Bell announces eSIM support

telecom | 11/22/2017 1:03 pm EST

BCE Inc. will make embedded SIM (eSIM) technology available to its customers, the company said in a press release Wednesday. Bell is partnering with G+D Mobile Security, a...

Over 300 Mbps speed adoption ‘accelerating’ in Toronto: Barclays

telecom | 11/21/2017 6:08 pm EST

More customers in Toronto are adopting internet speeds over 300 Mbps, and the trend looks to be picking up pace as competition heats up in that market, according to Barclays Capital. With...

Size of 600 MHz set-aside, licence areas points of contention

telecom | 11/21/2017 5:25 pm EST

While much of the debate around the upcoming 600 MHz spectrum auction has centered on implementing spectrum set-asides, issues like imposing a spectrum cap and the size of any set-aside, the ability...

FCC sets Dec. 14 date for net neutrality roll back

telecom | 11/21/2017 4:49 pm EST

In a release on Tuesday, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Ajit Pai announced his plan to end net neutrality rules established during Barack Obama’s presidency. Pai’s goals, outlined in a statement, include...

Telus joins Rogers in Wireless Code extension ask

telecom | 11/20/2017 6:12 pm EST

Several telecoms are backing Rogers Communications Inc.’s request for an extension to implement certain requirements of the Wireless Code, suggesting some processes required by the code will take longer than the CRTC initially thought. Telus Corp. was the latest to file...

$290M allocated for internet infrastructure in rural Quebec

telecom | 11/20/2017 5:26 pm EST

In a press release on Monday, Innovation, Science and Economic Development...

Primus adding 120 Mbps speed option in Ontario and Quebec

telecom | 11/20/2017 4:09 pm EST

Birch Communications Inc.’s Primus said Monday that it is now offering...

CRTC consulting on new nuisance call blocking proposals

telecom | 11/17/2017 3:00 pm EST

The CRTC launched a consultation Thursday requesting comment on new proposals for how its order to telecoms to block some nuisance calls should be implemented. A year ago, the regulator ordered...

ISED consulting on wireless microphones, white space devices

telecom | 11/16/2017 5:58 pm EST

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) is asking for input on how to deal with both wireless devices that previously used some 600 MHz spectrum and new technology that will be...

ISED investing in energy-efficient chips for wireless devices

telecom | 11/16/2017 5:41 pm EST

Innovation Canada is putting up $2.2 million for clean technology that is...

Bell mulling advantages in prepaid wireless segment: CFO

telecom | 11/16/2017 4:35 pm EST

When it comes to the wireless industry’s torrid run of late, much of the...

Xplornet turns on LTE in Newfoundland communities

telecom | 11/16/2017 2:41 pm EST

Rural internet provider Xplornet Communications Inc. has expanded its fixed wireless network in...

Telus hits gig speeds in Vancouver small-cell demo

telecom | 11/16/2017 2:18 pm EST

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. and Telus Corp. said in a press release Thursday they achieved over 1 Gbps...

90% of Canadians own two or more devices: StatCan

telecom | 11/16/2017 1:47 pm EST

Statistics Canada released its latest General Social Survey (GSS) on Tuesday, which showed that 76 per cent of Canadians now own a smartphone. Titled Canadians at Work and Home, the survey conducted in 2016 included analysis of different facets how technology and internet have affected the day to day lives of Canadians. That statistic is in line with other surveys that put smartphone penetration among anglophone Canadians at 80 per cent. As well, multiple device usage is high, with 90 per cent of Canadians saying they own two or more electronics like a laptop, mobile phone or tablet....

Fake news worries increasing ahead of 2019 election: PPF CEO

Media | 11/15/2017 7:16 pm EST

OTTAWA — Policy makers in Canada have become more concerned about the...

Lack of incentive undermines privacy protection tech: OPC

Media | 11/15/2017 6:55 pm EST

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) has released an analysis of privacy enhancing technologies (PETs), but cautions that there are still challenges for the adoption of practises...

IoT to impose ‘incredible’ legal responsibility on telecoms: panel  

telecom | 11/15/2017 5:42 pm EST

OTTAWA — The proliferation of internet of things (IoT) devices will foist...

Media, telecom issues not controversial in NAFTA: experts

Media | 11/15/2017 4:53 pm EST

OTTAWA — Questions around telecom, intellectual property and media...

Amazon releases the Echo smart speaker line in Canada

telecom | 11/15/2017 3:46 pm EST

On Wednesday, Amazon.com Inc. made a move to introduce its intelligent personal assistant Alexa into this year’s holiday shopping season, with the release of the Amazon Echo line of smart speakers in Canada. Even though it’s taken over two years — the original Echo...

