SCC denies Voltage appeal in costs case

Media | 08/10/2018 12:54 pm EDT

The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) will not hear an appeal from an American movie studio challenging a Canadian court’s decision forcing it to pay court costs upfront for a defendant it is looking to sue for copyright...

ISED OKs Shaw, Bell spectrum transfer in the North

telecom | 08/10/2018 12:41 pm EDT

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has approved a number of spectrum licence transfers between Shaw Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. ISED said in a pair of decisions that it has OKed the transfer of 11...

Dazn will license NFL Sunday Ticket rights to broadcasters

Media | 08/09/2018 6:04 pm EDT

Perform Group’s Dazn sports streaming service will licence the NFL Sunday Ticket service to most of the major traditional television providers in Canada, according to a release on Tuesday. The...

Videotron planning moves on prepaid wireless: CEO

Media | 08/09/2018 5:52 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron will follow the incumbents’ lead and put in place initiatives to increase its stable of prepaid wireless customers, Videotron CEO Manon Brouillette indicated in a conference call with analysts...

More fines in VOIS CCTS non-compliance case

telecom | 08/09/2018 5:22 pm EDT

Fines of $25,000 and $5,000 were levied against VOIS Inc. and its director Harpreet Randhawa, respectively, for not rejoining the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) after being ordered to, according to a CRTC decision posted on Thursday. The Calgary-based telecom has been in the regulator’s doghouse since 2016, when it was kicked out of the CCTS after it failed to follow directions following consumer complaints. VIOS was eventually fined $15,000 in 2017, and it missed a deadline to rejoin the CCTS later that year as well. Neither the company nor Randhawa...

BlackBerry to offer ransomware recovery service

telecom | 08/09/2018 4:56 pm EDT

In a bid to combat the growing problem of ransomware, BlackBerry Ltd. announced in a release on Monday an...

$22.5 million requested for video relay service in 2019

telecom | 08/09/2018 2:56 pm EDT

The Canadian administrator of the video relay service (CAV), which helps hearing-impaired Canadians communicate with others over video, is asking for a budget increase to operate next year. The...

Traffic stimulation in front of CRTC again with Iristel, Telus fight

telecom | 08/08/2018 5:22 pm EDT

Iristel Inc. and Telus Corp. are sparring in a pair of Part 1 applications...

North America to see brunt of 146 billion data breach cases: Juniper

telecom | 08/08/2018 4:54 pm EDT

Over 146 billion records worldwide are expected to be exposed through criminal data breaches over the next six years, a new report from Juniper Research suggests. That constitutes a 22.5 per cent...

CRTC denies reconsideration of Hamilton municipal access agreement

Media | 08/08/2018 4:42 pm EDT

The CRTC said it wasn’t moved by an application to relook at a decision...

Videotron appoints new VP of corporate affairs

Media | 08/08/2018 4:30 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron announced the promotion of Élodie Girardin-Lajoie to the position of...

Xplornet announces more ‘5G ready’ network expansion

telecom | 08/07/2018 5:26 pm EDT

Xplornet Communications Inc. plans to introduce “5G-ready Internet...

Big Three face lawsuit over 911-location tech

telecom | 08/07/2018 4:05 pm EDT

A Colorado-based company is suing BCE Inc., Telus Corp. and Rogers Communications Inc. for allegedly violating its patents involving technology used to locate mobile phones for 911 service. TracBeam LLC filed a statement of...

OPC to look into face-scanning mall kiosks

telecom | 08/07/2018 2:27 pm EDT

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) will join Alberta’s provincial privacy watchdog and launch an investigation into the use of facial recognition technology in shopping malls owned by Cadillac Fairview. “The investigation was initiated by...

Telus’ customer service strategy improving churn in wireline: CEO

telecom | 08/03/2018 4:01 pm EDT

The customer service strategy that Telus Corp. has been employing for over...

New Connect to Innovate projects in Ontario, Quebec

Media | 08/03/2018 3:06 pm EDT

The federal government announced more rural and remote internet funding for the  Îles-de-la-Madeleine,...

