Groups ask Joly to investigate allegations of racism at the CRTC

Media | 09/09/2016 8:01 pm EDT

The Urban Alliance on Race Relations (UARR) and the Community Media Advocacy Centre (CMAC) have written to Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly to ask her to look into allegations of...

ITMP complaints steady: CRTC

telecom | 09/09/2016 5:48 pm EDT

The CRTC received nine Internet traffic management practices (ITMP) complaints in the three months ended June 30, bringing the yearly total (since July 1, 2015) to 33. The quarterly number of complaints was the same as the...

Shaw primed for Western success with Wind: RBC

telecom | 09/09/2016 4:32 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc.’s acquisition of Wind has potential for wireless success in Western Canada similar to that of Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron in Quebec, according to RBC Capital Markets’ Drew McReynolds....

Union-backed ads call for SaskTel status quo

telecom | 09/09/2016 4:25 pm EDT

A union representing Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. employees has launched an advertising campaign calling for Premier Brad Wall to abandon any idea of selling the telecom. In a press release Thursday,...

PIAC says customers need better skinny basic info

Media | 09/08/2016 9:12 pm EDT

GATINEAU — On the final day of a two-day hearing, consumer groups told a CRTC panel that the regulator should set standards for how companies present information about their skinny-basic packages, while CRTC commissioner Jean-Pierre Blais implied consumers also have some responsibility to inform themselves. The argument was brought forward when the panel questioned the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and the Union des consommateurs, both of which said that there should be a standard way companies present information about the skinny basic and various packages, to allow consumers...

Eastlink launches TV Everywhere app

Media | 09/08/2016 6:41 pm EDT

Bragg Communications Inc.’s Eastlink unveiled its new TV Everywhere offering Thursday, Eastlink Stream, offering a one-stop-shop for television subscribers to access content from multiple networks and over-the-top (OTT)...

CRTC grills telecoms on skinny basic promotion, bundling

Media | 09/08/2016 1:01 am EDT

GATINEAU — A CRTC panel pressed Canada's largest TV service providers on whether they were doing enough to bring attention to new skinny-basic services, raising concerns that higher-tier...

Globalive sells three small telecom companies

telecom | 09/07/2016 7:53 pm EDT

Investment company Globalive Capital has sold small telecom Yak Communications to Distributel Communications Ltd., Globalive said in a press release Wednesday. In separate deals, it also sold business telecom services...

Court OKs Sirius going-private plan

Media | 09/07/2016 7:11 pm EDT

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has given Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc. its approval for its proposal to take the company private. In a Tuesday press release, Mark Redmond, Sirius XM Canada president...

Rogers launches small business app portal

telecom | 09/07/2016 5:37 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. announced Wednesday a new platform for businesses to manage cloud applications. The Rogers Business App Market is billed as an online portal “where small business can purchase,...

Extra data promos to drive upgrades: Barclays

telecom | 09/07/2016 4:48 pm EDT

Promotions offering customers extra data as part of back-to-school promotions by Canada’s largest three wireless carriers will help drive upgrades by customers, according to a research note by Barclays Capital analyst...

Trump lacks broadband, telecom policy: report

telecom | 09/07/2016 4:46 pm EDT

Much of the divide between the two leading candidates for the U.S. presidency is that one has articulated policies on technology and innovation while the other has not, according to a new report by Information Technology and...

Reinstating Shoan ‘not in public interest’: AG

Media | 09/06/2016 9:36 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Last week’s decision from a Federal Court judge setting aside an investigation and decision that former CRTC commissioner Raj Shoan committed workplace harassment should weigh heavily in his favour for...

CRTC skinny basic hearing ‘premature,’ telecoms say

Media | 09/06/2016 9:10 pm EDT

As the CRTC is set to look into the implementation of its skinny basic TV package rules by industry, telecoms are arguing the proceeding is largely premature, given that the commission’s skinny basic regime still hasn’t been fully implemented. Beginning Wednesday, the regulator will hold a hearing with four companies —Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron, Rogers Communications Inc., BCE Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. — and consumer groups to get an idea of how the industry has complied with the skinny-basic rules. “We believe that it is...

177,000 Canadians subscribe to skinny basic: CRTC

Media | 09/02/2016 8:16 pm EDT

GATINEAU — As of June 30, about 177,000 TV subscribers had a skinny basic package, according to information given to media at a CRTC technical briefing Friday. That was four months after the CRTC mandated that TV providers...

