Shaw-Wind close deal

telecom | 03/01/2016 10:18 pm EST

Shaw Communications Inc. confirmed Tuesday that it has closed the deal to purchase Wind Mobile. The $1.6 billion transaction brings Shaw into the wireless market, with the acquisition of Wind's 940,000 subscribers. Shaw first announced its intention to purchase Wind in December....

Bloomberg TV Canada joins Videotron lineup

Media | 03/01/2016 9:42 pm EST

Bloomberg TV Canada is now available to Quebecor Inc.'s Videotron subscribers, the channel's broadcast distributor announced Tuesday. Chris Fuoco, Channel Zero Inc.'s vice president of sales and marketing, said in a...

WhatsApp won’t be available on BlackBerry by end of year

Media | 02/29/2016 10:32 pm EST

Facebook Inc.’s WhatsApp will stop supporting its messenger app on most BlackBerry Inc. devices by the end of the year, the company said in a blog post Friday. Company...

Viceland to bring online ad strategies to broadcast TV

Media | 02/29/2016 10:05 pm EST

Viceland, the TV channel from Vice Media LLC and Rogers Communications Inc. that launched Monday, plans to bring a branded content advertising model that has been more common online to traditional...

Bell releases skinny basic offer, no U.S. networks included

Media | 02/29/2016 7:32 pm EST

A day before the March 1 deadline, BCE Inc. is advertising its skinny basic offer, a $24.95 Starter package. Last spring, the CRTC mandated that TV providers must offer a basic package priced at no more than $25 per month as of tomorrow, alongside a requirement for companies to offer either pick-and-pay or a choice of either self-built packages or small pre-assembled packages. Both options will be mandatory by December. According to its website, Bell's 26-channel basic offering includes the CRTC-required educational and Canadian over-the-air channels, but not the U.S. "4+1"...

CETA legal review finished

telecom | 02/29/2016 6:17 pm EST

A legal review of a free trade deal with Europe has been completed, Canadian and European Union officials announced Monday, paving the way for the agreement to come into force next year. "We have responded to Canadians, EU citizens, and businesses with a fairer, more transparent, system," said a joint statement issued by EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström and Canadian International Trade Minister...

Bell introducing smartphone accessibility tools

telecom | 02/29/2016 4:09 pm EST

BCE Inc. is rolling out a suite of products designed to help make mobile communications more accessible. In a Monday press release, the company said new screen readers, hearing aid compatibility, video conferencing, assisted...

SaskTel says 1,000 customers hit by phishing scam

telecom | 02/26/2016 9:46 pm EST

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said in a release Friday that it was recently the target of a “large phishing attack.” It said it estimates the attack affected about 1,000 customers. The...

Bell playing skinny basic plan close to the vest: report

Media | 02/26/2016 9:44 pm EST

BCE Inc. is keeping mum in the wake of a media report claiming the company is telling staff to downplay its upcoming skinny basic TV offering. On Friday, CBC reported that an internal training...

25,000 respond to basic services survey: CRTC

telecom | 02/26/2016 5:16 pm EST

The CRTC said Friday that more than 25,000 Canadians have completed a questionnaire on the future of broadband as part of its basic telecom services review. The deadline to complete the survey, which includes topics...

Deferral account-funded broadband expansion complete

telecom | 02/25/2016 10:12 pm EST

A $422 million expansion of broadband Internet services to underserved communities has been completed, the CRTC confirmed Thursday. In 2010, the regulator approved plans by BCE Inc., Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. and Telus Corp....

Ottawa council not backing CRTC’s FTTH ruling

telecom | 02/24/2016 8:45 pm EST

Unlike their municipal colleagues in Toronto, members of Ottawa's city council decided against formalizing their support for the CRTC's decision to mandate wholesale access to fibre-to-the-home networks (FTTH), which is...

Rogers disconnection would set harmful precedent: Sugar Mobile

telecom | 02/24/2016 8:39 pm EST

Interventions filed opposing Ice Wireless' request for interim relief in its roaming dispute with Rogers Communications Inc. failed to properly address the relevant issues, instead focusing on...

