidies

telecom | 07/03/2019 6:57 pm EDT

Telus Corp. is making its once promotional “no overage” wireless data plan options a permanent...

ISED’s John Knubley retires

telecom | 06/28/2019 4:44 pm EDT

John Knubley, who has been deputy minister at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) for seven years, announced his retirement last week. Knubley has been at ISED since 2012, and before that was deputy...

Bibic’s background an asset in CEO transition at Bell: observers

Media | 06/28/2019 7:56 am EDT

The imminent departure of BCE Inc. CEO George Cope, announced Friday...

Bigger, cheaper data plans thanks to us: Shaw

telecom | 06/27/2019 5:41 pm EDT

The price of data is coming down and the size of data packages is going up, all thanks to market pressure...

Connectivity strategy repeats budget promises, offers no details

telecom | 06/27/2019 2:57 pm EDT

The connectivity strategy released by Rural Economic Development Minister...

Novus files another Part 1 for condo access in B.C.

telecom | 06/27/2019 2:48 pm EDT

Vancouver-based Novus Entertainment Inc. has once again sought help from the CRTC to install transmission facilities and ancillary telecommunications equipment in a multi-dwelling unit development in the Greater Vancouver area. ...

‘Unlimited’ plans could negatively impact industry: analyst

telecom | 06/27/2019 11:33 am EDT

Rogers Communications Inc.’s decision to introduce "no overage" plans will likely negatively impact all wireless carriers, Scotiabank’s Jeff Fan said in a new report.  “In this dynamically...

Twitter bans pre-election political advertising

Media | 06/26/2019 6:20 pm EDT

Ending several months of uncertainty and speculations, Twitter Inc. has declared that it will join Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Microsoft Corp.’s Bing search engine in not selling any political advertisements in Canada in the run-up to the federal election, though it will resume selling such ads once the election begins.  “Our policy and enforcement teams will be building the necessary infrastructure and product support to ensure we are appropriately prepared for the critical election period,” Twitter’s director of public policy in Canada Michele Austin wrote in a statement...

Rodriguez promises CanCon rules for ‘web giants’

Media | 06/26/2019 5:53 pm EDT

Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said in a social media post Wednesday that the Liberal government plans...

Quebecor says Bell devalues its own offering

telecom | 06/26/2019 10:54 am EDT

Quebecor Inc. has responded to BCE Inc.’s claim that Quebecor’s Videotron unfairly disadvantaged Bell’s Super Écran by placing the channel in its “Other Specialties” package with a claim of its own: by putting Super...

Few surprises in BTLR ‘what we heard’ report

Media | 06/26/2019 10:30 am EDT

The blue ribbon panel in charge of reviewing Canada’s communications legislation has released its...

CRTC grants ISPs access to Bell building fibre for a fee

telecom | 06/26/2019 8:49 am EDT

The CRTC is granting CloudWifi Inc. competitor access to BCE Inc.’s...

Cogeco creates new VP wireless position, hires Stingray exec

telecom | 06/25/2019 4:47 pm EDT

Cogeco Inc. said it has hired Marie Ginette Lepage as its new vice-president of wireless solutions and innovation, a newly-created position in which she will take on the responsibility for Cogeco’s wireless service strategy. Lepage is leaving her role at Stingray Group...

Serge Sasseville retiring from Quebecor

Media | 06/25/2019 4:38 pm EDT

Long-standing Quebecor Inc. executive Serge Sasseville has announced he will retire from his position as...

ISED missed internal CTI deadline despite ‘considerable pressure’: docs

telecom | 06/24/2019 5:40 pm EDT

The federal government failed to meet an internal goal by which it aimed to...

Stop routing Canadian data through the U.S.: Security committee

telecom | 06/21/2019 5:06 pm EDT

The public safety and national security committee of the House of Commons has recommended that the federal government look at ways to make sure that Canadian data stays on Canadian soil. The...

Rogers’ no-overage plan about data use, churn, 5G: analyst

telecom | 06/21/2019 4:32 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc.’s reasons for launching a no-overage-fee...

Broadcast, TV service revenues down again: CRTC

Media | 06/20/2019 8:26 pm EDT

New data released by the CRTC Thursday shows the industry-wide trend of tumbling broadcast sector revenue...

Federal Court grants Telus leave to appeal in speed cap case

telecom | 06/19/2019 3:18 pm EDT

The Federal Court of Appeal will hear an appeal from Telus Corp. that challenges the CRTC’s decision to allow, on an interim basis, smaller providers to provide internet customers over-100 Mbps...

Industry committee dissents from ISED spectrum clawback plans

telecom | 06/18/2019 8:09 pm EDT

The House of Commons industry committee has endorsed Xplornet Communications Inc.'s call that the ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) should not claw back any of the 3.5...