Website blocking has potential to combat piracy, conference hears

Media | 11/14/2017 7:19 pm EST

OTTAWA — If BCE Inc.’s suggestion in September that the federal...

25% would return to online business affected by cyberattack: CIRA

telecom | 11/14/2017 7:07 pm EST

A large majority of Canadians are aware of the dangers of keeping their personal information online, but it might not stop their online shopping habits, according to survey data released by the...

PIAC awarded costs from VOIS proceedings

telecom | 11/13/2017 4:59 pm EST

The CRTC has ordered VOIS Inc. to pay the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) a little over one thousand dollars for work done that eventually led to a non-compliance ruling against the Alberta-based telecom. The costs were...

ISED names white space administrator

telecom | 11/13/2017 2:32 pm EST

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada has chosen a U.S. company, Key Bridge Wireless LLC, as the administrator of TV white space in Canada. The department said back in 2015 that it was moving forward with plans to...

Qualcomm rejects Broadcom offer

telecom | 11/13/2017 12:33 pm EST

The board of directors of mobile chipmaker Qualcomm Inc. has unanimously rejected an unsolicited proposal to be purchased by Broadcom Ltd. “It is the Board’s unanimous belief that Broadcom’s proposal significantly...

TekSavvy releases quarterly transparency report

telecom | 11/10/2017 5:52 pm EST

TekSavvy Solutions Inc. released the first edition of a quarterly transparency report on Friday, which...

CRTC cost award delays could lead to PIAC shutdown, group says

Media | 11/10/2017 5:24 pm EST

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) is in danger of having to close...

Videotron reaches 1M wireless subscribers as it reports Q3 results

Media | 11/10/2017 5:14 pm EST

Quebecor Inc. said its wireless division has eclipsed one million subscribers since posting higher revenues and profits in its third-quarter earnings Thursday.  “In the space of 7 years,...

Bell launches first pilot project on LTE-M network

telecom | 11/10/2017 4:25 pm EST

BCE Inc.’s first pilot project to run on its recently-announced LTE-M network will power the internet of things (IoT) for the monitoring of a vineyard in Ontario, in what the company is calling an “important step forward” for the development of the technology in...

Telus revenue, profit up 4 per cent each

telecom | 11/09/2017 7:52 pm EST

Telus Corp. reported revenue of $3.36 billion, up four per cent from the same quarter last year, in its third-quarter results released Thursday, while net income also increased 4.2 per cent to $370 million over that time....

84% can access internet at basic service standard, only 11% do: CRTC

telecom | 11/09/2017 6:24 pm EST

The CRTC’s annual Communications Monitoring Report, released in full...

Government needs to move quicker, do more on telecom issues: panel

Media | 11/08/2017 6:13 pm EST

TORONTO — The federal government and the CRTC must pick up the pace and...

Rogers requests extension for Wireless Code changes

telecom | 11/08/2017 1:44 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc. is asking for more time to implement updates to its bill management systems in...

Disaggregated regime to spark new wholesale models, agreements: CNOC

telecom | 11/07/2017 6:12 pm EST

TORONTO — The CRTC’s new disaggregated wholesale regime will bring with it enormous costs to connect customers to fibre and will give birth to new wholesale models,...

FCC grants access to U.S. market for Telesat LEO satellite service

telecom | 11/07/2017 5:46 pm EST

Telesat Holdings Inc. will be allowed to offer internet service based on...

Amazon Fire TV stick launches in Canada

telecom | 11/07/2017 1:48 pm EST

Amazon.com Inc. is making available its Fire TV Stick Basic Edition plug-in streaming device available...

Bell’s $166M AlarmForce acquisition small but strategic buy: analysts

telecom | 11/07/2017 11:42 am EST

BCE Inc. is making a bigger play for the home-security arena with the $166...

Facilities ownership key to competition, ISP conference hears

telecom | 11/06/2017 7:37 pm EST

TORONTO — Owning fibre facilities is the primary way to drive...

PM outlines new parliamentary committee to oversee security agencies

telecom | 11/06/2017 5:33 pm EST

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the creation of a new National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians in a press release on Monday. This new body will “have the authority to review national security and intelligence activities carried out across the Government of Canada,” according to the...

Broadcom puts up $130B US offer for chip maker Qualcomm

telecom | 11/06/2017 5:04 pm EST

Networking giant Broadcom Ltd. announced a proposal to purchase all outstanding shares of mobile chip maker Qualcomm Inc. on Monday morning. It could be one of the largest tech deals ever,...