Federal court upends Shoan harassment finding

Media | 09/02/2016 6:08 pm EDT

A Federal Court judge has overturned a 2015 CRTC decision that former commissioner Raj Shoan harassed a senior staff member, ruling he was denied procedural fairness in the investigation leading up to the decision. In...

Galaxy Note 7 fires prompt international recall by Samsung

telecom | 09/02/2016 4:24 pm EDT

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is recalling its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone in multiple markets, including Canada, after reports that batteries were catching fire. In a statement posted to its...

CRTC weighs in on legality of Quebec online gambling law

telecom | 09/01/2016 9:43 pm EDT

The CRTC is looking for input on a preliminary view it’s taken regarding the legality of blocking of Internet content, as it considers how to deal with a complaint about a Quebec law mandating...

Bell has fastest wireless network again: report

telecom | 08/31/2016 8:51 pm EDT

BCE Inc. owns the country’s fastest mobile speeds for a second consecutive year, helped by partnerships agreements with other companies, according to a report released Wednesday by PCMag.com. With an average of 59.72 Mbps, Bell’s mobile speeds dwarf those of its American counterparts like Verizon Communications Inc., which won PCMag’s fastest mobile network in the U.S. with an average of 27.8 Mbps. This is the fourth year PCMag has done this survey. Calling it “truly a world-class 4G experience,” PCMag said Bell has benefited “for two years now from...

E.U. issues final guidelines on net neutrality rule implementation

telecom | 08/30/2016 9:38 pm EDT

The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) has put out guidelines that clarify its rules on net neutrality, including zero-rating. The guidelines will serve as...

Sirius shareholders OK going private

telecom | 08/30/2016 8:29 pm EDT

Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc. shareholders approved a move to take the company private Tuesday, the company said in a press release. “With these shareholder approvals in place, we will continue to work to...

CRTC consulting on MTS licence transfer to Bell

telecom | 08/30/2016 8:10 pm EDT

The CRTC said Tuesday that it wants input on Manitoba Telecom Services Inc.’s application to transfer its broadcast distribution licences to BCE Inc. as part of the proposed acquisition of MTS by...

PQ leadership candidate says nationalizing Internet networks a possibility

telecom | 08/30/2016 5:27 pm EDT

Martine Ouellet, who is currently running for leadership of Quebec’s Parti Quebecois, says that she would consider nationalizing Internet infrastructure in the province if telecoms don’t...

Telecoms need to be ‘proactive’ with video development: report

Media | 08/30/2016 4:39 pm EDT

Telecom service providers should look towards improving video quality across their networks if they want to increase customer loyalty, according to a new joint report from Huawei Technologies Co....

Nelvana, Disney sign distribution deal

telecom | 08/29/2016 8:38 pm EDT

Canadian producer-distributor Nelvana, which is owned by Corus Entertainment Inc., has inked a deal with a Walt Disney Co. subsidiary licensing international broadcast and on-demand rights for a new animated series...

Bell, MTS announce post-merger plans for Churchill, Man.

telecom | 08/29/2016 7:26 pm EDT

Gigabit-speed Internet will be introduced to Northern Manitoba under a BCE Inc.-owned Manitoba Telecom Services Inc., the companies announced Monday. The improvement in Churchill,...

Northwestel can pull grandfathered Internet plans, CRTC says

telecom | 08/29/2016 6:54 pm EDT

BCE Inc. subsidiary Northwestel Inc. can stop offering “destandardized” wireline Internet packages, the CRTC has ruled. In a decision posted Monday, the regulator approved...

Bell releases ultra high-def PVR

Media | 08/29/2016 4:50 pm EDT

BCE Inc. customers can now take advantage of the “world’s first fully wireless [Internet protocol TV] service,” the company said Monday. In a press release, Bell said a wireless 4K Whole Home PVR was now available for Fibe TV customers, offering “up to 150 hours of 4K recording capacity and Bluetooth remote that enables out-of-sight positioning of the PVR.” “Bell has taken the leadership position in Canadian broadband communications with a strategy of unparalleled investment in advanced and continuous Fibe TV and Fibe Internet service innovation,” Rizwan Jamal, president of residential and small business services at Bell, said in the release. The release added that “integrated access” to Netflix Inc.’s over-the-top service in 4K will “be available this...

