Telus reports 911 call stats

telecom | 06/06/2016 11:09 pm EDT

Out of the more-than four million 911 calls sent across its wireless and wireline networks last year, Telus Corp. said 15 of them did not complete, the company disclosed. Telus reported the stats in its first 911...

E.U. regulator releases zero-rating guidelines

Media | 06/06/2016 8:21 pm EDT

The body that regulates the telecommunications market in the European Union released draft guidelines Monday to ensure providers steer clear of zero-rating policies unless justified, a move that comes ahead of a CRTC...

5G key to future wireless profitability, Ericsson’s CTO says

telecom | 06/06/2016 6:03 pm EDT

TORONTO — With customers’ usage of data increasing exponentially, and carriers limited in how much they can charge for that data, telecoms will have to turn to 5G networks, Ericsson...

Regulatory approval clause at centre of Catalyst lawsuit

telecom | 06/03/2016 8:33 pm EDT

The consortium of investors that bought VimpelCom Ltd.’s stake in Wind Mobile didn’t make the deal contingent on regulatory approval, a clause it was able to include because...

SaskTel enhancing wireless coverage on Highway 18

telecom | 06/03/2016 6:44 pm EDT

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. is updating its wireless network along a 130-kilometre stretch of highway, the company announced Wednesday. A $2.1-million investment into Highway 18 from the south-eastern city of Estevan to the Saskatchewan-Manitoba boarder will “increase the coverage footprint along the highway and improve service to the adjacent communities,” a SaskTel press release said. The company added that it is also enhancing Estevan’s LTE network, “which will increase the LTE capacity by approximately 25% as well as improve LTE...

Zero rating review deadline extended

telecom | 06/03/2016 5:40 pm EDT

The CRTC has extended the deadline for comments in its review of “differential pricing practices.” An original deadline of June 17 for the filing of interventions regarding zero rating and...

Pick-and-pay drives customer satisfaction: J.D. Power

Media | 06/03/2016 3:26 pm EDT

A new J.D. Power survey has found customers who have a skinny-basic TV package with a pick-and-pay option are more satisfied than TV customers with other types of subscriptions. Satisfaction among skinny-basic customers was 761...

Canadian publishers adopt new Google platform

Media | 06/02/2016 9:57 pm EDT

Three Canadian media outlets will be able to display their pages faster on smartphones while using less data after adopting a new platform developed by Alphabet Inc.’s Google, according news articles by Corus...

MTS considered SaskTel merger, Telus and Rogers declined to bid

telecom | 06/02/2016 9:07 pm EDT

An information package for Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. shareholders sheds some light on the genesis of the proposed $3.9-billion acquisition of the company by BCE Inc., announced May 2. According...

76% of anglophones multitask while watching TV: MTM

Media | 06/02/2016 9:03 pm EDT

According to a new report, 76 per cent of anglophones used the Internet at the same time as they watched television in 2015. “While multitasking has grown immensely over time, incidence has slowed over the past year,”...

Deadline for answers on skinny-basic practices extended

telecom | 06/02/2016 8:20 pm EDT

The CRTC has set a new deadline of July 8 for replies in its proceeding on telecoms’ compliance with skinny basic package requirements, the regulator said on its website Tuesday. The previous deadline for replies was July 4, while the deadline for interventions remains June 23. The request for more time came from...

Remove foreign ownership rules: OECD

Media | 06/02/2016 7:27 pm EDT

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is recommending giving Canada’s economy a boost by removing foreign ownership rules for telecommunications and broadcasting. In an economic forecast...

Blais can name panels: Attorney general

Media | 06/02/2016 6:58 pm EDT

The attorney general’s office is arguing that the CRTC chairman has the authority to name panels to decide issues in front of the commission, in response to a court case launched by commissioner Raj Shoan challenging his...

Canada a ‘laggard’ in ICT investment, growth, forum hears

telecom | 06/01/2016 10:38 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Canada needs to “come to grips” with its lagging productivity and mobile broadband penetration if it wants to compete on the global stage, panellists said Wednesday during the annual Canadian Internet Registration Authority’s (CIRA) Canadian Internet Forum. It’s not that sexy to talk about the economy and national productivity, Chris Tacit, vice-president of the Internet Society Canada Chapter, told attendees gathered at the Museum of Nature, adding that two key challenges to tackle are the discoverability of information and communications technologies...

