Shaw connects Freedom Mobile to WiFi hotspots

telecom | 12/07/2016 11:08 pm EST

Shaw Communications Inc. is allowing customers of its Freedom Mobile to connect to its network of Wi-Fi hotspots. Freedom Mobile subscribers will have access to more than 65,000 hot spots in Western Canada, Shaw said in a...

CRTC to cut roles, services at regional offices

Media | 12/07/2016 8:04 pm EST

The CRTC is making changes, including trimming roles and services at its regional offices for what it’s calling a “digital first” initiative, according to an emailed memo circulated by the regulator.  On...

‘Proceed cautiously’ in expanding lawful access: privacy commissioners

Media | 12/06/2016 10:57 pm EST

OTTAWA — The federal government hasn’t made its case for why law enforcement and intelligence agencies need stronger powers to intercept, decrypt and share citizens’ information, the...

Overturn worldwide search result ban, Google asks Supreme Court

Media | 12/06/2016 10:42 pm EST

OTTAWA — Canada’s highest court heard arguments Tuesday on whether a court in Canada can order a worldwide ban on websites appearing on Alphabet Inc.’s...

FCC dep’t engaging in ‘wild goose chase’ over zero-rating: commissioner

Media | 12/05/2016 10:08 pm EST

A branch of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is engaging in a “wild goose chase” by investigating a pair of companies’ zero-rating offers, according to one commissioner. In a statement posted to the American regulator’s website Friday, commissioner Mike O’Rielly called for the FCC chairman to “halt this wild goose chase at once,” citing direction from U.S. Congress to “avoid directing attention and resources to complex or...

Telecoms must tell customers about info disclosure: privacy commish

Media | 12/05/2016 9:11 pm EST

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) has clarified its rules around whether telecom companies have to tell customers if they have disclosed their personal information to other parties. The...

December to see ‘hyper competitive’ wireless market: Barclays

telecom | 12/05/2016 6:35 pm EST

Heavy handset promotions during Black Friday and Cyber Monday last month hint at a December that is shaping up to be “hyper competitive” for the wireless market,...

Pick-and-pay won’t tempt consumers to switch or subscribe: RBC

Media | 12/05/2016 6:26 pm EST

The pick-and-pay options launched by Canada’s TV providers last week aren’t likely to appeal to either current subscribers or those without traditional TV service, according RBC Capital...

Canada part of int’l talks on taxing foreign digital services

Media | 12/01/2016 10:27 pm EST

OTTAWA — Canada is involved in international discussions about how to address the issue of foreign digital vendors not being subject to domestic sales tax, a parliamentary committee...

Pick-and-pay still has many ‘pitfalls’ for consumers: PIAC

Media | 12/01/2016 10:24 pm EST

As the CRTC’s rules requiring all TV providers to allow customers to sign up for channels individually came into effect Thursday, the regulator emphasized that consumers have to take...

VI news stations need rules to ensure independence: Telus

Media | 12/01/2016 12:47 am EST

GATINEAU, Que. — The question of whether news stations owned by vertically-integrated (VI) companies need  safeguards for journalistic independence came up at the CRTC’s...

CRTC consulting on Sirius going-private plan

Media | 11/30/2016 9:49 pm EST

The CRTC is collecting feedback on Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc.’s plan to transform into a privately held company. In a notice of consultation posted to its website Wednesday, the commission said it...

Shoan drops second case on Blais’ power to name panels

telecom | 11/30/2016 8:29 pm EST

Former CRTC commissioner Raj Shoan won’t pursue a second challenge regarding the ability of the CRTC chairman to name panels, after a judge dismissed a similar application last month....

Shane Sabatino to lead Telus’ HR tech division

telecom | 11/30/2016 8:12 pm EST

Telus Corp. has named Shane Sabatino as president of Telus sourcing solutions, its division focusing on “fully integrated human resources, payroll, wellness and employee contact centre technology” products.  Sabatino previously worked at Telus, though his most recent position was as senior vice-president of human resources at The Brick Ltd., the company said in a press release Wednesday. “Based in Edmonton, Shane will grow the human resources solutions business, which supports large organizations across Canada, while also supporting [Telus] Health's key...