UoW, NRC establish research centre for AI, IoT, cybersecurity

telecom | 06/18/2019 5:27 pm EDT

The National Research Council of Canada and the University of Waterloo announced on Monday they will create a new “collaboration hub,” aimed at conducting research on a host of fields related to...

Final CRTC policy direction references rural connectivity, investment

telecom | 06/18/2019 4:54 pm EDT

The government’s new policy direction to the CRTC — first proposed in March and focusing on affordability and consumers — is now in force. The final version of the...

House committee recommends gov’t uphold data de-identification

telecom | 06/18/2019 4:53 pm EDT

In the government’s move to digitize its institutions, the House of Commons ethics committee is recommending that it ensures personal information used for research is anonymized, according to a new...

32% of Indigenous households at below 5 Mbps: gov’t projections

telecom | 06/17/2019 6:35 pm EDT

The federal government expected contributions from its broadband programs,...

Alicia Barin appointed new CRTC commish for Quebec

Media | 06/17/2019 5:44 pm EDT

A former Astral executive is Quebec’s new representative to the CRTC, with the federal government appointing Alicia Barin to the commission for a five-year term. Barin will join the CRTC in August. She is a former executive...

Bell-Videotron fight widens to permanent roaming

telecom | 06/17/2019 1:43 pm EDT

The conflict between BCE Inc. and Quebecor Inc. that has been simmering since April has again reached the CRTC, this time with the threat of Bell cutting off some Videotron wireless customers. Quebecor filed a Part 1...

Ultimate impact of new ‘unlimited’ plans unclear: industry-watchers

telecom | 06/13/2019 6:29 pm EDT

As BCE Inc. and Telus Corp. reacted to Rogers Communications Inc.’s offer of a new wireless data plan with no data overage charges, analysts and experts had difficulty predicting how the new plans could affect the industry. Rogers announced on Wednesday that it would start offering wireless data plans starting at $75 for 10 GB with no overage charges, instead throttling speeds once customers reach their data limit. Telus responded the same day with a 15 GB for $75 promo, while Bell began...

CRTC allows Corus to close down 44 TV rebroadcasting towers

Media | 06/13/2019 4:48 pm EDT

The CRTC has approved a request from Corus Entertainment Inc. to shutter 44 of its television transmitting towers that serve rural customers. The original application from November said that the...

Another MediaTube appeal request against Bell denied

Media | 06/13/2019 1:36 pm EDT

The Federal Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal request by MediaTube Corp. to present new evidence in a six-year-old patent infringement case brought against BCE Inc. Judge David Stratus agreed with Bell’s argument that...

Rogers’ new no-data-overage plan a ‘necessary’ development: analyst

telecom | 06/12/2019 6:26 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc.’s launch of a wireless plan that won’t...

Northwestel agrees to spend $5 million in non-compliance case

telecom | 06/12/2019 6:09 pm EDT

BCE Inc.-owned Northwestel will invest a fresh $5 million to upgrade its...

Ericsson forecasts faster 5G rollout in updated report

telecom | 06/11/2019 5:20 pm EDT

A new report by Ericsson AB suggests an accelerated timeline for the...

Bell hardware malfunction causes Raptors fans to miss out

Media | 06/11/2019 3:28 pm EDT

BCE Inc. confirmed today that several thousand of its Fibe TV and Alt TV...

NDP intros affordable telecom plan

telecom | 06/10/2019 6:03 pm EDT

The New Democratic Party has unveiled Monday a plan to make telecommunications services more affordable,...

Privacy group wants to help OPC form future guidelines

telecom | 06/10/2019 2:34 pm EDT

A new group made up of businesses and industry associations wants to help...

CRTC broadband fund rollout criticized at industry committee

telecom | 06/07/2019 1:16 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Liberal MP William Amos, the MP who brought forward a motion compelling the House industry committee to study the issue of rural broadband, said Thursday that he's "very disappointed" with the CRTC's decision to restrict the first round of applications for its $750 million broadband fund to projects in the North. The remarks came as the House industry committee grilled the CRTC's executive director of telecommunications Christopher Seidl about commission chairman Ian Scott’s announcement on Wednesday that the fund would initially focus on the territories and the far north....

Clawback of 3.5 GHz strikes ‘reasonable’ balance, analyst says

telecom | 06/06/2019 6:43 pm EDT

The decision by Innovation Canada to carve-out mobile use licences from the...

3.5 GHz auction will mean a level playing field for 5G: ISED

Media | 06/05/2019 7:56 pm EDT

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Innovation Canada will give existing holders of 3.5...

No issue with Canadian wireless pricing: telecom execs

telecom | 06/05/2019 8:45 am EDT

TORONTO — Executives from Canada’s biggest carriers defended the...

Change safe harbour exemptions in Copyright Act, industry committee says

Media | 06/04/2019 6:27 pm EDT

The House industry committee is asking the Heritage committee to study...