MTS shareholders to vote on Bell deal

telecom | 06/01/2016 10:12 pm EDT

Shareholders in Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. will have their say in the proposed merger with BCE Inc. later this month. The company announced in a Wednesday press release that a special meeting...

VMedia sets sights on incumbents as it expands outside Ont.

telecom | 06/01/2016 10:11 pm EDT

Ontario Internet service and television provider VMedia Inc. will expand to Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba and Alberta in the next two weeks — a move the company says will see its services...

IoT device connections to surpass mobile phones by 2018: report

telecom | 06/01/2016 9:11 pm EDT

The majority of the 28 billion devices connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) by 2021 won’t be mobile phones, according to the latest edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report. IoT devices are...

61% of Manitobans disapprove of Bell-MTS deal: Angus-Reid

telecom | 06/01/2016 3:57 pm EDT

The sale of Manitoba’s largest telecommunications company is not sitting well with Manitobans, with 61 per cent stating they don’t approve of the deal, while only 21 per cent said it would...

Tax all digital services or none, committee hears

Media | 05/31/2016 7:46 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Witnesses in the latest round of hearings in the House of Commons’ Canadian Heritage committee’s study of the media and local communities asked parliamentarians to level the playing field when it comes to taxes on digital services. “Currently, foreign suppliers of digital products and services, such as online news and entertainment services, music, movies and software, are not required to collect or remit HST and provincial sales tax as similar Canadian firms are obliged to do,” Bernard Lord, president and CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications...

Bell extends enterprise VoIP service to small business

telecom | 05/31/2016 5:34 pm EDT

BCE Inc.’s Total Connect VoIP service for enterprises is now available to small businesses in Ontario and Quebec. The company said Tuesday that previously, only large businesses and...

New area codes coming to 4 provinces

telecom | 05/31/2016 4:45 pm EDT

The CRTC said Tuesday it plans to add new area codes in British Columbia, Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. The new codes will be in B.C., already served by the 236, 250, 604 and 778 codes, the...

CRTC awards three research prizes

Media | 05/30/2016 5:39 pm EDT

The CRTC has named the winners of its prize for excellence in policy research to master’s, doctoral, and post-doctoral researchers at the University of Toronto, Ryerson University, and York University. Daniel Mackwood at...

Tech companies should ensure Internet access: study

telecom | 05/30/2016 5:35 pm EDT

A new study suggests that the majority of Canadians agree that having Internet access is right up there with having electricity and that it’s up to tech leaders to make sure that access is available. Approximately 69 per...

Voltage asks court to force Rogers to I.D. file-sharing John Doe

Media | 05/27/2016 9:47 pm EDT

Voltage Pictures LLC is asking federal court to order Rogers Communications Inc. to disclose the identity of an individual who infringed its copyright of five movies. In a motion of...

CRTC within right to ban Super Bowl simsub, lawyers argue

Media | 05/27/2016 9:36 pm EDT

The CRTC has every right to put measures into place banning simultaneous substation for the Super Bowl, according to new documents filed with the Appeal Court. In separate memoranda of fact and law...

Bell-MTS deal raised in Manitoba legislature

telecom | 05/27/2016 6:51 pm EDT

The proposed $3.9-billion acquisition of Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. by BCE Inc. dominated question period in the Manitoba legislature this week, with the opposition NDP peppering the governing Conservatives...

SaskTel chooses company to conduct review

telecom | 05/27/2016 6:13 pm EDT

Toronto-based consulting company Mark H. Goldberg and Associates Inc. will conduct the third-party review of Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp., the company announced Friday. The review, launched in...

Bell to pay $12M for premium text message charges

telecom | 05/27/2016 5:01 pm EDT

The Competition Bureau said Friday it has reached an agreement with BCE Inc. in which the company will rebate customers up to $11.8 million for premium text messaging charges. It will also donate $800,000 to digital research media and awareness. The Competition Bureau said in a press release that the “amount of money available for consumer rebates is the most obtained to date under a Bureau agreement.” It reached an agreement with Telus Corp. on the same issue earlier this year, requiring that company to pay $7.3 million, following a deal...