Canadians must be swayed first for gov’t to get on board 5G: panel

telecom | 11/30/2016 12:44 am EST

OTTAWA — Canadians need to see the value of, and get behind, 5G technologies before politicians can be persuaded to take action on helping launch the technology on a broad scale, a...

‘Too early’ to tell what impact 5G could have on FTTH rollout: Bell CFO

Media | 11/30/2016 12:43 am EST

Glen LeBlanc, BCE Inc.’s executive vice-president and chief financial officer, told an investor’s conference hosted by RBC Tuesday that the company is on track to have its...

Bell Media ‘comfortable’ with Crave, president tells CRTC

Media | 11/29/2016 11:22 pm EST

GATINEAU, Que. — BCE Inc. has to take both offensive and defensive positions when facing off against international competitors, the company told the CRTC Tuesday, as it took its...

CBC asks for 35% funding boost to go ad-free

Media | 11/28/2016 10:31 pm EST

CBC/Radio-Canada is asking the federal government for an increase in its funding so that it can eliminate advertising on its platforms. In a submission made as part of a government review of Canadian content in a digital...

News, video games, VR should be eligible for CanCon funding: Rogers

Media | 11/28/2016 10:27 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc. is proposing a tax credit-based federal program to support Canadian content of all types and on all platforms. In a submission to the Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly as part of her review of Canadian content, Rogers chief corporate affairs officer Jacob Glick suggested that the government program be impartial to content, producers and platforms, meaning content such news, video games and virtual reality, would be able to get a piece of the pie. The tax...

Ontario approves self-driving car pilot

telecom | 11/28/2016 9:19 pm EST

Ontario is launching a pilot project to test self-driving cars, the provincial government said Monday. It noted in a press release that the province was the first in Canada to launch a regulatory framework allowing...

Rescind digital media exemption order: ACTRA

Media | 11/28/2016 9:07 pm EST

The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) is asking the government to rescind the digital media exemption order (DMEO) as part of its review of Canadian content in a digital age. The DMEO,...

Robert Ghiz to lead CWTA

telecom | 11/28/2016 6:18 pm EST

Robert Ghiz, the former premier of Prince Edward Island, has been named president and CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), the organization announced Monday. Ghiz will officially take the helm Jan. 1. He has nearly 20 years of experience in government...

‘Virtually impossible’ to quantify damage from set-top boxes: telecoms

Media | 11/25/2016 10:07 pm EST

BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc. and Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron are asking a federal court judge to dismiss an appeal of an injunction banning sales of “pre-loaded”...

Shoan dismissal part of ‘witch hunt,’ former commissioner says

Media | 11/25/2016 9:16 pm EST

Former CRTC commissioner Raj Shoan is alleging that Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly and the governor-in-council (GIC) have effectively participated in a “witch hunt” against him by...

Virgin Internet could hurt Videotron: Desjardins

Media | 11/25/2016 8:12 pm EST

The move this week by BCE Inc. flanker brand Virgin Mobile Canada to expand its home Internet into Quebec could put pressure on Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron, Desjardins analyst Maher Yaghi said in a...

Voltage must pay disclosure costs: Rogers

Media | 11/25/2016 8:04 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc. is asking the Federal Court of Appeal to turn down Voltage Pictures LLC’s case to have the Internet service provider (ISP) pay for its own costs associated with retrieving subscriber...

CMPA asks for CanCon contributions from OTT, ISPs

Media | 11/25/2016 8:04 pm EST

The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) is asking the federal government to “modernize” and require both over-the-top (OTT) services and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to contribute to the CanCon system....

Siding with critics would be ‘grave disservice’: Blais

Media | 11/25/2016 1:29 am EST

OTTAWA — The CRTC has transformed over the past few years to become less binary — with outcomes that were strictly either pro-business or pro-consumer — in its decision making and more into an organization that finds the balance that best serves the public interest, according to chairman Jean-Pierre Blais. In a Thursday evening speech delivered at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre’s (PIAC) annual fundraiser that referenced no less prominent figures than Canadian pioneer Samuel de Champlain, architect Buckminster Fuller, and President John F. Kennedy, Blais asked his audience to weigh the perspective of those who complain about the CRTC’s recent...