Bell’s Wholesale Code appeal, conditions of licence ask face stiff opposition

Media | 08/26/2016 9:14 pm EDT

BCE Inc. has “unclean hands” in its effort to have the Wholesale Code overturned by the federal Appeal Court while simultaneously applying to have removed certain conditions of...

CRTC limits special number porting zone to Vancouver

telecom | 08/26/2016 8:09 pm EDT

The CRTC has approved one but rejected another application on number portability. On Friday, the regulator released its decision on an application by Telus Corp. to “establish a special location porting zone (LPZ)...

Public would review suitable SaskTel offer: report

telecom | 08/25/2016 6:27 pm EDT

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall took the conversation about a possible sale of the provincially owned telecommunications provider another step forward by suggesting that the province would put an offer, if received, to the public,...

Parliamentary secretary sorry for CRTC letter: report

Media | 08/25/2016 6:25 pm EDT

A parliamentary secretary has apologized after sending a letter of support for BCE Inc.’s licence renewal application, the Canadian Press reported Thursday. Kate Young, Liberal representative for a London, Ont....

G.fast tech to give Canadian telcos’ Internet speeds a boost

telecom | 08/25/2016 5:52 pm EDT

A new technology that allows telecoms to get speeds of hundreds of gigabits through existing copper loops is making headway in Canada, where companies are testing it out and deployment is likely to begin later this year. Large and small Internet service providers (ISPs) say they’re looking at g.fast technology, which gives telcos a leg up in the competition with cablecos by allowing them to offer faster speeds without installing new fibre-to-the-home (FFTH) infrastructure. Canadian companies are likely to begin deploying it by the end of this year and into 2017, according to analyst...

Small-player competition helps boost Internet speeds: Speedtest

telecom | 08/25/2016 4:48 pm EDT

Emerging boutique fibre companies are forcing the incumbents to boost speeds to match competition as fixed and mobile speeds increased significantly over the year, according to a report by Speedtest,...

Eastlink expanding rural N.S. broadband access

telecom | 08/25/2016 2:51 pm EDT

Bragg Communications Inc.’s Eastlink is investing $6.5 million to expand high-speed Internet services to rural Nova Scotia, the company announced Thursday. “We appreciate that when it comes to Internet in rural Nova...

Cable providers readying for full pick-and-pay with theme packs

Media | 08/23/2016 9:24 pm EDT

Some companies are adding more selection to their cable TV packages by going the theme-pack route in preparation for the mandatory full pick-and-pay rules coming into effect this winter. The CRTC...

Ice Wireless boosting northern LTE network

telecom | 08/23/2016 9:01 pm EDT

Ice Wireless, a subsidiary of Iristel Inc., said it is rolling out a HSPA/LTE network in 14 northern Quebec communities. A Tuesday press release from Tecore Networks, which supplies mobile network infrastructure,...

Luc Noiseux named Cogeco chief technology officer

Media | 08/23/2016 2:37 pm EDT

Cogeco Inc. said Monday it appointed Luc Noiseux as the company’s new senior vice president and chief technology and strategy officer. Noiseux, whose appointment was effective Monday, joined the company...

Appeal may follow dismissal of suit over Wind confidentiality breach: Catalyst

telecom | 08/22/2016 9:30 pm EDT

The Ontario Superior Court last week threw out a lawsuit involving allegations that an analyst tipped off a competing fund manager about the strategy behind its Wind Mobile acquisition. On...

CRTC consulting on disconnection practices

telecom | 08/18/2016 8:41 pm EDT

The CRTC is requesting comment on whether regulatory measures are required to prevent service interruptions after a dispute between two telecommunications providers in January. In a notice of consultation posted to its...

Asian makers carry Q2 phone sales: Gartner

telecom | 08/18/2016 4:50 pm EDT

Asian mobile phone manufacturers helped drive global smartphone sales to a 4.3 per cent year-over-year increase in the second quarter of 2016, despite slowing overall sales, according to data released by Gartner...

Canada in top 10 for mobile networks: OpenSignal

telecom | 08/17/2016 9:35 pm EDT

Canadian wireless users have access to 3G or 4G networks 93.16 per cent of the time, placing the country in the 10th spot for 3G/4G availability, according to a new OpenSignal report. In its Global State of Mobile Networks report, the U.K.-based company that analyzes mobile performance built upon the previous six editions of its Global LTE Report –which tracks 4G performance internationally – by including 3G since “dozens of countries have yet to launch their first 4G service and many others are only in the infancy of their LTE rollouts.” South Korea posted the...