Quebec online gambling law would have ‘huge’ costs for ISPs: CWTA

telecom | 05/26/2016 9:57 pm EDT

New Quebec legislation forcing Internet service providers (ISPs) to block certain online gambling websites from being accessed in the province could put smaller ISPs out of business, industry reps...

Wireless networks feeling strain from data usage: report

telecom | 05/26/2016 9:49 pm EDT

A new report from J.D. Power says customers’ increasing usage of wireless data is “stressing overall network quality performance.” Its Canadian Wireless Network Quality Study...

Bell-MTS deal weakens Rogers’ ability to compete: academics

telecom | 05/26/2016 9:27 pm EDT

In a submission to the Competition Bureau arguing that allowing BCE Inc. to acquire Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. would weaken wireless competition in the province, Carleton...

Eastlink expands wireless service to northern Ontario

telecom | 05/26/2016 9:22 pm EDT

Bragg Communications Inc.’s Eastlink announced Thursday that it is launching wireless service in Timmins, Ont., on June 1. “Customers stuck in a contract can make the switch right away as Eastlink...

Quebec developing digital strategy

telecom | 05/25/2016 5:49 pm EDT

The Quebec government will invest $200 million in a digital economy strategy over the next five years, it said in a French press release Friday. The province will begin consultations with citizens, businesses and various organizations in June, a process that will last until spring 2017, it said. The objectives of the plan include further integrating information and communications technology into Quebec businesses, consolidating Quebec’s position as a top actor in information and communications technology in international markets, and seeing Quebec welcome innovative digital...

Lose focus on CanCon, say think tank authors

Media | 05/25/2016 5:38 pm EDT

Technological changes to the broadcasting and communications landscape require a similar shift in the regulatory environment, according to authors of a pair of new think-tank reports released Wednesday, both of which call for less...

Government info requests down 16.5%: Telus

telecom | 05/25/2016 2:13 pm EDT

Telus Corp. said the number of requests for customer information it received in 2015 dropped by 16.5 per cent, receiving 57,167 requests from government organizations compared to the 97,938 the previous year. The...

Four telecoms singled out for skinny-basic hearing

Media | 05/24/2016 9:36 pm EDT

The CRTC said Tuesday it will hold a hearing on the implementation of skinny basic TV packages, though it only asked four companies — BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., Shaw Communications Inc.,...

Zero rating good economics, in the public interest: report

telecom | 05/24/2016 5:50 pm EDT

Zero-rated services are in the public interest and “unlikely” to stand in the way of an open Internet, according to a new report from an American think tank, which recommends that U.S....

Shoan launches second challenge to Blais’ power to name panels

telecom | 05/24/2016 5:04 pm EDT

CRTC commissioner Raj Shoan has filed another court challenge regarding the ability of CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais to assign commissioners to panels that make decisions on issues before the...

Bill forcing U.S. carriers to disclose location data doesn’t pass Congress

telecom | 05/24/2016 5:03 pm EDT

United States lawmakers failed to pass legislation Monday that would have required American wireless providers to hand over call location information to emergency personnel during...

Videotron temporarily adds U.S. roaming to premium plans

telecom | 05/20/2016 7:58 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron is offering Canada-U.S. roaming plans that allow customers to use their plan for up to 90 days in the United States each year without incurring roaming charges....

Bell, MTS announce Manitoban service improvement

telecom | 05/20/2016 7:36 pm EDT

BCE Inc. and Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. made a high-profile overture Friday in their bid to join forces, announcing plans for a proposed merged operation to fill gaps in wireless coverage along a major...

What does the future hold for WiFi calling?

telecom | 05/20/2016 6:47 pm EDT

Despite the fact that large wireless carriers have been offering WiFi calling for months, the emergence of WiFi calling provider Sugar Mobile, and hinted-at-plans by Shaw Communications Inc. to integrate Wind with its WiFi network, experts say the technology is unlikely to take centre stage in the Canadian wireless market. Small companies wanting to sell WiFi calling face both the cost of roaming and the challenge of dealing with companies that may be unwilling to sell that roaming in the first place — as seen in the Sugar Mobile dispute currently in front of the CRTC —...

CRTC quietly looking into MVNO access

telecom | 05/20/2016 6:08 pm EDT

The CRTC launched a “fact-finding process” into wholesale access for mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) last month, sending a letter to Canadian wireless companies asking for information. The letter,...