Customer complaints down 18%, CCTS says

telecom | 11/24/2016 10:38 pm EST

The number of complaints about telecom services has declined for the third straight year, the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) said, adding it expects complaints arising from confusion about the...

Telus expands low-cost Internet pilot to Alberta

telecom | 11/24/2016 9:40 pm EST

Telus Corp. is expanding a pilot project, Internet for Good, that provides Internet service for $9.95 per month to low-income, single-parent families. The company said in a press release that early next year, around 15,000...

Dismantle ‘bloated’ CBC, says CPC candidate Leitch

Media | 11/24/2016 8:01 pm EST

Conservative Party leadership candidate and Ontario MP Kellie Leitch said she has put CBC/Radio-Canada “on notice” and that if selected to lead her party and form government, she...

Anglophones spend two thirds of time on Netflix on TV content: MTM

Media | 11/24/2016 4:33 pm EST

Anglophone viewers of Netflix Inc.’s over-the-top (OTT) service now spend 67 per cent of their time on the platform watching TV shows and 33 per cent watching movies and other content, MTM,...

Cogeco launches gigabit service in Ontario markets

telecom | 11/23/2016 9:27 pm EST

Cogeco Inc. is now offering gigabit Internet, starting with Oakville and Burlington, Ont., with the launch of its UltraFibre 1Gig service, it announced in a Wednesday press release. It is the company’s first venture into residential gigabit service, a Cogeco spokeperson said in an email.  The company said that it has made infrastructure upgrades over the past months and it will “continue expanding its ultra-high speed offering in successive phases in the Ontario and Quebec markets where it provides services,” with Quebec slated for next spring.  In...

Bernier would streamline CBC’s mandate, remove ads as CPC leader

Media | 11/23/2016 9:22 pm EST

OTTAWA — Conservative MP Maxime Bernier said Wednesday that if he is selected as the next leader of the federal Conservative Party and the next Canadian prime minister, he would move...

Telus, Huawei closer to 5G with network deployment

telecom | 11/23/2016 7:39 pm EST

Telus Corp. and Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., who have been collaborating to help develop 5G technology, said they have achieved another step toward its deployment.  Calling it “one of the key building blocks...

Virgin Mobile expands Internet offering into Quebec

telecom | 11/23/2016 4:58 pm EST

Virgin Mobile Canada is expanding its home Internet into Quebec and the company will donate money for every subscriber toward a charitable initiative, it said in a Wednesday news release. The BCE Inc. flanker...

Iristel buys two small telecoms

telecom | 11/22/2016 10:28 pm EST

Iristel Inc. said Tuesday it has acquired two small telecoms, Toronto’s Trutel Inc. and Montreal’s Exelia Inc. "Our culture is not one filled with 'old phone guys' and neither is Trutel's or...

Iristel files complaint over Eastlink’s competition refusal

telecom | 11/22/2016 10:24 pm EST

Iristel Inc. has filed a complaint with the CRTC over what it says is a “refusal” of Bragg Communication Inc.’s Eastlink to “implement local competition”...

Quebec court dismisses call centre case against Shaw

telecom | 11/22/2016 9:44 pm EST

The Quebec Superior Court has dismissed a case against Shaw Communications Inc.’s satellite business in the province related to the termination of a third-party contract for call centre services. The...

Rogers accuses Iristel of ‘traffic stimulation’

telecom | 11/22/2016 9:39 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc. is turning to the CRTC in another dispute with Iristel Inc., which it’s accusing of deliberately driving up the volume of phone calls to the Northwest Territories in order to benefit from...

Judge sides with Bell in dispute over VMedia OTT service

Media | 11/22/2016 9:21 pm EST

VMedia Inc. is permanently prohibited from broadcasting BCE Inc.’s CTV channels on its over-the-top skinny basic service, an Ontario Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday. Judge Frederick...

TNW files suit against Telus, says customers not affected by dispute

telecom | 11/22/2016 7:26 pm EST

Customers of Téliphone Navigata Westel Communications Inc. (TNW) will not have their service affected due to a dispute with Telus Corp., the small telecom provider said in a Monday press release, as it goes to court against Telus for interfering in an acquisition. In September, the CRTC issued a consumer alert notifying those customers that, due to a “commercial dispute” between the two providers, they may be disconnected by Nov. 21. In...