ISED approves Rogers and Ecotel spectrum sharing

telecom | 11/03/2017 5:31 pm EDT

Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) approved on Friday the issuing of four subordinate licences from Rogers Communications Inc. to Ecotel Inc. on Thursday. This agreement will be for communities in Eastern and...

Google doesn’t have to comply with SCC order: U.S. court

telecom | 11/03/2017 4:56 pm EDT

Alphabet Inc.’s Google does not have to comply with an order from...

Cogeco revenue up, profits dip in Q4

telecom | 11/03/2017 4:27 pm EDT

In its quarterly results released on Friday, Cogeco Inc. reported overall revenues for the three-month period ending Aug. 31, 2017 that totalled $578.5 million, up 1.1 per cent from a year earlier, though overall profit was down 11 per cent, to $71.1 million from $80.7...

Cell phone only households predict modern behaviour: MTM

telecom | 11/03/2017 4:21 pm EDT

Cell phone only households, meaning those that use only mobile phones and no landline, are growing across Canada and are a good indication of a series of modern habits, said a report published...

Resources ‘already stretched’ as breach reports set to increase: OPC

telecom | 11/03/2017 12:45 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Privacy Commissioner of Canada Daniel Therrien does not think...

Creative Canada ‘cultural policy, not tax policy’: Joly

Media | 11/02/2017 9:39 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Opposition MPs continued their criticism of Heritage Minister...

Live TV piracy to grow: Sandvine

Media | 11/02/2017 3:54 pm EDT

Piracy of live TV is expected to increase, according to Sandvine Corp., which says it poses...

Bell needs to do more with ad tech, CEO says

Media | 11/02/2017 3:43 pm EDT

BCE Inc. CEO George Cope said the company needs to do a better job of finding opportunities in emerging advertising technology, as the company seeks additional revenue growth for its media division. “We have to play in that space,” Cope said on a conference call with analysts following the...

Distributel buying Zazeen, adds to exec team

Media | 11/02/2017 2:45 pm EDT

Distributel Communications Inc. has received the OK from the CRTC to acquire IPTV service...

Video relay service availability extended

Media | 11/01/2017 4:50 pm EDT

Users of the national video relay service (VRS) for hearing-impaired Canadians can now access the service...

4G speeds plateau globally: OpenSignal

telecom | 11/01/2017 9:00 am EDT

Around the world, speeds of 4G connections have stopped increasing, according to a new report from OpenSignal. The Wednesday report said that “the once impressive growth in 4G speeds seems to have ground to a halt.”...

Future of health care is online, despite connectivity issues: senators

telecom | 10/31/2017 5:41 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Technologies that allow doctors to diagnose and treat patients...

Gov’t asks for public safety ‘smart communities’ proposals

telecom | 10/30/2017 5:59 pm EDT

In a release on Monday, the federal government announced a call for proposals with a focus on enhancing defense and security, which includes $19 million to tackle public safety and security challenges...

Facebook to test more transparent ads in Canada

Media | 10/30/2017 5:01 pm EDT

Canada will be the testbed for Facebook Inc.’s new advertising transparency policies, according to a...

Telus to buy majority stake in Xavient Information Systems

telecom | 10/30/2017 12:38 pm EDT

Telus Corp.’s outsourcing and call centre operation Telus International...

Bell ordered to provide vertical coordinates to Hamilton, Ont.

telecom | 10/27/2017 4:57 pm EDT

The CRTC has told BCE Inc. it has to provide the city of Hamilton, Ont....

CRTC sets new notification rules for 911 service outages

telecom | 10/27/2017 4:40 pm EDT

The CRTC has ordered landline and wireless service providers to implement new recommendations regarding 911 service outage notifications. They have three months to implement the recommendations made by a working group, the regulator said in a Friday decision. The new rules involve “stakeholder responsibilities; triggers and timelines for initial, follow-up, and service restoration notifications; mechanisms for notification (i.e. telephone, email); maintenance of up-to-date contact information; escalation processes; plans for notifying the public of alternative means to seek emergency...

Give telecoms more power to deal with cyber threats: bankers’ association

telecom | 10/27/2017 1:57 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Telecoms should be able to block “bad data” and share...

Freedom set to support older iPhones with spectrum rejig, deployment

telecom | 10/26/2017 5:37 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc. announced Thursday that it would move to redeploy...

CRTC extends deadline in Creative Canada consultation

Media | 10/26/2017 4:03 pm EDT

Interested parties now have an extra week to submit comments in the CRTC’s consultation on content distribution models. The regulator said in a notice Thursday it is extending the deadline for comments from Nov. 24 to Dec. 1....