CRTC consulting on TV licence categories

Media | 05/20/2016 5:10 pm EDT

The CRTC is accepting feedback on “standard conditions of licence, expectations and encouragements” for new, consolidated TV licencing categories. Following up on a previously announced decision to...

Arctic Fibre sold to American partner

telecom | 05/20/2016 3:16 pm EDT

Arctic Fibre Inc., a Canadian company deploying fibre-optic cable in the North, has been purchased by its Alaskan affiliate. Quintillion Subsea Holdings LLC, which provides wholesale capacity to the telecommunications...

Cyber security not built into trade agreements: negotiator

telecom | 05/19/2016 8:22 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Don’t look to international trade agreements to keep digital trade secure, participants of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s International Trade Day event were...

Rogers says number of info requests fell 24% in 2015

telecom | 05/19/2016 5:43 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. said in its third annual transparency report that it received 86,328 requests for customer information by government and law enforcement in 2015, a 24 per cent drop from the 113,655 it got in 2014. The company added in the report, released Thursday, that it either rejected or was unable to provide information in 2,457 of those cases. The vast majority, or 74,977, of those requests came in the form of court orders or warrants, while Rogers received 2,284 government requirement letters and 9,021 emergency requests from law enforcement. It received, and granted, 46...

CRTC launches review of zero-rating, sponsored data

Media | 05/18/2016 9:32 pm EDT

Net neutrality advocates welcomed the CRTC’s launch of a new consultation on “differential pricing practices” for both wireline and wireless data plans Wednesday, a process that will see a public hearing kick off...

British government signals broadband BSO

telecom | 05/18/2016 9:30 pm EDT

By way of introduction via the Queen, the British government unveiled its plans Wednesday for a universal service objective for broadband in the United Kingdom. “Measures will be brought forward to create the...

Shaw boosted lobbying activity in April: report

telecom | 05/18/2016 9:24 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc. topped the list of telecommunications players lobbying federal politicians and policymakers in April, according to The Lobby Monitor. The company recorded more than 40 communications on the...

Cogeco launches public WiFi in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls

telecom | 05/18/2016 6:21 pm EDT

Cogeco Inc. has launched a free public WiFi network with more than 360 hotspots in St. Catharines and Niagara Falls, Ont., the company said Wednesday. Access to the network is free for...

Netflix takes original series to U.S. TV

Media | 05/18/2016 4:37 pm EDT

Netflix Inc. has teamed up with Univision Communications Inc. in its first deal to bring original programming from the company’s over-the-top (OTT) service to traditional TV in the United States. In...

Link Canada Child Benefit to low-income Internet plans: Telus

telecom | 05/17/2016 8:44 pm EDT

Telus Corp. is suggesting that subsidized Internet service be made available to families that already collect the Child Canada Benefit. Spokeswoman Luiza Staniec said in an...

Liberal MPs, staff create ‘think tank’ for digital issues

Media | 05/17/2016 7:59 pm EDT

OTTAWA — It wasn’t a hard sell for David Graham to recruit Liberal colleagues for a new Parliament Hill research body. “[I said] ‘I want to talk about digital issues....

Modify zero-rated plans to hit net neutrality goals: Sandvine

Media | 05/16/2016 9:24 pm EDT

If communications providers stick to principles of transparency and openness, zero-rated and sponsored data services can stay out of regulatory and consumer trouble, according to a report released...

AT&T to acquire Canadian video-streaming platform

telecom | 05/16/2016 9:14 pm EDT

AT&T Inc. announced Monday its plan to acquire Toronto-based Quickplay Media Inc., a video-streaming platform provider, to support its incoming DirecTV streaming offers. “Quickplay’s multitenant IP distribution infrastructure, combined with AT&T’s leading scale in IP connected end points, will allow us to host and distribute all forms of video traffic,” John Stankey, CEO of AT&T’s entertainment group, said in a press release. “We intend to scale and operate an industry-leading video distribution platform, and viewers will get the...

SaskTel announces capital investment plan

telecom | 05/16/2016 8:17 pm EDT

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said Monday it was making a more-than-$1.4-billion capital investment over the next five years to upgrade its systems and networks. Of that investment, $331 million is allotted...