Eisenach named to Trump “landing team”

Media | 11/21/2016 10:55 pm EST

Jeffrey Eisenach has been named to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s “landing team,” with responsibility for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), according to a Monday press release. Mark Jamison,...

Skinny basic best practices not enough to ‘scare’ BDUs: PIAC

Media | 11/21/2016 9:50 pm EST

The best practices for TV service providers offering skinny-basic cable packages announced by the CRTC Monday don’t amount to much more than lip service, with no real consequences for...

Limited handsets a concern as Wind rebrands: analyst

Media | 11/21/2016 9:41 pm EST

Shaw Communications Inc.’s Wind Mobile will be rebranded as Freedom Mobile and its LTE roll-out will come sooner than expected in two cities, the company’s CEO said Monday. The move comes despite some analyst...

Big Three among biggest spenders on R&D in Canada

Media | 11/21/2016 9:04 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc., BCE Inc. and Telus Corp. are near the top of this year’s list of the 100 companies in Canada that spend the most on research and development. The...

CBC, Facebook digital ad sales hurting newspapers, committee hears

telecom | 11/18/2016 10:15 pm EST

OTTAWA — The Canadian government should review its mandate for CBC/Radio-Canada in light of the national broadcaster and foreign digital competitors taking away ad dollars from local newspapers, individuals representing the latter told the House of Commons standing committee on Canadian Heritage Thursday.  The committee heard from four different local newspapers and groups, including the Aboriginal Multi-Media Society of Alberta, the Neepawa Banner, Northern...

CRTC, FCC sign new anti-nuisance call agreement

telecom | 11/18/2016 5:24 pm EST

The CRTC announced Thursday a new memorandum of understanding with its counterpart in the United States to help combat unwanted calls. In a press release, the CRTC said the new formal agreement with the Federal...

Infrastructure, spectrum key to competition, lower prices: Bains

telecom | 11/17/2016 10:16 pm EST

OTTAWA — The quality of Canada’s wireless and wireline networks is a “significant strength,” but the country can’t rest on its laurels while others catch up, Innovation...

ISP tax possible as part of CanCon review, Joly says

Media | 11/17/2016 10:12 pm EST

OTTAWA — Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly said Thursday that imposing a tax on Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to fund cultural content remains a possible outcome of her sweeping review of Canadian...

Netflix now on SaskTel set-top box

Media | 11/17/2016 4:54 pm EST

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said Thursday that subscribers of its infiNET maxTV set-top box will now have access to Netflix Inc.’s over-the-top service (OTT).  “SaskTel is...

Call for rural broadband program applications coming in December: ISED

telecom | 11/17/2016 12:50 am EST

OTTAWA — Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada still has work to do when it comes to filling in gaps in the country’s broadband coverage, a Senate standing committee...

CRTC chair OK with being ‘disruptive showman’

Media | 11/16/2016 11:21 pm EST

OTTAWA — With more than six months left in his term as CRTC chairman, Jean-Pierre Blais isn’t ready to start using the word “legacy” in relation to his term as head of the Canadian regulator, but in a...

Huawei declined to make Google Pixel: report

telecom | 11/16/2016 9:51 pm EST

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. refused to make Alphabet Inc.’s new phone because the phone wouldn’t have featured Huawei’s own brand, according to a Monday Forbes report.   Colin Giles,...

Sasktel boosting Internet offerings in 4 communities

telecom | 11/16/2016 7:18 pm EST

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. is upgrading Internet speeds in some communities and will begin offering higher-speed service to another in Saskatchewan.  In one of two press releases Wednesday, the...

Half a billion subscribers will be on 5G by 2022: Ericsson

telecom | 11/15/2016 10:27 pm EST

An Ericsson AB report is projecting that more than 550 million subscribers will be on 5G networks by 2022.   The latest Ericsson Mobility Report, released Tuesday, said that two years after it becomes available in 2020, 5G will cover 10 per cent of the world’s population. The report also predicted that between this year and 2022, smartphone traffic will increase 10 times and total mobile traffic for all devices by eight times. Mobile data traffic will be driven by an “increase in the number of LTE subscriptions, improved device capabilities and more...