Ethics commish says MP broke rules writing letters to CRTC

telecom | 02/24/2016 7:45 pm EST

Mary Dawson, the conflict of interest and ethics commissioner, said Wednesday that former conservative MP Parm Gill breached the Conflict of Interest Act by sending letters of support to the CRTC. Gill sent two letters regarding radio licence applications to the CRTC while serving as a parliamentary secretary. Dawson’s office said in a press release that it found Gill contravened section nine of the act, which “prohibits public office holders from using their position to seek to influence a decision of another person so as to improperly further...

iPhone encryption issue one to watch: privacy commissioner

telecom | 02/23/2016 11:24 pm EST

OTTAWA — Canadians should be keeping an eye on the FBI's request to gain access to an iPhone connected to the Dec. 2 San Bernadino, Calif., attack, according to Canada's...

Heritage committee kicks off study on news media

Media | 02/23/2016 9:40 pm EST

OTTAWA — News quality came up as an issue at the first day of a study into the news media by the House of Commons heritage committee. Conservative MP Kevin Waugh, whose riding is in Saskatoon, brought up outsourcing of some...

Media division sale shouldn’t trigger tangible benefits: Shaw

Media | 02/23/2016 8:16 pm EST

Shaw Communications Inc. told the CRTC that the sale of its media division to Corus Entertainment Inc. shouldn’t result in any tangible benefit payments, because “both...

Satellite spectrum fees changing

telecom | 02/22/2016 10:17 pm EST

Lower fees for spectrum used for satellite communication will go into effect on April 1. According to a notice from the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development published in last week's Canada Gazette and...

Wireless competition on federal agenda: Bains

telecom | 02/22/2016 5:17 pm EST

The federal innovation minister wouldn't commit to reviewing last week's CRTC decision to not mandate access by mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) to wireless networks when pressed in the House of Commons on Friday. By rejecting the application to review the wholesale wireless market framework filed by the Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC), the CRTC "denied an appeal to spark real competition in the wireless sector by allowing new small players into the market," NDP MP Gord Johns said during question period, according to a transcript.  "What action...

Verizon leading 5G tests

telecom | 02/22/2016 4:27 pm EST

Verizon Communications Inc. has partnered with other technology companies for 5G field testing, the U.S. carrier announced Monday. The testing with the so-called 5G Technology Forum partners — including Ericsson AB, Intel Corp., Nokia Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Qualcomm Inc. and...

Shaw-Wind deal gets closing date

telecom | 02/19/2016 9:38 pm EST

Shaw Communications Inc. will close the $1.6 billion deal to purchase Wind Mobile by March 1, the company said Friday in a press release. Shaw announced its intention to enter the wireless market through the acquisition in...

Sugar Mobile subs have no ‘right’ to roaming: Rogers

telecom | 02/19/2016 8:47 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. told the CRTC that Rogers has the right to disconnect Ice Wireless from its network because its affiliate Sugar Mobile is selling service outside of Ice...

CRTC launches telecommunications database

telecom | 02/19/2016 8:38 pm EST

The CRTC has a new online tool to help people find phone, mobile, Internet and television services in their area. Launched Friday, the new Communication Service Providers in Canada portal lists companies and their contact...

FCC opens “unlock the box” proposal to comment

Media | 02/19/2016 4:41 pm EST

A new proposal from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) aims to free TV subscribers from their leased set-top box agreements with cable and satellite operators. In a 3-2 decision on...

Google can appeal B.C. court’s worldwide injuction: Supreme Court

telecom | 02/18/2016 10:29 pm EST

The Supreme Court of Canada said Thursday it has granted Google Inc. leave to appeal a B.C. court decision that issued an injuction stopping Google from linking to a company in its search results....

CRTC denies call to change MVNO mandated access rules

telecom | 02/18/2016 10:15 pm EST

The CRTC is standing by its decision to not require national wireless service providers to provide wholesale access for "full" mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), denying an application filed last summer by the...

CRTC tells Rogers not to disconnect Sugar Mobile, for now

telecom | 02/18/2016 9:04 pm EST

The CRTC said Thursday Rogers Communications Inc. has to “maintain its roaming agreement” with Iristel Inc.’s subsidiary Ice Wireless and its affiliate Sugar Mobile until the CRTC...

Brent Johnston leaves Telus, joins Apple

telecom | 02/18/2016 7:11 pm EST

Telus Corp.’s senior vice-president of consumer marketing, Brent Johnston, has left his position at Telus to join Apple Inc.’s Canadian division as its new senior managing director. According to Johnston’s LinkedIn profile, which was updated Thursday, the former Telus executive was with the company for nearly 11 years. He held the senior vice-president of consumer marketing position for almost two years. Johnston began the new position at Apple this month, according to his profile....