DiversityCanada, National Pensioners Foundation denied costs

telecom | 05/16/2016 8:08 pm EDT

The CRTC has denied a pair of applications from the DiversityCanada Foundation and the National Pensioners Federation to have Telus Corp. pick up their costs for participating in a pair of...

Doug French replaces John Gossling as Telus CFO

telecom | 05/16/2016 4:51 pm EDT

Telus Corp. said Monday it has appointed Doug French as executive vice-president and chief financial officer, while former CFO John Gossling is leaving the company to “seek other opportunities.” Though the move...

Bell aims to settle 911 lawsuit for $1M

telecom | 05/16/2016 4:45 pm EDT

BCE Inc. has reached an agreement to settle a class action lawsuit regarding billing for 911 services in the North for $1.02 million. According to documents posted on the website of law firm Landy Marr Kats LLP, that amount...

Big-box wireless customers ‘high risk’: study

telecom | 05/13/2016 8:43 pm EDT

Consumers who shop at big-box stores are more likely to purchase unlocked phones and are more likely to switch wireless providers, according to results of a study released Thursday. Half of the customers who buy phones from big-box retailers (which is about 25 per cent of consumers) get an unlocked device, said a press release on the J.D. Power Canadian Wireless Purchase Experience Study, compared to 44 per cent of those who buy their phones from speciality electronic retailers and 28 per cent of those who buy devices at carrier-specific stores. “Owners of unlocked phones represent a...

IoT growth poses challenges for regulators

telecom | 05/13/2016 8:30 pm EDT

OTTAWA — As the number of devices connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) increases, so, too, do the regulatory challenges to keep users safe, according to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s chief...

Innovation OKs Hunstsville, Ont. spectrum licence transfer

telecom | 05/13/2016 8:22 pm EDT

Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada has approved the transfer of an AWS licence in Huntsville, Ont., to BCE Inc. The department said Thursday that it approved the...

Campaign for smartphone radio brewing

Media | 05/12/2016 8:49 pm EDT

A collection of radio stations are gearing up for a campaign for easy access to FM radio on smartphones in Canada. Similar to a campaign in the United States, Free Radio on My Phone is looking for collaboration with carriers to...

MTS Q1 revenues down on landline, wireless voice

telecom | 05/12/2016 8:43 pm EDT

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. reported a two-per-cent loss in revenues, earning $250.7 million in the three months ended March 31, compared to $255.9 million in the same period a year earlier. The company...

Mobile service gives Quebecor Q1 revenue boost

Media | 05/12/2016 7:39 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc. reported a five-per-cent increase to revenue in the first quarter of 2016, bringing in $975.4 million compared to $929 million the same period a year earlier. According to quarterly earnings...

Small ISPs laud government denial of Bell’s FTTH appeal

telecom | 05/11/2016 1:23 pm EDT

Independent Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and advocacy groups said Wednesday they’re encouraged by the federal government’s rejection of BCE Inc.’s appeal of the CRTC...

Rogers closing down Mobilicity brand

telecom | 05/10/2016 10:09 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. will be shutting down its Mobilicity brand and moving customers to its flanker brand, Chatr, the company confirmed Tuesday. “Once the migration happens in the coming months, they’ll have access to plans and services that will offer great value and flexibility,” spokesman Andrew Garas said in an email....

Small telecoms lobby for access to federal broadband funding

telecom | 05/10/2016 6:13 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Representatives from smaller telecommunications companies descended on Parliament Hill Tuesday, pushing for lawmakers to consult with them in the design of the new federal rural...

Competition Bureau wants input on Bell-MTS deal

telecom | 05/10/2016 4:32 pm EDT

The Competition Bureau is asking for comment on BCE Inc.’s $3.9-billion bid to buy Manitoba Telecom Services Inc., it said in a press release Tuesday. It made a form available on its website that both consumers and stakeholders can use to submit their views. “As part of the Bureau’s usual approach in examining a merger, it consults with a wide range of industry participants to obtain their views regarding the competitive implications of a proposed transaction,” it said in the release. “Suppliers, competitors, industry associations, customers and industry...

Cogeco Connexion expanding FTTH network in Quebec

telecom | 05/10/2016 3:54 pm EDT

Cogeco Inc. said Friday it is investing about $250,000 to expand its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network to residents in Quebec’s Orford Township. The expansion will serve “several homes in the...