Password disclosure law up for ‘public discussion’: Goodale

telecom | 08/17/2016 9:31 pm EDT

OTTAWA — The federal minister of public safety indicated Wednesday a willingness to engage with a freshly passed resolution from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) calling for a...

Dan Mead joins TerreStar board

telecom | 08/16/2016 7:16 pm EDT

The former president and CEO of Verizon Communications Inc.’s wireless division has signed on with the board of directors of a Canadian mobile satellite provider. Dan Mead, who recently retired from Verizon, is joining...

Virgin Mobile launches home Internet in Ontario

telecom | 08/16/2016 6:48 pm EDT

BCE Inc. flanker brand Virgin Mobile is rolling out home Internet in Ontario, the company announced Tuesday. In a press release, Virgin said eligible Ontario residents can sign up for one of two plans: a $50-per-month,...

FTTH rollout crucial for affordability in long-term: report

telecom | 08/16/2016 5:13 pm EDT

The deployment of fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) and fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) networks will be an important step for improving affordability of communications services in the long-term, according to a...

Cyber security consultations begin

telecom | 08/16/2016 3:40 pm EDT

The federal government has launched public consultations in support of its review of cyber security, Public Safety Canada announced Tuesday. In a press release, the department said it will be collecting comment online until Oct. 15 to “help identify gaps and opportunities, bring forward new ideas to shape Canada’s renewed approach to cyber security and capitalize on the advantage of new technology and the digital economy.” A review of the country’s cyber security measures was identified in the Liberals’ election platform and was...

Toronto telecom wins access in condo dispute

telecom | 08/15/2016 4:05 pm EDT

A Toronto condominium complex already served by three telecom service providers has to make room for one more, the CRTC has ruled. In a decision posted Monday, the commission said the owners of the three subject...

Quebec court approves class action suit over data charges

telecom | 08/12/2016 9:12 pm EDT

Quebec’s highest court has ruled that a class-action lawsuit against wireless carriers over international roaming charges can proceed. In a Wednesday decision, Quebec Court of Appeals...

Louise St-Pierre leaving Cogeco Connexion

Media | 08/12/2016 7:20 pm EDT

The head of Cogeco Inc.’s Canadian division is retiring after more than 17 years with the company, the company announced Friday. Louise St-Pierre, Cogeco Connexion president and CEO, will step down as...

‘Aggressive’ handset subsidies helped boost wireless subscriptions: analysts

telecom | 08/12/2016 6:11 pm EDT

The significant number of new postpaid wireless customers reported by service providers in the second quarter of 2016 can partly be explained by the aggressive push toward handset subsidies as new phones enter the market and drive demand, according to analysts.   Wireless providers reported...

Canada outranks peers in wireless prices: report

telecom | 08/11/2016 9:02 pm EDT

Canadians continue to pay among the highest prices internationally for wireless and broadband Internet services, according to a new report comparing telecom service prices released Thursday by the CRTC. The ninth annual...

CCTS terminates Alberta telecom’s membership

telecom | 08/11/2016 5:16 pm EDT

The Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) has taken what it described as the “drastic step” of terminating the membership of Alberta-based VOIS Inc. in its organization. In...

Voltage appealing disclosure costs in piracy case

telecom | 08/10/2016 7:41 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. should not be able to charge for the release of the personal information of a customer accused of violating the copyright of Voltage Pictures LLC, the film production company said in new...

ISED watching Australian cyber security overhaul

telecom | 08/09/2016 8:52 pm EDT

The Canadian government is keeping an eye on how its Australian counterpart is handling security risks to the country’s telecom networks. “Canada can learn from Australia’s experience” in reforming its...

CRTC suspends deadlines in PIAC’s Bill 74 complaint

telecom | 08/09/2016 7:43 pm EDT

The CRTC has suspended all deadlines in a Part 1 application by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) that challenges the constitutionality of a Quebec law forcing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block some online gambling websites. The commission said in a letter dated Aug. 5 that it was suspending the deadlines and asked interested parties “not to file any further comments at this time.” “Further procedural direction regarding PIAC’s application will be provided by the Commission in the near future,” the letter added. In late July, the Canadian...