Google not ‘grabbing’ media revenue, VP tells MPs

Media | 11/15/2016 9:53 pm EST

OTTAWA — Creating the oft-asked-for level playing field by making foreign digital services subject to Canadian sales tax would hurt smaller companies trying to break into the country’s market, a House of Commons...

Videotron begins testing ultra-fast Internet

telecom | 11/15/2016 9:39 pm EST

Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron said it has begun implementation of Docsis 3.1, which could deliver speeds of up to 10 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload. The company said in a press release Tuesday it is deploying the...

New Northwestel rates could ‘finally’ lead to competition: SSi

telecom | 11/15/2016 8:54 pm EST

The CRTC’s order to BCE Inc. subsidiary Northwestel Inc. to file new cost studies last week “might finally bring effective telecoms competition to...

Stephen Hampton joins Telus

telecom | 11/15/2016 7:16 pm EST

Telus Corp. has named Stephen Hampton its new senior project manager of government relations. Hampton told The Lobby Monitor in an interview the role would combine government relations and strategic affairs work “with a big focus on Telus Health.” Hampton worked as a consultant at...

Ericsson, Rogers team up on water-quality monitoring project

telecom | 11/15/2016 6:27 pm EST

Ericsson AB and Rogers Communications Inc. are participating in a project to help monitor water quality in Ottawa, the companies said in a press release Tuesday. The pilot project will “leverage a combination of Internet of Things (IoT), cloud and LTE mobile broadband technologies to gather real-time data that City staff can use to better predict, prevent and respond to potential issues related to water quality, including cleanliness and abnormal temperatures.” The Connected Water service uses sensors that are capable of collecting data over a wide area of...

Internet companies reach out to new U.S. leadership

Media | 11/14/2016 10:37 pm EST

An organization representing four-dozen major online-based companies has reached out to president-elect Donald Trump, congratulating him on his victory while proposing digital policy planks for his administration to consider....

Wireless gains to continue in 2017: RBC

Media | 11/14/2016 10:22 pm EST

Momentum that Canadian telecoms saw in their wireless divisions over the previous two quarters is expected to continue into 2017, according to an analyst note by RBC Capital Markets. The high levels of overall activations reported by wireless operators that began in the second quarter and exceeded analyst expectations were driven by lower churn and...

Rogers debuts tool to track technician arrival time

Media | 11/14/2016 7:30 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc. has introduced a new feature that will give customers a better idea of what time technicians are expected to arrive at their homes. Customers will be able to use their phones to track when a...

Judith LaRocque named CRTC vice-chair of broadcasting

Media | 11/14/2016 6:24 pm EST

The CRTC has named Judith LaRocque its new vice-chairwoman of broadcasting, a year after the position was left open following the departure of Tom Pentefountas. According to an email sent to...

Gen X leads tablet adoption: MTM

Media | 11/10/2016 9:32 pm EST

Canadian anglophones between the ages of 35 and 49 are, more than other generations, drawn to tablets and TV-enhancing technologies, according to a Media Technology Monitor (MTM) report released Tuesday.  In its second...

Sasktel ties for fastest LTE speeds in the world: OpenSignal

telecom | 11/10/2016 9:29 pm EST

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp.’s LTE download speeds are among the fastest in the world, according to a new OpenSignal Inc. report. “In the fourth quarter, Singapore had...

MacDonald talks competition for radio, set-top rating system

Media | 11/10/2016 7:08 pm EST

CRTC commissioner Christopher MacDonald said radio stations must build on their strengths in order to deal with increasing competition in a speech to the Ontario Association of Broadcasters (OAB)...

Any CanCon ISP tax should consider ‘economic consequences’: CNOC lawyer

Media | 11/09/2016 10:33 pm EST

TORONTO — The heritage ministry and the CRTC should engage in a more balanced discussion on what to do about taxes in support of cultural content, as both seem to be moving in...

Rogers ordered to keep serving new TekSavvy customers on FTTP

telecom | 11/09/2016 9:15 pm EST

The CRTC has told Rogers Communications Inc. it has to keep providing wholesale service for new customers of TekSavvy Solutions Inc. in a building with fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) infrastructure. Last year, Rogers upgraded its network in a Toronto condo building from a hybrid fibre-coaxial cable to an “an optical-fibre-based solution,” and removed the coaxial cable at the request of the property manager, the CRTC said in a decision Wednesday. Rogers informed Teksavvy that it would migrate its customers to the new fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP)...