BDUs need to have STB data ready for Sept. 2019: CRTC

telecom | 08/03/2018 2:31 pm EDT

The CRTC renewed the licences of a slew of broadcasters in multiple decisions on Thursday, taking a hands-off approach to issues like pricing of standalone channels, but setting conditions of license for community programming,...

Expert panel to lead roundtables for data policy consultation

telecom | 08/03/2018 2:07 pm EDT

The federal government has appointed a panel of experts who will lead roundtable discussions during the upcoming national data consultation. According to a Friday press release, the panel includes...

More targeted data critical to bridge rural broadband divide

telecom | 08/03/2018 9:28 am EDT

Matt Rapke doesn’t need a map to figure out that identifying ‘unnamed’ rural and remote places is a fundamental aspect of deploying broadband in those areas, because he comes from one such town. “If you looked at my house on a map, it's not part of any...

Bell targeting more rural markets with fixed wireless expansion

telecom | 08/02/2018 4:58 pm EDT

BCE Inc. will grow its presence in the fixed wireless space to 30...

Telus took top speeds in first half of 2018: Ookla

telecom | 08/01/2018 5:00 pm EDT

Internet speed test service Speedtest by Ookla announced the mobile network results from the first and second quarters of 2018 in a report on Wednesday, and Telus Corp.’s connection rate takes the crown, with BCE Inc. close...

Freedom’s new ad campaign focuses on sharing, data overages

telecom | 08/01/2018 2:10 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom Mobile will highlight its lack of...

Xplornet to brand wireless service Xplore Mobile

telecom | 08/01/2018 11:13 am EDT

Xplornet Communications Inc. will call its wireless service Xplore Mobile when it launches this fall, it...

Phone unlocking requirement has increased theft: Bell, Rogers

telecom | 07/31/2018 5:12 pm EDT

Rules that force providers to unlock smartphones have led to an increased...

Current witness protections sufficient in sales tactics inquiry: CRTC

telecom | 07/30/2018 5:12 pm EDT

The CRTC has declined a request from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) to offer protection against litigation to current and former employees who offer submissions to the regulator’s...

CPC Heritage critic Van Loan leaving politics

Media | 07/30/2018 2:25 pm EDT

Heritage shadow minister Peter Van Loan will no longer be an MP as of Sept. 30, according to a statement...

CMPA to tour country ahead of broadcast, telecom acts review

Media | 07/30/2018 1:40 pm EDT

The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) has launched a Canada-wide...

Telecom blockchain market to reach nearly $1B in 2023: researchers

telecom | 07/27/2018 4:45 pm EDT

The global telecom blockchain market could grow to an estimated $993.8 million by 2023, driven by increased use of the trustless databases in billing, number portability, fraud and eSIM provisioning, according to a study by Markets and Markets. Blockchain, the distributed ledger system which has exploded in popularity after it was used to underpin the bitcoin virtual currency, has been proposed as a solution to many problems in the telecom industry. The current market size, according Markets...

LEO projects promise rural, remote broadband in just a few years

telecom | 07/27/2018 3:16 pm EDT

Three years after a number of big companies first announced they would...

TekSavvy gets fewer info requests

telecom | 07/26/2018 5:46 pm EDT

TekSavvy Solutions Inc. saw a declining number of government requests for its subscriber information over...

New cell towers unlock Rogers network upgrades

telecom | 07/26/2018 5:29 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. outlined some of the locations of new cell towers which include upgrades to its mobile network capability in a series of press releases released Thursday morning. Customers of the Toronto-based...

CRTC asks carriers for lower-priced data-only plan proposals

telecom | 07/25/2018 5:29 pm EDT

The CRTC wants the Big Three to submit options for lower-priced data plans...

TV dominates OTT in viewership: industry group

Media | 07/25/2018 5:12 pm EDT

Despite the impact over-the-top (OTT) streaming services have had on the television market for sometime in Canada, a new report by Think TV suggests that linear is still dominating those services. The report said that, regardless of age, gender or language, linear TV still eclipses viewership on Netflix Inc., Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube, and Facebook Inc. in average weekly hours. Throughout the document, the word “dominates” was used to describe the viewership difference. It also measured the time people spent using Facebook’s photo-sharing app Instagram, Snap Inc.’s camera app, and...