Smartphone sales growth slowest since 2008: Gartner

telecom | 02/18/2016 5:15 pm EST

Gartner Inc. said Thursday that global smartphone sales saw their slowest growth rate since 2008 in the fourth quarter of 2015. Sales only grew 9.7 per cent to total 403 million units in the fourth quarter of 2015, up from 367...

Shaw launches skinny basic package

telecom | 02/18/2016 4:53 pm EST

Shaw Communications Inc. announced Wednesday it has launched its skinny basic TV package, called Limited TV. The package, along with new small theme packs that can be combined with existing TV packages, is now available for...

Tax changes would spur telecom investment: industry groups

telecom | 02/18/2016 2:38 am EST

OTTAWA — Changing the tax system could increase the level of investment in wireless network infrastructure, the House of Commons standing committee on finance heard Wednesday night as part of...

Mobile delays cause subscriber headaches: Ericsson report

telecom | 02/17/2016 11:05 pm EST

Smartphone users who experience delays while streaming content are more likely to look for other service providers, suggests a new Ericsson AB study. According to results published Wednesday in its...

Heritage committee to conduct study on news media

Media | 02/17/2016 9:34 pm EST

The House of Commons heritage committee will undertake a study on the news media. The committee will hold at least 10 meetings that will study how Canadians and “especially local communities, are informed about local and regional experiences through” broadcast, digital and print media, it said in a motion passed Tuesday. The committee will also look at “the unintended consequences of news media concentration and the erosion of local news reporting and the impact of news media.”...

Cogeco launches 400 new WiFi hotspots in Ontario

telecom | 02/17/2016 8:11 pm EST

Cogeco Inc. announced Wednesday it has launched 400 WiFi hotspots across Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Georgetown, all located in the surrounding area of Toronto.   It said in a press release that Cogeco has been working...

Rogers’ roaming disconnection would cause ‘unquantifiable’ loss: MVNO

telecom | 02/17/2016 1:39 am EST

A new Part 1 application filed with the CRTC  is asking the regulator to step in and compel Rogers Communications Inc. to allow the continued use of its roaming network by Ice Wireless and its affiliate Sugar Mobile. According to the filing by Ice Wireless, a subsidiary...

TekSavvy asks customers to push for service level agreements

telecom | 02/16/2016 5:26 pm EST

TekSavvy Solutions Inc. is asking its customers to push both regulators and lawmakers to give incumbents greater incentive to collaborate with independent telecommunications companies when problems...

Supreme Court denies wireless fee lawsuit

telecom | 02/11/2016 9:29 pm EST

A British Columbia man has failed in his bid to bring a class-action suit against Rogers Communications Inc., Telus Corp. and BCE Inc. on the basis that the $6.95 system access fee charged to legacy wireless customers was...

Telus revenue up, profits down

telecom | 02/11/2016 9:21 pm EST

Telus Corp. reported a 2.8-per-cent rise in revenue during the fourth quarter of 2015, going to $3.2 billion from $3.1 billion in the same period a year earlier.  The company announced Thursday in its earning report that in...

How could the Netflix proxy ban affect Canadian OTT?

Media | 02/11/2016 7:26 pm EST

The Netflix Inc. crackdown on virtual-private-network (VPN) use could provide an opportunity for Canadian providers to carve out more of the over-the-top (OTT) market, though a lack of firm figures makes predictions difficult....

Alex Johnston joins CBC

Media | 02/11/2016 5:19 pm EST

Alex Johnston is CBC/Radio-Canada’s new vice-president of strategy and public affairs, president and CEO Hubert Lacroix told employees in an internal memo. “Alex is a big thinker, and her energy and enthusiasm are what the public broadcaster needs as it builds its future and continues its transformation through Strategy 2020,” Lacroix said in the Jan. 29 memo. She will start the job on Feb....

CRTC settles Bell-Hamilton access agreement dispute

Media | 02/10/2016 10:18 pm EST

The CRTC has approved a municipal access agreement proposed by the City of Hamilton, ending a dispute between the municipality and BCE Inc. that began in 2012. The commission said in a decision Wednesday the two parties...