Network-issue calls down after online tool launch: Rogers

telecom | 05/09/2016 7:50 pm EDT

In the three months since it launched a beta version of its online network-monitoring tool, Rogers Communications Inc. said it has experienced a decline in service calls about network...

Charter-Time Warner deal gets FCC approval

telecom | 05/09/2016 7:21 pm EDT

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted its approval to the merger of Charter Communications Inc., Time Warner Cable Inc. and Bright House Networks LLC, the regulator said in a press...

Shaw offering credit to Fort McMurray evacuees

telecom | 05/09/2016 3:48 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc. customers in Fort McMurray and other wildfire-affected areas in the region are getting a one-month service credit, the company announced in a Saturday press release. The credit, retroactive...

Rogers offering free Mother’s Day long-distance calls

telecom | 05/06/2016 8:51 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. customers who live far from their mothers can call them for free this Sunday. The company said Friday in a press release that it was offering its postpaid wireless customers one hour of free long-distance calling “across Canada and to most places around the world” on Mother’s Day, May 8. Calls made from wireless phones within the country to more than 200 international destinations will be automatically zero-rated for one hour of long-distance charges on their next bill, Rogers said. According to an online study Rogers...

Effect of zero-rating on competition under debate

Media | 05/06/2016 8:21 pm EDT

OTTAWA — A panel discussion on net neutrality Friday dug into whether zero-rating can help or harm market competition, with Ted Woodhead, senior vice-president of regulatory affairs at Telus Corp. taking issue with the...

Free Shaw WiFi available in Saskatoon

telecom | 05/06/2016 8:04 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc. has rolled out free Wi-Fi access at municipal facilities in Saskatoon. The complimentary Shaw Go WiFi was made possible through collaboration with the Saskatchewan city’s new Service Saskatoon...

Netflix introduces wireless data controls

telecom | 05/06/2016 8:02 pm EDT

Netflix Inc. subscribers can now regulate how much wireless data they use in the newest version of the company’s Android and iOS application. As of May 5, the mobile app users could take advantage of “added...

SaskTel embarking on review in wake of Bell-MTS deal

telecom | 05/06/2016 8:00 pm EDT

Faced with the prospect of becoming “an island in Western Canada” at the conclusion of the proposed Manitoba Telcom Services Inc. sale, Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. is...

Canada won’t see another company like RIM under TPP: Balsillie

Media | 05/05/2016 9:59 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Former BlackBerry Ltd. co-CEO Jim Balsillie doubled down on his dire warnings against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and what he calls its failure to support Canadian...

No charging after cancellation, CRTC reminds service providers

telecom | 05/05/2016 6:50 pm EDT

The CRTC issued a clarification Thursday reminding telecommunications service providers that they can’t charge for services once they’ve been cancelled. “Furthermore,...

Telus revenues up, profits shrink in Q1

telecom | 05/05/2016 6:42 pm EDT

Telus Corp. revenues increased by 2.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2016, rising to $3.1 billion compared to $3.03 billion during the same period a year earlier, the company said Thursday. In a press release...

Bell’s MTS purchase to boost competition: MEI

telecom | 05/04/2016 6:22 pm EDT

The $3.9-billion acquisition of Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. by BCE Inc. would increase competition in Manitoba’s wireless market, according to the authors of a new report from the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI)....

Bell Media reps face grilling on MTS at House committee

Media | 05/03/2016 6:40 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Parliamentarians hoping for answers to outstanding questions about Monday’s news that BCE Inc. had struck a deal to acquire Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. were left disappointed when representatives from Bell’s media division appeared on Parliament Hill Tuesday morning. Winnipeg-area Liberal MP Dan Vandal was looking for “some measure of comfort that there will not be massive layoffs as a result” of Bell’s $3.9-billion proposal to absorb MTS and its related plan to sell one-third of postpaid wireless...

Tony Tomae new Birch CEO

telecom | 05/03/2016 5:57 pm EDT

Birch Communications Inc. has named Tony Tomae as its new president and CEO, the company said in a press release Tuesday. "In the short term, we will continue to expand our Metro-Fiber footprint, working with our business customers with operations across the U.S.-Canada border to...