CRTC says no additional radio stations for Lloydminster market

Media | 07/25/2018 4:22 pm EDT

The radio market in Lloydminster, on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, can’t sustain another radio station, the CRTC said Wednesday. “While Lloydminster`s population is growing and average...

Xplornet plans 100 Mbps, “5G-ready” fixed wireless network

telecom | 07/25/2018 3:02 pm EDT

Xplornet Communications Inc. plans to build up fibre facilities in Eastern...

Court nixing Que. site-blocking ‘helpful’ against FairPlay: advocates

Media | 07/24/2018 5:59 pm EDT

The Quebec Superior Court has ruled against a plan by the Quebec government...

Roku brings AVOD service to Canada

telecom | 07/24/2018 5:30 pm EDT

Roku Inc. is launching its no-cost ad-supported video-on-demand service (AVOD) The Roku Channel in Canada, according to a blog post Monday. People who own Roku TVs or the Roku streaming box will have immediate access to...

TekSavvy FTTP facilities construction underway

telecom | 07/24/2018 5:26 pm EDT

TekSavvy Solutions Inc. will invest up to $26 million over a year and a half to build out an open access fibre-to-the-premises network in the Chatham-Kent, Ont. area, according to a press release on Monday. The municipality,...

Telesat launches satellite said to improve Nunavut internet speeds

telecom | 07/23/2018 2:58 pm EDT

Telesat Holdings Inc. said Monday that the launch of its new Telstar 19...

Lucky Mobile now available in all provinces

telecom | 07/23/2018 12:34 pm EDT

BCE Inc. announced that its low-cost prepaid mobile service, Lucky Mobile, has launched in Quebec and all...

Xplornet lobby blitz fights 3.5 GHz clawback proposal

telecom | 07/23/2018 10:16 am EDT

Xplornet Communications Inc. will not be able to service thousands of its rural customers with...

Union representing Shaw workers votes to strike

telecom | 07/20/2018 5:54 pm EDT

The members of a union at Shaw Communications Inc. in British Columbia have voted to strike due to issues including job security, wages and making employees pay for work devices. The United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1944 said in a Thursday press release that it received...

ISED approves AWS-1 spectrum lease to Sasktel

telecom | 07/20/2018 4:08 pm EDT

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has approved the leasing of wireless spectrum from Telus Corp. to crown corporation Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. The sharing of the AWS-1 spectrum will...

New Zealand company violated privacy of millions of Canadians: OPC

telecom | 07/19/2018 4:33 pm EDT

A company that copied and reused information posted on Facebook Inc.’s social media site violated the privacy of “potentially some” 4.5 million Canadians, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner...

Freedom launches its own low-cost data plans

telecom | 07/19/2018 4:32 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc. has launched low-cost wireless data plans that trump offers proposed by its competitors to the CRTC, after the telecoms told the regulator that it should accept no substitutes what they proposed. The...

Still lots of room for industry growth in wireless: Rogers CEO

telecom | 07/19/2018 2:36 pm EDT

Explaining the relentless pace of growth in Canada’s wireless industry,...

Joly out at Heritage as Pablo Rodriguez named new minister

Media | 07/18/2018 5:00 pm EDT

Former chief government whip Pablo Rodriguez is the new heritage minister, replacing the embattled Mélanie Joly, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shuffled his cabinet on Wednesday. Rodriguez has “a lot” of previous experience with this portfolio, independent...

New network quality rules will mean more fibre, Canadian IXPs: experts

telecom | 07/17/2018 12:12 pm EDT

To meet the CRTC’s basic service standard, internet service providers (ISPs) must provide a service with a latency of 50 milliseconds (ms) between a customer’s modem and an internet exchange point...

Numeris’ new digital measurement a ‘necessary step’: expert

Media | 07/16/2018 5:07 pm EDT

Broadcasters with multiplatform properties are expected to benefit from a...