Shaw to keep Wind’s current strategy in place: exec

telecom | 02/09/2016 9:51 pm EST

As it takes ownership of Wind Mobile, Shaw Communications Inc. will continue positioning Wind as a cheaper option compared to the big three national wireless carriers, according to the company’s chief operating officer. In a wide-ranging phone interview with The Wire Report, Jay Mehr said Shaw plans to keep the same “strategy that Wind has been executing over the course of last year.” That means Shaw will keep prices similar to their current levels instead of raising them to match the offerings from BCE Inc., Telus Corp. and Rogers Communications Inc., he confirmed....

CMF, CMPA to help promote Canadian kids’ productions

Media | 02/08/2016 9:15 pm EST

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) said in a press release Monday that it has teamed up with eight organizations, including the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) and the BCE...

CRTC asks Bell, Rogers, Shaw, Quebecor to renew TV licences

Media | 02/08/2016 8:38 pm EST

The CRTC said Monday that BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., Shaw Communications Inc. and Quebecor Inc. should apply to renew their TV licences that will expire in...

Bell partners with IBM to expand cloud services

telecom | 02/08/2016 7:53 pm EST

BCE Inc. announced Monday it is partnering with IBM Corp. in order to expand its cloud computing services. It said in a press release that the partnership will give Bell Business Cloud customers access to the IBM Cloud “via...

Cisco buying IoT company for $1.4B

telecom | 02/05/2016 9:39 pm EST

Cisco Systems Inc. is making a bid to purchase Jasper Technologies Inc., a cloud-based Internet of Things (IoT) service provider that a number of Canadian telecoms have partnered with for their own IoT platforms. Cisco said in a...

Toronto council stands with CRTC on FTTH decision

telecom | 02/05/2016 7:08 pm EST

Toronto city council is backing the CRTC's decision to mandate wholesale access to fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) networks, breaking with Toronto mayor John Tory who has already registered his support of BCE Inc.'s appeal of the ruling to the federal cabinet. On Thursday, Toronto municipal politicians voted 28-5 in favour of a recommendation by Coun. Mike Layton that city council "support competitive and affordable internet prices for its residents" and that it request a chance to consult with the minister of innovation, science and economic development on Bell's appeal. Bell...

ADR complaint against Bell dismissed

telecom | 02/04/2016 10:20 pm EST

The CRTC threw out a complaint by a Quebec TV station accusing BCE Inc. of several regulatory violations, including giving itself an undue preference, after Bell said it would stop distributing the channel focused on public-safety...

Bell profits down 8.8 per cent in Q4

telecom | 02/04/2016 9:45 pm EST

BCE Inc. reported net earnings of $542 million in the fourth quarter of 2015, down 8.8 per cent from the same time a year earlier. It said Thursday that final quarter revenues were up 1.4 per cent to $5.60 billion,...

Wind completes Vancouver expansion, begins Calgary work

telecom | 02/04/2016 5:30 pm EST

Wind Mobile announced Thursday it has completed its network infrastructure upgrades in Vancouver and has begun a similar expansion in Calgary. The company said in a press release that...

Growth in telecom to lag behind economy: Conference Board

Media | 02/03/2016 10:48 pm EST

According to the Conference Board of Canada, high debt levels and weak job prospects will make it difficult for Canadians to increase spending on telecom services in 2016, limiting industry growth. A...

Global wearable device sales to grow 18.4% in 2016: Gartner

telecom | 02/03/2016 10:41 pm EST

Gartner Inc. is forecasting that global wearable device sales will increase 18.4 per cent this year to 274.6 million units, up from 232 million units the previous year. The research company said in a...

Mobile data traffic to jump six-fold by 2020: Cisco

telecom | 02/03/2016 8:59 pm EST

A rise in the number of wireless devices accessing mobile networks will lead to six times more mobile data traffic by 2020 in North America, according to new projections from Cisco Systems Inc. In its 10th annual Visual...

Intellectual property law changes stymie TPP support: survey

Media | 02/03/2016 6:46 pm EST

Canadians are less likely to support the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) if it changes Canadian copyright laws, suggested a survey on the free-trade agreement scheduled to be signed today in New...

Advocacy group asks for $10 Internet for low-income households

telecom | 02/02/2016 10:22 pm EST

A low-income advocacy group is calling for a $10-per-month Internet plan to help make high-speed Internet more accessible for low-income households. On Tuesday, the Association of Community...