For ‘acceptable’ internet, look beyond speed, House study told

telecom | 10/25/2017 5:35 pm EDT

As the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and...

Broadcast lobbying jumped ahead of Creative Canada release

Media | 10/24/2017 6:20 pm EDT

Creative organizations stepped up and added to a surge in lobbying activity in the broadcast sector leading up to the release of the results in the Heritage Minister’s review of Canadian content in the digital age last month. September saw 22 communications reports...

Privacy sweep finds issues with some educational apps: OPC

telecom | 10/24/2017 4:35 pm EDT

Some applications used by children in the classroom didn’t receive top...

Xplornet increases stake in Manitoba with NetSet buy

telecom | 10/23/2017 5:21 pm EDT

Rural internet service provider Xplornet Communications Inc. has announced the purchase of Brandon,...

Rogers launches LTE-A service in Manitoba

telecom | 10/23/2017 3:37 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. has enabled LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network access in “many” Manitoban communities, the company announced on Monday. LTE-A enables a feature called carrier aggregation, which  “combines two or...

Rogers, Shaw indicate different plans for IPTV, internet bundling

Media | 10/20/2017 5:14 pm EDT

On the final day of the CRTC’s broadcast distribution licence hearing,...

Facebook outlines plans to tackle ‘election integrity’ in Canada

Media | 10/20/2017 5:08 pm EDT

Facebook Inc. is teaming up with Ottawa-based digital literacy group,...

CSE releases anti-malware tool to public

telecom | 10/20/2017 4:37 pm EDT

Canada’s Communications Security Establishment (CSE) is stepping up its efforts to combat malware by allowing the public to use one of its security tools. The organization will release its cyber defence tool, called...

Date of CRTC broadcast hearing in Toronto changed

telecom | 10/19/2017 5:25 pm EDT

The CRTC has postponed, by a day, its hearing to consider 11 broadcasting applications scheduled for later this month. It will begin on Nov. 28, instead of the previously-announced Nov. 27....

Rogers unfazed by Freedom ‘Big Gig’ offer: CEO

telecom | 10/19/2017 4:34 pm EDT

Joe Natale isn’t worried about Shaw Communications Inc.’s move to offer its Freedom customers 10...

Telcos eye agri-food, digital tech, AI in supercluster initiative

telecom | 10/19/2017 1:28 pm EDT

Canada’s two largest telcos are part of three groups vying to be chosen for the final phase of the federal government’s Innovation Superclusters Initiative, with BCE Inc....

Google building smart community in Toronto

telecom | 10/18/2017 8:46 pm EDT

Alphabet Inc.’s Sidewalk Labs have won a City of Toronto request for proposals to create a development...

Freedom Mobile launches 10 GB for $50 ‘intro offer’

telecom | 10/18/2017 8:22 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom Mobile has announced a new set of...

Narrow the ‘value gap,’ Music Canada tells gov’t

Media | 10/18/2017 7:50 pm EDT

Music Canada is asking the government to address the disparity between the value of creative content and the revenues that are generated from it. “The Value Gap challenges the livelihood and...

Government repeats no ISP tax in Heritage report review

Media | 10/18/2017 7:35 pm EDT

The federal government reiterated a previously held position that it will not implement taxes on internet service providers (ISP) in favour of Canadian content in a review of an earlier Heritage...

Bell beefs up security, web performance with Akamai deal

telecom | 10/18/2017 5:47 pm EDT

BCE Inc. is looking to strengthen cybersecurity and web performance for its business clients by partnering with cloud delivery company Akamai Technologies Inc. The agreement, which was announced in a press release Wednesday, positions both companies to “identify...

iPhone X, component shortages lowering phone demand: report

telecom | 10/17/2017 8:39 pm EDT

A new report from Gartner Inc. is predicting the Nov. 2017 release of Apple Inc.’s iPhone X combined with component shortages will cause a dip in ability to meet smartphone demand in 2017 and push...

Look at high cost of à la carte channels, PIAC tells CRTC

Media | 10/17/2017 8:16 pm EDT

GATINEAU, Que. — There are still some problems with the implementation...

No business case, no set-top box measurement system: Cablecos

Media | 10/16/2017 8:29 pm EDT

GATINEAU, QUE. — Some companies in a working group crafted to measure how...

CWTA hires Eric Smith as new VP of regulatory

telecom | 10/16/2017 12:44 pm EDT

The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) announced the hiring of Eric Smith as the...