Bell buys Q9 amidst increasing data centre competition: analysts

telecom | 08/08/2016 9:16 pm EDT

BCE Inc. announced Monday it is buying out its fellow investors in Q9 Networks Inc., a data centre operator in which it currently holds a 35.4-per-cent stake, in a move that analysts...

Telus could face broadband ‘price war’: Barclays

telecom | 08/08/2016 8:48 pm EDT

Telus Corp. could face increasing broadband pricing competition in western Canada as competitors undercut their prices, according to Barclay’s Capital. "We are beginning to see signs of the broadband price war spreading from Ontario to Telus' footprint in western Canada," analyst Phillip Huang said...

CRTC allowing off-tariff GSM agreements, for now

telecom | 08/05/2016 8:50 pm EDT

The CRTC has determined that a hands-off approach to regulating roaming rates on GSM networks until it approves a final set of guidelines would not put smaller carriers in a negotiating disadvantage with larger ones. The...

Axsit sold, gives in to CCTS refund demand

telecom | 08/05/2016 7:59 pm EDT

The Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) said in a press release Friday that Axsit Corp. has been sold and has addressed the non-compliance issues CCTS made public in recent weeks. In...

Federal gov’t facing second legal battle over wireless wipeout

telecom | 08/05/2016 7:11 pm EDT

The Canadian government could end up fighting a war on two fronts over the previous government’s drive to have four national wireless carriers. According to a notice on the Global Affairs Canada website, on June 6 the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes registered an arbitration request from Egyptian telecom company Global Telecom Holdings S.A.E. (GTH) that “concerns GTH’s investment in Wind Mobile, over the period of 2008-2014.” GTH is claiming damages of “at least $1.32 billion CAD,” the notice said, over...

Telus reports higher revenues despite Alberta challenges

telecom | 08/05/2016 6:21 pm EDT

Telus Corp.’s revenues in the three months ended June 30 were up 1.5 per cent to $3.15 billion, compared to $3.1 billion a year earlier, the company reported Friday. It said in a...

Some Internet tier upgrades due to bandwidth, not speed: Cope

telecom | 08/04/2016 10:08 pm EDT

Some subscribers are climbing Internet service tiers not necessarily for increased speed, but to obtain unlimited bandwidth, George Cope, BCE Inc.’s president and chief executive officer,...

MTS improves wireless churn, but still feeling double-cohort effect

telecom | 08/04/2016 8:26 pm EDT

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. said it made improvements to its post-paid wireless churn for the third consecutive quarter, though its total wireless subscribers were still down from a year ago,...

Quebecor revenues up on telecom services

telecom | 08/04/2016 6:15 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc.’s revenues increased in the second quarter compared to a year earlier with the company reporting $992.5 million in revenues, up $28.7 million, or three per cent, over that time. President and CEO Pierre Dion said in a press release Thursday the increase reflected a “solid performance” in its...

Sugar Mobile partners with U.S. MVNO

telecom | 08/03/2016 8:51 pm EDT

Iristel Inc.’s mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Sugar Mobile announced Wednesday it has partnered with an American WiFi-based service to leverage existing WiFi customers who might want some access to cellular...

SaskTel sale to Telus ‘logical’: Barclays

telecom | 08/03/2016 8:28 pm EDT

Telus Corp. would be the “logical buyer” of Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp., according to Barclays Capital. Ahead of Telus’s second-quarter earnings report Friday, analyst Phillip Huang...

SaskTel gets $7.42M from Connecting Canadians for northern broadband

telecom | 08/03/2016 7:42 pm EDT

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. is upgrading its high speed Internet service in northern Saskatchewan. The provincial government-owned telecom provider is partnering with the...

Ehealth is growing, but market size still unknown

telecom | 08/03/2016 6:39 pm EDT

MONTREAL — In recent years, Canadians have gained the ability to keep track of data contributing to their health — from steps walked to their heart rate to calories burned — in a way that would have been...

7.4% of Canadian Internet connections are FTTP or similar: OECD

telecom | 08/03/2016 5:53 pm EDT

Canada is still at the bottom of the Organization for Co-operation and Economic Development (OECD) countries with fibre connections, but among those making the greatest strides to close the gap. December 2015 numbers released Tuesday show that the percentage of such connections in total broadband subscriptions in Canada grew to 7.4 per cent from 4.7 per cent in the same period a year earlier. The numbers for "fibre" connections are the combined totals for fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP), fibre-to-the-home (FTTH), and fibre-to-the-building (FTTB) connections. The almost...