CRTC needs technological guidance: former commissioner

Media | 02/02/2016 5:59 pm EST

The CRTC should have more commissioners with a background in engineering, and fewer with backgrounds in law, broadcasting and news, former commissioner Timothy Denton said in a blog post. Denton – who served on the CRTC from 2008-2013 – argued that the CRTC should appoint a chief technology officer in the same style of that employed by the Federal Communications Commission in the post, dated Jan. 28. “Commissioners and staff need to have some other source of guidance as to the technologies,” he said the blog post. According to the FCC website, the chief technologist...

SaskTel launches skinny-basic package

Media | 02/02/2016 5:40 pm EST

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. launched its skinny-basic TV package Monday, priced at the $25 maximum mandated by the CRTC, SaskTel spokeswoman Michelle Englot said in an email.  Customers can pay extra for...

Alberta telecom ‘ignoring’ CCTS

telecom | 02/01/2016 9:48 pm EST

The Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) said in a press release Monday that VOIS! Inc., a small Alberta-based telecommunications company, is continuing to ignore its instructions following a ruling. CCTS said in the release it instructed VOIS to return $208 to a customer in November 2015 following a...

Cogeco expands FTTH network in Quebec

telecom | 02/01/2016 9:37 pm EST

Cogeco Inc. announced Monday it is investing $250,000 to roll out its fibre-to-the-home service to residential and business clients in Saint-Jérôme-de-Matane, Que., which is about 400 kilometres north...

DHX building new animation studio in Vancouver

Media | 02/01/2016 9:21 pm EST

DHX Media Ltd. said it will consolidate its operations, which employes 700 production personnel on the West Coast, in a new animation studio in Vancouver. The company said in a press release the new 600,000 square-foot studio is scheduled to be completed in December 2016. It also added it’s rebranding its content-creation arm as DHX...

Stornoway withdraws complaint over Bell’s iChannel downgrade

Media | 02/01/2016 8:49 pm EST

Stornoway Communications LP has withdrawn a Part 1 complaint to the CRTC against BCE Inc. stemming from the removal of its iChannel offering from a Bell TV theme package. The CRTC confirmed it has now closed the file in a Jan. 28 letter posted on its website. The letter did not specify the reason behind the withdrawal, and Stornoway CEO Sandy Baptist declined to comment in a phone call with the Wire Report, citing a confidentiality agreement. Filed last July, the complaint alleged that Stornoway, as the licensee for the independent Category A specialty service, would see a 67 per cent...

CRTC approves new hybrid VOD service

Media | 02/01/2016 7:40 pm EST

The CRTC has approved a video-on-demand licence application by Gold Line Telemanagement Inc., a Markham, Ont.-based company that offers over-the-top (OTT) subscriptions to international TV and radio services. The commission...

CBC wants in on news fund despite $150M funding increase

Media | 01/29/2016 8:29 pm EST

CBC/Radio-Canada told the CRTC Friday that if it sets up a fund for local news, the public broadcaster should be able to participate, despite the Liberal government’s promise to increase its...

Videotron says original show breaks Illico viewing record

Media | 01/28/2016 8:54 pm EST

Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron said Thursday that its over-the-top (OTT) service Club Illico’s original series Blue Moon reached 100,000 views in less than 48 hours within its launch....

Rogers Q4 revenues up on wireless

Media | 01/27/2016 10:45 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc. said in its quarterly results that its revenues saw three per cent growth in the three months ended Dec. 31, from $3.36 billion a year earlier to $3.45 billion. Rogers said that increase was due to...

CRTC news fund proposal would ‘gut’ community TV: Cogeco

Media | 01/27/2016 10:14 pm EST

Cogeco Communications Inc. told a CRTC hearing Wednesday that a plan the commission proposed to create a new fund for local TV news programming, to be funded by existing financial resources within the...

Privacy commish launches online tool for parents

telecom | 01/27/2016 5:51 pm EST

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada said Wednesday it has launched an interactive online tool aimed at helping parents manage online risks facing their children, to coincide with Data Privacy Day, which takes place...

CRTC sets Feb. 25 deadline for comments on radio licence renewals

telecom | 01/26/2016 8:52 pm EST

The CRTC said Tuesday it has set a deadline of Feb. 25 to submit comments on applications to renew radio licences that will expire this year.  The CRTC announced new procedures in the radio...

BlackBerry launches new mobile security software

Media | 01/26/2016 5:53 pm EST

BlackBerry Ltd. announced Tuesday the release of a new suite of mobile security software for businesses. It said in a press release that the new software, called Good Secure EMM Suites, is "a comprehensive set of mobile...