Shaw’s McAleese says no ‘use case’ for MVNOs in Canada

telecom | 06/04/2019 3:42 pm EDT

TORONTO — Paul McAleese, president of wireless at Shaw Communications Inc. said at an industry conference he doesn’t see MVNOs being successful in Canada —  a somewhat different message than what the company recently told the CRTC. “I’m not convinced there’s...

CRTC chairman fires warning shot about customer service issues

telecom | 06/03/2019 8:21 pm EDT

TORONTO — During a speech at an industry conference Monday, CRTC chairman...

‘Logical’ to start CRTC broadband fund focusing on North: Scott

telecom | 06/03/2019 7:33 pm EDT

TORONTO —The CRTC chose to initially target its long-awaited broadband...

Don’t expect recommendations in June BTLR report: Yale

Media | 06/03/2019 4:37 pm EDT

TORONTO — The interim report due at the end of this month from the expert...

Broadband strategy coming before the election: rural minister

telecom | 06/03/2019 11:43 am EDT

OTTAWA — The new rural economic development ministry will release the...

Gov’t needs interaction with tech specialists, conference hears

Media | 05/28/2019 4:43 pm EDT

OTTAWA — For the Canadian government to be more effective at legislating on issues including social media and internet of things (IoT) technology, it needs to communicate with technology specialists...

No broadcaster compensation for 600 MHz move, ISED confirms

Media | 05/28/2019 1:48 pm EDT

Broadcasters have lobbied the government for years to reimburse them for...

Tech giants agree to ‘voluntary’ set of principles: Gould

Media | 05/27/2019 5:45 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Facebook Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have both signed on to a...

Freedom open to network-sharing with Rogers, president says

telecom | 05/24/2019 6:09 pm EDT

As Shaw Communications Inc. continues to expand its Freedom Mobile brand, a...

CRTC accepts Comp Bureau’s narrowed request for wireless data

telecom | 05/24/2019 5:49 pm EDT

After the CRTC in April denied the Competition Bureau’s request for more specific telecom data for its wireless review, the commission Friday changed course and said it will go ahead and ask wireless service providers to provide more granular information. “The Commission considers that this information would benefit the record of this proceeding and assist the Commission in its decision-making,” the CRTC said in a letter Friday, adding the bureau’s request “builds on” the CRTC’s...

CRTC denies PIAC clarity on phone unlocking

telecom | 05/23/2019 6:00 pm EDT

The CRTC has denied a request by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) to state that CRTC policy...

Cogeco calling for radio representation on tax credit panel

Media | 05/22/2019 5:25 pm EDT

Cogeco Inc. is lobbying the government to help Canadian radio news...

Novus, Thind reach agreement on condo access

telecom | 05/22/2019 5:08 pm EDT

An ongoing dispute between Novus Entertainment Inc. and multi-dwelling unit (MDU) developer Thind Developments Inc. came to a close earlier this month, according to a letter from the CRTC. Novus’ Part 1 application to the...

ISED ‘digital charter’ recommends enhancing OPC powers

Media | 05/21/2019 8:30 pm EDT

Innovation Canada is recommending that the privacy commissioner be vested...

Scheer promises Huawei 5G ban, but no info on what that means

telecom | 05/21/2019 5:17 pm EDT

Conservative leader Andrew Scheer said last week he was in favour of a ban on equipment from Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. in 5G networks, but his office has since refused to offer any information about what would be involved in such a move. That means Scheer could be...

Shaw says patience, not regulation, required to see organic MVNO market

telecom | 05/17/2019 4:55 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom, the country’s major fourth wireless player, says it is most susceptible to harm if the CRTC decides to mandate MVNO access to incumbent facilities, and that...

Keep satellite OTA replacement program in place, CRTC hears

Media | 05/17/2019 11:47 am EDT

Users of a program that provides free access to conventional TV stations in areas where they’re not available over-the-air are asking the CRTC not to allow Shaw Communications Inc. to shut down the...

Connect to Innovate applicants should hear back soon: Jordan

telecom | 05/16/2019 5:16 pm EDT

OTTAWA — After details emerged last week that 60 per cent of applicants...

Heritage committee calls for end of ISP safe harbour copyright rules

Media | 05/16/2019 1:10 pm EDT

The House heritage committee says the government should do more to fight...

ISED convenes AI advisory council

telecom | 05/15/2019 4:51 pm EDT

Innovation Canada announced the creation Tuesday of a new advisory panel for artificial intelligence made up of members from across academia, the private sector, and government. The panel, announced as Innovation Minister...

Shaw selling Corus shares worth $548M

Media | 05/15/2019 1:34 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc. is getting rid of $548 million in shares in Corus Entertainment Inc. The...