In business, landlines are going mobile

telecom | 08/02/2016 8:20 pm EDT

Over the course of the past year, several Canadian telecoms have introduced systems that allow small businesses to use their mobile phones with landline functionality, a move that highlights a shift away from landline services in...

AG appeals confidentiality order in Shoan harassment case

Media | 08/02/2016 3:28 pm EDT

The federal government is appealing a federal court judge’s decision to lift a confidentiality order keeping the identities of CRTC employees involved in a harassment case against a former...

Net neutrality, rural broadband raised during Bains chat

telecom | 07/29/2016 8:10 pm EDT

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains took questions from Twitter Inc.’s Toronto office Friday afternoon, in a question-and-answer session during...

Telecom groups launch new opposition to FCC net neutrality rules

telecom | 07/29/2016 4:01 pm EDT

An American association representing wireless service providers is asking for the United States federal court to rehear and re-evaluate June’s decision upholding the Federal Communication...

First Canadian 5G trial wraps up

telecom | 07/29/2016 2:56 pm EDT

BCE Inc. and Nokia Corp. have completed a trial of 5G technology, which they say is the first such initiative in Canada. “Conducted at Bell's Wireless Innovation Centre in Mississauga, the trial leveraged spectrum in the 73 GHz range to achieve sustained data speeds more than [six] times faster than top 4G mobile speeds now available in Canada,” Bell said in a press release Friday. It added that 5G networks will also provide more mobile capacity, including for video and Internet of Things (IoT) applications such as connected cars. "This successful trial of next-generation 5G here in Canada is one example of how our country can become a global centre of innovation by being early adopters of emerging technologies," Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains said in the...

Federal gov’t supporting Manitoba high-speed Internet project

telecom | 07/28/2016 8:14 pm EDT

The federal government is spending $4.2 million to bring high-speed Internet to Manitoba’s First Nations communities. In a Thursday press release, Carolyn Bennett, Minister of...

CRTC opens Wireless Code review

telecom | 07/28/2016 7:38 pm EDT

The CRTC will be holding a public hearing as part of its review of the wireless code governing the conduct of service providers, the regulator announced Thursday. Scheduled to begin Feb. 6, 2017, in Gatineau,...

Long-distance payphone notification rules stand

telecom | 07/28/2016 7:18 pm EDT

Payphone service providers will have to abide by rules previously set out by the CRTC governing how Canadians who don’t use cash to make calls should be informed about long-distance charges.  In a decision made...

SaskTel connects Estevan to FTTH

telecom | 07/28/2016 7:04 pm EDT

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. announced Thursday its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) service is now available in some residential areas of the southeastern city of Estevan. The new connections will give...

Second challenge to Bill 74 begins as CWTA goes to court

telecom | 07/27/2016 9:11 pm EDT

The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) has filed a court challenge to a Quebec law that would force telecoms to block some illegal gambling websites, telling the court...

Ontario fibre project gets federal-provincial boost

telecom | 07/26/2016 8:29 pm EDT

The federal and Ontario governments are investing up to $180 million into a new fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network designed to connect about 300 southwestern Ontario communities to high-speed Internet, officials announced Tuesday,...

Annotated guide on Deposit and Disconnection Code released

telecom | 07/26/2016 4:37 pm EDT

Four months after issuing its annotated guide to the CRTC’s wireless code, the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) has put out one for the regulator’s...

Telus asks for ‘guidance’ on pro-rated refunds

telecom | 07/25/2016 8:22 pm EDT

A CRTC directive that service providers must offer pro-rated refunds to customers who cancel their wireless contracts based on the number of days left in a month’s billing cycle effectively abolishes the monthly contract,...

Rogers expanding affordable Internet program to NB

telecom | 07/25/2016 6:42 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. is expanding a program that provides affordable Internet service to residents of non-profit housing in New Brunswick. The Connected for Success program, which debuted in Toronto three years ago, will see eligible New Brunswick families in rent-geared-to-income units receive Internet download speeds of up to 10 Mbps for $10 a month, Rogers said in a Monday press release. The program’s expansion will begin in Saint John, in partnership with New Brunswick through the Department of Social Development. Rogers will engage...