Ottawa opens autonomous car test track

telecom | 10/13/2017 5:16 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Kanata, a suburb of Ottawa, is now home to the first Canadian autonomous vehicle demonstration...

Numeris working on new cross-platform measurement system

Media | 10/13/2017 5:02 pm EDT

Canadian audience measurement organization Numeris said in a press...

Court issues no-cost orders for customer IDs of multiple ISPs

Media | 10/13/2017 4:47 pm EDT

The Federal Court has made its first major disclosure orders for subscriber...

Huawei to invest $2.5 million in UBC research

telecom | 10/13/2017 2:03 pm EDT

In an announcement on Friday, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. said it is partnering with the University of...

Mobile video viewing at 70%: Ericsson report

Media | 10/12/2017 1:27 pm EDT

Today, approximately 70 per cent of consumers watch TV and video content on their smartphone devices, double the number from 2012, according to the eighth edition of Ericsson AB’s annual ConsumerLab TV and Media report. The study predicted only one in ten consumers will still be watching video content exclusively on their televisions, and a third of consumers will be using virtual reality (VR) by the start of the next decade, according to the report released Monday. The way people get their news is changing, with 27 per cent of the respondents saying they’ll use social media to get the...

Distributel’s TNW buy part of wider expansion plans: CEO

telecom | 10/11/2017 6:19 pm EDT

Distributel Communications Ltd. is acquiring “selected assets” of a...

Sabrina Geremia named permanent Google Canada head

Media | 10/11/2017 5:32 pm EDT

Sabrina Geremia is the new country director for Alphabet Inc.’s Google Canada. She has been in the...

Connect to Innovate allocates another $4M for Northern Ontario

telecom | 10/10/2017 6:16 pm EDT

Six Northern Ontario communities will receive $4.03 million under the federal government’s Connect to Innovate fund, according to a Tuesday press release. BCE Inc. will be the main recipient of...

How big a threat are OTT sports services?

Media | 10/10/2017 5:55 pm EDT

Sports remains one of the last bastions of defence for traditional TV against a wave of over-the-top...

Gatineau access agreement case continues

telecom | 10/10/2017 12:19 pm EDT

The Attorney General of Quebec is appealing an August decision which ruled that a municipal access agreement between the city of Gatineau and telecom providers is invalid. An Oct. 3 judgement in Quebec’s Court of Appeal joined that appeal with two  brought forward by the telecoms that won the initial case — BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., Telus Corp, and Quebecor Inc’s Videotron — one regarding restitution of fees they have already paid to Gatineau and the other over the judgement not applying to a similar case against Terrebonne....

ISED consulting on spectrum strategy for next five years

telecom | 10/06/2017 5:30 pm EDT

Innovation Canada is initiating a consultation on its approach to spectrum...

Ring of Fire to get $69 million for broadband infrastructure

telecom | 10/06/2017 5:02 pm EDT

A $69.2-million investment toward high-speed internet in the Ring of Fire...

Bell ARPU to drop after winning gov’t cellphone contract: Barclays

telecom | 10/06/2017 11:38 am EDT

BCE Inc. could see its average revenue per user (ARPU) fall after winning a...

Telus gets $176M gov’t contract for landlines

telecom | 10/05/2017 3:46 pm EDT

OTTAWA — The federal government will pay Telus Corp. $176 million over seven years to replace 80,000...

Lori Rosenberg to join CCSA as VP of contracts

Media | 10/05/2017 3:00 pm EDT

The Canadian Cable System Alliance (CCSA) said Thursday that Lori Rosenberg will join its executive team...

U.S. cloud-based office phone provider coming to Canada

telecom | 10/04/2017 5:51 pm EDT

United States cloud-based phone company Dialpad Inc. has launched in...

Government signs $432.1M deal for mobile services with Bell, Rogers

telecom | 10/04/2017 5:24 pm EDT

Shared Services Canada (SSC) announced a $432.1 million, six-year deal with BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. for mobile devices and service contracts in a press release on Tuesday. These...

8,000 Canadians affected by hack, not 100,000 says Equifax

telecom | 10/03/2017 5:50 pm EDT

The number of Canadians affected by Equifax Inc.’s privacy breach has been determined to be significantly lower than originally reported, the company said Monday in a press release. Initial...

Netflix in 33% Que. households, Illico at 19%: report

Media | 10/03/2017 2:55 pm EDT

Just over half, or 53 per cent, of Quebec households with internet access watch streaming video services, according to new research from the Centre francophone de recherche en informatisation des organisations (CEFRIO). That’s an increase of 13 per cent from last year,...