Ontario court certifies class action over Bell’s relevant ad program

Media | 05/14/2019 3:46 pm EDT

A class action against BCE Inc.’s controversial 2013 relevant advertising program will be heard in an Ontario Court. The action, which alleges that the program violated the plaintiffs’ privacy...

Bell files support for Telus speed cap appeal

telecom | 05/13/2019 5:04 pm EDT

BCE Inc. is supporting Telus Corp.’s request to appeal a decision by the CRTC that temporarily removed a cap on internet download speeds smaller telecoms can provide customers.    Telus said in the Federal Court of Appeal...

Facebook sets higher standards in guidelines than laws: Chan

Media | 05/10/2019 6:09 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Facebook Inc.’s head of public policy in Canada said Friday the platform’s community guidelines, “in many respects,” go above what is currently prescribed in Canadian law, as the company works on making those guidelines more transparent. “We need to respect the laws of the country, but then beyond that, we have our community standards, which actually have a higher standard,” Kevin Chan said at a communications law conference hosted by the Forum for Research and Policy in Communications. Chan said Facebook doesn’t want and bans hate speech, terrorism, and...

Ethics committee grills Google over political ads decision

Media | 05/10/2019 2:31 pm EDT

OTTAWA — In an at-times tense hearing of the House of Commons ethics committee, executives from the Canada office of Alphabet Inc.’s Google made the case that the company was technologically...

CRTC asking Canadians to participate in internet performance test

telecom | 05/10/2019 9:37 am EDT

A CRTC project dating back to 2015 that seeks to measure the internet performance of service providers (ISPs) in Canadian homes to help drive policy decisions is kicking off a second phase. The...

Fizz still ‘minimal’ part of wireless for Videotron: CEO

Media | 05/09/2019 6:49 pm EDT

The new Fizz flanker brand launched by Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron is still...

Telus begins separating ‘quality’ wireless subs in financial reports

telecom | 05/09/2019 6:46 pm EDT

One year after claiming it registers similar smartphone-specific new...

Amos calls for industry committee to examine CRTC’s rural broadband role

telecom | 05/09/2019 5:46 pm EDT

OTTAWA — As the House industry committee prepares to begin a study on the state of Canada’s rural wireless infrastructure after the passage of the private member's motion M-208, the motion’s sponsor Liberal MP William Amos today told the committee that its focus should be on examining the role of the CRTC in improving rural access. “We need to engage in a dialogue with the CRTC and this committee is, I believe, the ideal organ for that dialogue to explore what more can be done,”...

60% of Connect to Innovate applicants still haven’t heard back

telecom | 05/09/2019 12:32 pm EDT

More than two years after the deadline to apply for funding through the...

15,000 Shaw customers affected by breach

telecom | 05/08/2019 2:38 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc. has confirmed that the data of some 15,000 customers was left exposed on the...

Competition Bureau asks CRTC to reconsider requests for info

telecom | 05/06/2019 5:27 pm EDT

Competition commissioner Matthew Boswell has told the CRTC he needs more location-specific data about Canada’s wireless market to be able to contribute to the upcoming review of the CRTC’s mobile...

Long-time TekSavvy lawyer appointed to Federal Court

Media | 05/06/2019 4:25 pm EDT

Nicholas McHaffie, who served as counsel to TekSavvy Solutions Inc. in its long-running legal saga against movie studios looking to get the personal information of Canadians in copyright cases, has been appointed to the Federal...

$10 fees on customer service tasks don’t violate Wireless Code: Bell, Telus

telecom | 05/03/2019 5:27 pm EDT

BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., Telus Corp., and Shaw Communications Inc. have responded to the CRTC’s questions about $10 fees they charge for some customer service tasks. Telecom...

New rural dev. ministry to release plans for broadband in June

telecom | 05/02/2019 6:04 pm EDT

OTTAWA — The newly-minted Ministry of Rural Economic Development will next month release its development strategy for the rural economy, detailing among other things how it plans to spend its...

Bell-branded wireless hits sub-1% churn, continuing industry trend

Media | 05/02/2019 5:46 pm EDT

The expected focus by the country’s largest wireless service providers...

Experts say there is no road map for a Facebook-OPC court fight

Media | 05/01/2019 4:17 pm EDT

If the Office of the Privacy Commissioner takes Facebook Inc. to Federal...

Federal Court won’t hear Calgary bylaw case

telecom | 05/01/2019 4:14 pm EDT

The Federal Court of Appeal has rejected an application by the City of Calgary asking the court to review a CRTC decision the city said didn’t address whether a new bylaw could govern telecom access to infrastructure. The Friday decision exhausts the city’s appeal routes in Federal Court, in a long-running dispute between the municipality and the telecoms about whether the parties could use the new bylaw to hammer out agreements. The written decision contains no reasons for the dismissal. The city filed its Federal Court of Appeal application in February, following a decision by...