Industry takes issue with report showing high revenues on low data use

telecom | 07/13/2018 3:39 pm EDT

Canadian operators drive the highest revenues per wireless gigabyte in the...

SWIFT opens first project for bids

telecom | 07/13/2018 2:47 pm EDT

The SouthWestern Integrated Fibre Technology Inc.(SWIFT) project launched its first request for...

Smart speaker adoption rate at 8% in Canada: MTM

telecom | 07/13/2018 2:12 pm EDT

Eight per cent of Canadians own a smart speaker, which is about in line with adoption of other early...

Blank slate in wireless tech an opportunity: Cogeco’s Audet

telecom | 07/12/2018 6:00 pm EDT

Cogeco Inc.'s renewed interest in entering the wireless market is partly...

CRTC levies CASL fines in malware case

Media | 07/12/2018 5:39 pm EDT

Due to actions which constituted “malvertising,” or the dissemination of malicious software in online ads, the CRTC issued notices of violations to two companies under the Canadian anti-spam legislation (CASL) Wednesday,...

Bell MTS increasing wireless rates, axing unlimited data for new customers

telecom | 07/12/2018 5:08 pm EDT

BCE Inc.’s Bell MTS in Manitoba is dropping its province-wide wireless unlimited data plan option and increasing prices for upgrading or new customers, it announced Tuesday. New customers will...

Facebook facing £500,000 fine in privacy scandal

telecom | 07/11/2018 6:17 pm EDT

After the British Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) found that Facebook Inc. had “security issues” and a “lack of transparency” related to political data harvesting in its interaction with SCL Group Ltd., the regulator issued a notice of intent to fine the...

26 GHz band critical for early 5G adoption, telecoms say

telecom | 07/10/2018 5:30 pm EDT

The 26 GHz band will be one of the most critical and earliest-adopted bands for 5G services, telecoms said in reply to an Innovation Canada consultation on millimetre (mmWave) wave spectrum, but...

Canadians watching more livestreams: IAB

Media | 07/10/2018 5:11 pm EDT

Nearly three quarters of Canadians, or 73 per cent, reported having ever watching livestreamed video, according to an Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) study published in June. The activity is trending up, as half of the...

Shaw doubles top residential internet speed

telecom | 07/10/2018 5:07 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc. said Tuesday the company is offering a residential internet plan  with 300 Mbps...

We have no obligation to offer paper bills: telecoms

telecom | 07/10/2018 4:54 pm EDT

There is no legal or regulatory obligation on telecoms to offer paper bills, BCE Inc. said in a filing to the CRTC, responding to an application asking the regulator to ensure companies must provide a paper bill to customers who...

Broadcast revenue bleeding got worse in 2017: CRTC

Media | 07/09/2018 8:30 pm EDT

According to the latest data from the CRTC, the Canadian broadcasting and broadcast distribution industry’s loss of revenue continues to accelerate, mostly due to ongoing “significant” declines in TV provider revenue in the broadcast year ending Aug. 31, 2017. The...

Northwestel on track to complete modernization plan: CRTC

telecom | 07/09/2018 6:08 pm EDT

BCE Inc.’s Northwestel is on its way to successfully completing its...

Twitter lobbying on online ads in wake of proposed elections bill

Media | 07/09/2018 1:17 pm EDT

Twitter Inc. wants to make sure the government understands how online...

Joanne Levy named new CRTC commissioner

Media | 07/09/2018 12:27 pm EDT

TV producer and former Liberal candidate Joanne Levy will be the new CRTC commissioner for the Manitoba...

Telecom industry revenues up 3.7 per cent at 2017 year end: CRTC

Media | 07/05/2018 5:13 pm EDT

The CRTC released new data Thursday for the fourth quarter of 2017 that...

Time online split nearly evenly between computers, smartphones: Comscore

telecom | 07/04/2018 5:05 pm EDT

Canadians are still spending a good amount of time on computers to access...