More competitive markets could be at FTTH disadvantage, conference hears

telecom | 11/08/2016 11:54 pm EST

TORONTO — Trying to build fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) in very competitive markets makes little economic sense for Internet service providers (ISPs), meaning markets with more competition could...

Could telecom be next after new airline foreign ownership rules?

telecom | 11/08/2016 9:58 pm EST

Industry watchers said last week’s announcement by the federal government that it was loosening foreign ownership rules for Canadian airlines probably isn’t indicative of a coming shift...

Northwestel ordered to file new cost studies for wholesale rates

telecom | 11/08/2016 9:17 pm EST

The CRTC has ordered BCE Inc. subsidiary Northwestel Inc. to file new cost studies for all speeds offered through its Wholesale Connect service. The regulator said in a...

Wireless service for eastern regions with no cellular coverage launching

telecom | 11/08/2016 7:19 pm EST

Small Quebec telecom Télécommunications de l’Est says it is launching a first-of-its kind wireless service in remote regions of Quebec and New Brunswick that aren’t...

Canadian Note 7 class action suit filed

telecom | 11/08/2016 7:14 pm EST

A class-action lawsuit regarding Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’s Galaxy Note 7 smartphone has been filed in Canada. Samsung stopped production of the phone last month after reports the batteries were catching fire.  “The claim alleges that the Defendants were negligent as they knew or ought to have known that the way they produced, marketed, and sold their Note7 devices could result in harm to consumers,” McKenzie Lake Lawyers, the firm that filed the suit, said in a Monday press release. The release said approximately 39,000 of the...

Complexity, confusion among barriers to connected homes: McKinsey

telecom | 11/08/2016 12:46 am EST

TORONTO — For there to be wider adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) devices for the connected home, simpler value propositions must be presented to consumers, a conference heard Monday....

CRTC orders telecoms to develop tools for blocking nuisance calls

telecom | 11/07/2016 10:07 pm EST

Telecom companies will soon be required to put in place measures to block “unwanted nuisance calls” on both wireless and wireline networks, the CRTC announced Monday. The regulator...

Cord-cutting accelerates despite skinny basic: Boon Dog

telecom | 11/07/2016 7:12 pm EST

The introduction of skinny-basic TV package offerings doesn’t seem to have slowed down the trend toward cord-cutting in Canada, according to subscriber number data reported by Canada’s...

Telus launches 4K Netflix set-top viewing

Media | 11/07/2016 6:50 pm EST

Telus Corp. announced Monday that is making Netflix Inc.’s app available on its Optik 4K set-top box, allowing subscribers to stream Netflix in 4K resolution. “4K is the ultimate way to immerse yourself...

Videotron goes on defence as differential pricing hearing wraps

Media | 11/04/2016 11:49 pm EDT

GATINEAU, Que. — Those who innovate shouldn’t be penalized because their competitors can’t keep up, the CRTC heard Friday from representatives of the telecom company...

Telus Q3 continues industry-wide trend of strong wireless

Media | 11/04/2016 7:27 pm EDT

Telus Corp. reported strong wireless revenues and subscriber additions Friday, as data helped propel overall revenues up to $3.23 billion.    For the three months ended September...

CRTC hears opposite takes on social benefits of zero-rating

Media | 11/03/2016 10:29 pm EDT

GATINEAU, Que. — The question of whether differential pricing practices (DPPs) can be used for socially beneficial purposes came up on the fourth day of the CRTC’s hearing on DPPs...

MTS looking for savings as it awaits Bell takeover

Media | 11/03/2016 8:32 pm EDT

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. will cut about 80 jobs to save about $7 million following a voluntary workforce reduction program “for certain employees who are not in customer-facing roles,” the company announced...

CRTC consulting on Ottawa-area radio

telecom | 11/03/2016 7:44 pm EDT

The CRTC is looking for feedback on whether the Ottawa-Gatineau radio market can support additional radio stations. In a notice of consultation posted to its website Thursday, the commission said it received an application for a new commercial ethnic station to serve the area. Interested parties have until Dec. 5 to file interventions....