Yahoo sells to Verizon

telecom | 07/25/2016 6:25 pm EDT

Verizon Communications Inc. will acquire Yahoo Inc.’s core Internet business, roughly seven months after initial reports hinted at Verizon’s interest in the company. It’s a cash deal worth approximately $4.83 billion US that will see the California-based...

Ontario Chamber of Commerce calls for provincial action on broadband

telecom | 07/22/2016 7:52 pm EDT

The Ontario government should be playing a major role in developing the province’s broadband infrastructure, according to the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. In an open letter to Premier Kathleen...

Cable could make turnaround in 2017: Canaccord

Media | 07/22/2016 5:14 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc.’s second-quarter earnings may have foreshadowed a turnaround for cable in 2017, after the company reported its best second-quarter for Internet subscribers in eight years, according to...

StatsCan testing text message surveys: report

telecom | 07/22/2016 4:04 pm EDT

Statistics Canada is testing sending questionnaires to Canadians' cell phones via text message to combat low response rates to surveys, according to a media report. On Friday, The Canadian Press reported that documents it...

Set-top box retailer involved in software development, BDUs claim

Media | 07/22/2016 3:55 pm EDT

A trio of telecom companies are doubling down on their assertion that preloaded set-top box retailers are complicit in TV piracy, according to new court documents filed in their ongoing fight to permanently end the sale of the devices loaded with software they say allows users to access their content for free. In their July 15 reply to a statement of defence and counterclaim filed by one of the retailers, lawyers for BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc. and Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron not...

Rogers’ Laurence emphasizes Internet ‘need for speed’

Media | 07/21/2016 8:57 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. made it clear that Internet speeds are a key focus for the company on a conference call Thursday, stating Rogers' strategy is to get consumers to a baseline 100 Mbps service in order to encourage future scaling to its gigabit service. “We need to focus on the need for...

SaskTel to improve Internet service in 7 communities

telecom | 07/20/2016 4:46 pm EDT

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said Wednesday that it’s installing additional equipment on towers in rural areas around seven Saskatchewan communities that will relieve...

SVOD revenues to double by 2021: Juniper

Media | 07/19/2016 9:28 pm EDT

Subscription video-on-demand service (SVOD) revenues will double by 2021, as broadcasters and TV network providers look to enter the market amid a trend in cord cutting and shaving, according to a new report. Juniper Research...

Rogers cutting cord on business landlines with new service

telecom | 07/19/2016 7:46 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. announced Tuesday that it will offer small businesses a service that eliminates the need for landline phones by bringing landline features to mobile. Rogers...

Laura Tribe taking helm at OpenMedia

Media | 07/19/2016 5:33 pm EDT

OpenMedia announced Tuesday the appointment of Laura Tribe as its new executive director. According a letter posted on the advocacy group’s website from board chair Phillip Djwa, Tribe was selected to helm the...

Telus rolls out 4K out west

telecom | 07/19/2016 4:18 pm EDT

Telus Corp. will begin offering 4K programming for its Optik TV customers, the company announced Tuesday. In a press release, Telus said it is the “first and currently, the only carrier in Western Canada to offer” the ultra-high-definition programming. The service is...

CRTC says not issuing decision yet in wholesale rate dispute

telecom | 07/18/2016 10:20 pm EDT

Two large wholesale Internet service providers (ISPs) are asking the CRTC to dismiss the Canadian Network Operators Consortium’s (CNOC) request to decline interim approval of wholesale rate...

Pokémon Go not augmenting wireless data reality

Media | 07/18/2016 9:11 pm EDT

Though the success of Nintendo Co. Ltd.’s Pokémon Go mobile game could be the tip of the iceberg for augmented-reality applications, experts said they don’t expect wireless companies to make any major shifts in...

Rogers’ OMNI proposal needs more scrutiny: ethnic broadcasters

telecom | 07/18/2016 8:16 pm EDT

A group of ethnic programming services is asking the CRTC to consider a proposal by Rogers Communications Inc. for a national OMNI channel separately from its licence renewal hearing. In a letter dated July 16, the group of five legacy ethnic channels, including Asian Television Network International Ltd., The Fairchild Group, Telelatino Network Inc. (which is majority owned by Corus Entertainment Inc.), and Odyssey Television Network Inc., said the move by Rogers to include its proposal for a new national OMNI channel inside a renewal hearing is “not procedurally appropriate...