Bell awarded SuperNet contract, to buy Axia in Alberta

telecom | 07/04/2018 10:32 am EDT

BCE Inc. will take over the operation of the entire SuperNet network in...

Canadians more likely to turn to WiFi on smartphones: report

telecom | 07/03/2018 6:03 pm EDT

In May, Canada’s smartphone users relied on an average of 2.7 GB in mobile data, but ended up using an average 8.4 GB of WiFi data, according to new results from Tutela Technologies Inc. network...

MediaTube turns on counsel, denied appeal amendment

telecom | 07/03/2018 4:31 pm EDT

The Federal Court of Appeal has turned away an attempt by MediaTube Corp. — in its already-dismissed patent infringement case against BCE Inc. — to introduce potential new evidence in its appeal based on allegations its...

CRTC wants details from providers on phone unlocking

telecom | 07/03/2018 2:31 pm EDT

The CRTC is asking wireless service providers to outline their current practices on phone unlocking, following an application asking the regulator to require carriers to unlock all devices, even if the individual isn’t a customer. In a letter dated June 29, the CRTC asked large and small service providers to outline how many unlocking requests they’ve received since December 2017, when the CRTC’s rules eliminating locking fees for smartphones came into effect. Later that month, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) filed an application asking the CRTC to mandate service...

Cogeco hires lobbyist with wireless spectrum expertise

telecom | 07/03/2018 11:54 am EDT

Amir Bigloo, who has a history of successful spectrum purchases as CEO of...

Fibre, mobile subscription growth in Canada cools off: OECD

telecom | 06/29/2018 6:13 pm EDT

Subscriptions to a fibre-based fixed broadband service in Canada jumped 27...

Don’t opt for alternative low-cost plans, carriers warn CRTC

telecom | 06/29/2018 4:40 pm EDT

The big three wireless providers doubled down on their proposed low-cost,...

Christy Clark joins Shaw board of directors

telecom | 06/29/2018 4:13 pm EDT

Former British Columbia premier Christy Clark has joined Shaw Communications Inc.’s board of directors,...

Shaw cites broadband pricing, packaging as areas to improve

telecom | 06/28/2018 5:51 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc. blamed a third quarter of soft consumer internet performance more on its own execution than on hyper-competitive activity during a conference call with analysts Thursday. Shaw’s third quarter results reflected a loss on the consumer internet...

Broadcast, telecom act review panel plans ‘outreach’ in Sept.

Media | 06/28/2018 5:32 pm EDT

The panel appointed to lead the review of the Broadcasting Act and Telecommunications Act has met for the first time this week, and will continue to meet regularly over the summer, the federal...

Christa Dickenson to helm Telefilm Canada

telecom | 06/26/2018 7:01 pm EDT

Christa Dickenson will be the next executive director of Telefilm Canada, the office of Heritage Minister...

CRTC reviewing price cap, rate forbearance regimes

telecom | 06/26/2018 6:24 pm EDT

The CRTC is initiating intertwining reviews of two regimes, one which governs local exchange service price caps and the other on rules around exclusion from rate regulation in areas with sufficient competition. The regulator...

Feds put $500K toward privacy program for driverless cars

telecom | 06/25/2018 4:06 pm EDT

The federal government is infusing the University of Alberta with $500,000 for a pilot on enhanced privacy for connected and autonomous car communications. The government’s goal is to “help...

Bell tops broadband speed tests, but falls in customer satisfaction survey

Media | 06/22/2018 5:06 pm EDT

In a pair of studies measuring home internet service this week, BCE Inc. was positioned at the two ends of the spectrum, topping out the list of fastest connections in Canada, but falling to near the...

Crackle ending operations following Bell partnership

Media | 06/22/2018 4:15 pm EDT

Sony Corp.’s ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) service Crackle will cease existence in Canada next...

ENCQOR 5G project announces centres in Montreal, Quebec City

telecom | 06/22/2018 3:33 pm EDT

A public-private partnership on 5G technology research offered more details Friday about where its “innovation hubs,” or research centres, will be located, outlining locations at Montreal’s...