U.S. operations boost Q4 for Cogeco

Media | 11/03/2016 7:43 pm EDT

Cogeco Inc. saw a 3.2-per-cent increase in revenue to hit $572 million for the final quarter of fiscal 2016, the company reported Wednesday. In a press release, Cogeco said the growth was driven by its communications...

Bell announces 1M+ Crave TV subs, Fibe on Apple TV

telecom | 11/03/2016 6:56 pm EDT

BCE Inc. reported Thursday that its over-the-top (OTT) product Crave TV has surpassed one million subscribers, as it announced its Internet protocol TV (IPTV) service Fibe TV is getting distribution...

Telecom services bolster Quebecor’s Q3

Media | 11/03/2016 4:48 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc.’s telecommunications services boosted its third quarter, as it posted an $8.3-million loss, the company said in its quarterly financial report Thursday. The loss from the three months ended Sept. 30,...

CRTC suspends closed-captioning targets

telecom | 11/03/2016 12:14 am EDT

The CRTC has granted a group testing alternative methods of closed captioning English-language television a reprieve in having to hit accuracy targets. In a notice on its website Wednesday, the commission said it would...

CRTC should be flexible with zero-rating: Rogers

Media | 11/03/2016 12:08 am EDT

GATINEAU, Que. — While Rogers Communications Inc. said it generally does not support differential pricing practices (DPP), it suggested Wednesday that the regulator should stay flexible in its approach given potential developments in Internet of Things (IoT) technology. The statement came during the third day of the week-long hearing into differential pricing practices by wireless and Internet service providers (ISP), including zero-rating, or not counting usage of some services against a consumer's data cap. Rogers was the only major company to come out opposed to the...

Wind won’t be as disruptive as T-Mobile, Krstajic says

telecom | 11/03/2016 12:02 am EDT

Shaw Communications Inc. reported revenues of $1.31 billion for the three months ended Aug. 31, an increase from $1.13 billion from the same quarter a year earlier, due to the addition of...

CRTC issues TV licence-renewal outline

Media | 11/02/2016 8:17 pm EDT

The CRTC has issued a “working document” to guide discussion in the upcoming public hearing on the renewal of television licences by large ownership groups. “The inclusion of specific proposals in the working...

Canadian investors to acquire international telecom

telecom | 11/02/2016 7:28 pm EDT

A Canadian investment group has announced its intention to purchase the majority share in a United States-based telecommunications company, Trilogy International Partners, which has services in New Zealand and Bolivia. According...

No proven harm from differential pricing: Bell

Media | 11/01/2016 9:41 pm EDT

GATINEAU — The CRTC shouldn’t take the non-participation in this week’s hearing by content providers who might eventually benefit from zero-rating and other differential pricing practices as non-interest, a...

Smart appliance shipments to grow tenfold by 2021: Juniper

telecom | 11/01/2016 8:37 pm EDT

In five years, the worldwide number of connected home appliance shipments will reach 202 million, compared to 17 million this year, according to Juniper Research Ltd. The study found that...

CRTC launches proceeding on VOIS CCTS membership termination

telecom | 11/01/2016 8:31 pm EDT

The CRTC is giving VOIS Inc. an opportunity to defend itself after its membership in the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) was terminated this summer....

ISED opens additional comment period on 600 MHz transition

Media | 11/01/2016 7:08 pm EDT

The federal government is providing interested parties additional opportunity to comment on its repurposing of 600 MHz spectrum. The department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) posted a notice on its website Monday, asking for input on its “Proposed TV Transition Objectives and...

Zero-rating regime should be similar to ITMP framework: CNOC

Media | 11/01/2016 12:50 am EDT

GATINEAU — On the first day of the CRTC’s hearing on differential pricing practices, a consortium representing small telecoms asked the CRTC to allow but regulate the practice of zero-rating,...

Digital literacy pilot program launching in Toronto

telecom | 10/31/2016 11:36 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. is funding a new digital literacy program offered by ABC Life Literacy Canada in Toronto. The non-profit said in a press release Monday that the pilot program will offer a series of three-hour sessions aimed at adults from “in-need communities” and will begin in November. “Learning topics will include why the internet matters, how to use the internet safely, basic skills needed, and how to access and grow skills to support life moments” such as searching for jobs and community engagement, the release said....