CRTC finds no problems with 911 service

telecom | 05/02/2016 8:25 pm EDT

The CRTC said Monday that a proceeding looking into 911 networks has found that they are “reliable and resilient” overall, and that very few outages affecting the delivery of 911 calls have occurred in the last five...

Péladeau steps down as PQ leader

Media | 05/02/2016 7:46 pm EDT

Pierre Karl Péladeau announced Monday he is resigning as the leader of Quebec’s Parti Québécois, citing family reasons. Quebecor Inc. said in a press release following the announcement that it...

Experts say approval of Bell’s MTS acquisition likely

telecom | 05/02/2016 2:12 pm EDT

BCE Inc. announced Monday morning that it will purchase Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. in a $3.9 billion transaction that, if approved, will see the number of players in Manitoba’s telecom...

Canadian businesses split on IoT adoption: survey

telecom | 04/29/2016 5:05 pm EDT

Canadian businesses are divided when it comes to the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT), according to a new study commissioned by Telus Corp. The study, released Thursday, found that 52 per cent of Canadian businesses are “considering, planning, piloting or deploying” an IoT service, while 48 per cent “indicated they have no plans at all to adopt the technology,” a press release said. Of those who said they are not considering using IoT tools, 64 per cent “feel there is no business need,” according to the results. The most-common business IoT...

Koodo leads in customer-service satisfaction: study

telecom | 04/29/2016 5:02 pm EDT

Millennial wireless customers are pushing the trend to online, self-serve options for customer service, according to a new J.D. Power study released Thursday. Customer care contact via companies’ online tools such as...

Rogers extends $5, $10 roaming plans to Fido

telecom | 04/29/2016 3:55 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. will begin offering some customers of its Fido flanker brand the ability to roam in the United States for $5 per day and in various international destinations for $10 per day. The company said in a...

Keep broadband funding status quo: Quebecor

telecom | 04/28/2016 9:20 pm EDT

GATINEAU, Que. — When it comes to funding broadband improvements, don’t “reinvent the wheel,” representatives from Quebecor Inc. told CRTC commissioners Thursday. “In our opinion, nothing would be...

Bell revenues, profits up in Q1

Media | 04/28/2016 9:19 pm EDT

BCE Inc. reported a 0.6 per cent increase in revenues, rising to $5.27 billion in its first quarter of 2016 compared to the same three-month period a year earlier. The company said in a press release Thursday that...

Voltage launches class-action piracy lawsuit

Media | 04/28/2016 7:52 pm EDT

Voltage Pictures LLC is seeking certification in Federal Court for a class-action lawsuit against respondents who illegally file-shared its content. The document, filed Tuesday, asks the court to declare that the respondents...

Internet speeds faster in Central, Eastern Canada than West: CIRA

telecom | 04/28/2016 5:58 pm EDT

A new study from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) says the average download Internet speed in Canada is 18.64 Mbps, while the average upload speed is 7.25 Mbps. Eastern and Central...

Cogeco Peer 1 names Scott Adams Canadian VP

telecom | 04/27/2016 8:39 pm EDT

Cogeco Peer 1, a subsidiary of Cogeco Communications Inc., has named Scott Adams as its new Canadian vice-president and general manager. In a Tuesday press release, Cogeco Peer 1 — which provides business products and...

Wind upgrades Calgary network

telecom | 04/27/2016 8:36 pm EDT

Wind Mobile has completed a Calgary-area network infrastructure upgrade, the Shaw Communications Inc.-owned company said in a Wednesday press release. The “additional wireless spectrum now means better, faster...

Commission hears data cap debate

telecom | 04/27/2016 7:59 pm EDT

CRTC commissioners presiding over the basic services hearing continued to hear conflicting opinions over the effectiveness and necessity of including data caps in Internet packages Wednesday. The idea of enshrining a minimum usage limit into a basic service objective should be approached with caution, representatives from Bragg Communications Inc.’s Eastlink said on the penultimate day of a three-week proceeding. Eastlink uses data caps, or “included usage,” as a network management tool, Natalie MacDonald, vice-president of regulatory, told the five-commissioner panel. “We would be very concerned about setting a minimum,” MacDonald said, in response to a question from vice-chair Peter Menzies about the idea of limiting how small data allotments can be by prescribing a minimum amount of data that must be offered...