Cogeco could opt for ‘hybrid’ arrangement with new spectrum: Canaccord

telecom | 06/22/2018 2:40 pm EDT

An announcement Thursday that Cogeco Inc. has bought more spectrum makes it clear the company is “exploring a viable economic model for a wireless service,” Canaccord Genuity analyst Aravinda...

Gov’t cites NAFTA over U.S. net neutrality rollback concerns

Media | 06/22/2018 1:33 pm EDT

The federal government is affirming its commitment to enforcing the principles of net neutrality not only inside the country but abroad, as it has vowed to “address” situations in which Canadian companies are affected by the traffic management practices of United States...

Cogeco buys $8M of additional 2500 MHz spectrum

Media | 06/21/2018 5:53 pm EDT

Cogeco Inc. has bought $8 million worth of the 2500 MHz paired spectrum band from Kian Telecom Inc.,...

ISED points to existing programs in response to rural broadband report

telecom | 06/21/2018 5:45 pm EDT

The government has responded to a House industry committee report that, among other recommendations, said the government should tackle the problem of rural broadband access in Canada and called for...

12.5% Canadians watched pirated content in past month: MTM

Media | 06/21/2018 4:21 pm EDT

One in eight Canadians have watched pirated TV or movie content online in...

Balsillie’s Centre for Digital Rights meets with OPC

telecom | 06/21/2018 4:00 pm EDT

A newly-minted data rights group spearheaded by former BlackBerry Ltd. co-CEO Jim Balsillie met with privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien in late May, according to the federal lobbying registry....

ISED funding 777-km fibre line in Northern Canada

telecom | 06/21/2018 2:34 pm EDT

Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) is putting $30 million from its Connect to Innovate program toward a 777 kilometre-long fibre cable that will improve internet connectivity for residents in Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and northern British Columbia. The fibre network will stretch between Dawson City in Yukon and Inuvik in the Northwest Territories. The release said it will help close a 4,000 kilometre-long northern fibre loop, meaning the new line will add redundancy that will reduce outages to critical services, such as hospitals and debit and credit...

Private member’s bill aims to give privacy commish more powers

telecom | 06/21/2018 2:11 pm EDT

OTTAWA — As the House of Commons rose for summer break Wednesday...

Internet satisfaction high, but 27% don’t know their data caps: CIRA

Media | 06/20/2018 6:20 pm EDT

Just over a quarter of Canadians surveyed by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) said they don’t know how much broadband data they have, a concern a CIRA spokeswoman said could be...

Petition calls for empowered agency to compel deletion of false ads

telecom | 06/20/2018 6:10 pm EDT

Thousands of Canadians have signed  separate petitions created by Democracy Watch, with one calling for a strengthening of the elections law body that could compel media sites to remove false ads....

5G to make up nearly 50% of Canadian mobile connects by 2026: Accenture

telecom | 06/20/2018 3:46 pm EDT

Nearly half of the Canadian mobile connections by 2026 will be on a 5G...

Gov’t launches consultation on data, privacy

telecom | 06/19/2018 6:56 pm EDT

OTTAWA — The federal government said Tuesday it will hold consultations to look at the issue of data...

Matt Stein named CNOC president

telecom | 06/19/2018 1:38 pm EDT

The Canadian Network Operators’ Consortium (CNOC) has named its spokesman and vice-chair Matt Stein the new president and chairman of the organization, CNOC said in a press release Monday. Stein, who is also the CEO of...

Ethics committee wants political parties to come under privacy legislation

Media | 06/19/2018 1:20 pm EDT

Following nine public meetings that began in March, the House committee...

Payfone-EnStream partner on ID authentication platform

telecom | 06/18/2018 5:42 pm EDT

A joint venture of the big three telecoms announced a partnership on Monday with U.S.-based Payfone Inc. to support the Canadian roll out of an app that could replace passwords in the future....

‘Rare’ music industry consensus on key issues at Copyright Act review

Media | 06/15/2018 4:49 pm EDT

The House industry committee heard some familiar suggestions from a number of music industry groups Thursday, as they asked the MPs to take action on a radio royalty...