Bell, Channel Zero tell CRTC local TV needs help

Media | 01/26/2016 12:57 am EST

GATINEAU — The first day of the CRTC’s hearing on local and community television painted a picture of traditional TV in flux, as operators of conventional stations said declining ad revenue is making local TV unsustainable, while Vice Media LLC said it’s moving into traditional TV in order to capture a wider range of advertisers. Channel Zero Inc., which recently restructured operations at its Hamilton local TV station and cut local news programming from 80 hours a week to 17.5, told the CRTC Monday that the commission should rebalance funding for local TV programming,...

Parliament should uphold court decision on warrantless access: Therrien

Media | 01/25/2016 10:12 pm EST

The privacy commissioner of Canada is asking Parliament to confirm the principles behind a Supreme Court decision that requires law enforcement to obtain a warrant in order to obtain customers’ personal information from Internet service providers (ISPs).  In an opinion article in the Toronto Star Monday,...

Rogers Media cutting 200 jobs

Media | 01/25/2016 6:08 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc.’s media division said Monday it is cutting about 200 jobs, primarily in "conventional TV, radio, publishing, and back-office positions."  In an emailed statement, Andrea Goldstein,...

CACTUS complaints result in 4 CRTC proceedings

Media | 01/25/2016 4:45 pm EST

The CRTC has grouped 61 complaints by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) into four Part 1 proceedings, giving Shaw Communications Inc., Cogeco Cable Inc., Rogers...

4K’s appeal extends beyond sports, say experts

Media | 01/22/2016 9:22 pm EST

While Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. are getting the ball rolling on 4K broadcasting in Canada with a heavy emphasis on sports, others feel food, nature, music videos and outdoor adventure programming are also the kinds of content that would work well in ultra-high definition. Chris Knight, CEO at Ottawa-based Gusto TV, said in a phone...

ADR assured Videotron must keep it until dispute resolved

Media | 01/22/2016 5:28 pm EST

The CRTC has told officials representing ADR.TV and Quebecor Inc.'s Videotron that the latter must maintain distribution of the former as the CRTC sorts through a dispute between the two parties. The letter from the CRTC, dated Jan. 20, was made in response to an application from the public safety TV channel ADR (Avis de recherche) that sought to have the CRTC force Videotron to honour a standstill order, with ADR saying Videotron has been arguing to have the standstill agreement revoked. Julia Bresee, a senior analyst at the CRTC specializing in dispute resolution, said in the letter...

Service restored to NetTalk customers through Primus

Media | 01/21/2016 8:52 pm EST

NetTalk.com Inc. announced Wednesday evening that its VoIP service has been restored to all its customers in Canada. The Florida-based company said in a Facebook post that all Canadian telephone numbers and services are...

CRTC opens consultation on Shaw-Corus deal

Media | 01/21/2016 8:12 pm EST

The CRTC on Thursday acknowledged receipt of an application from Shaw Communications Inc. to sell its media division to Corus Entertainment Inc., and said interested parties have until Feb. 15 to file submissions on the matter....

Dependence on landline-phone services put Primus in creditor protection: CEO

telecom | 01/21/2016 4:02 pm EST

Too much reliance on landline-phone-service revenue, combined with a heavy debt load, has resulted in Primus Telecommunications Canada Inc. being placed in creditor protection and awaiting court...

Court hears mobile-TV case

Media | 01/20/2016 8:27 pm EST

BCE Inc.'s appeal against a CRTC decision banning the provision of mobile-TV services that are not subject to regular data charges was heard by the Federal Court of Appeal in Toronto on Tuesday, and the court is expected to render a decision some time in the coming months. Almost a year ago,...

SaskTel won’t include U.S. 4+1 in skinny basic

Media | 01/20/2016 8:17 pm EST

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said Wednesday it will not include the major U.S. conventional TV networks in its skinny-basic television package, which becomes mandatory in March. The CRTC ruled last year that TV-service providers would, as of March this year, have to offer customers a basic package at no more than $25 a month. It said...

CRTC to host information session on rate setting

Media | 01/20/2016 5:29 pm EST

The CRTC announced Wednesday it will host two one-day information sessions on costing principles and concepts for telecom services. “As more and more companies are filing cost studies in support of their proposed rates, the...

Gusto TV sells show to South Korean 4K channel

Media | 01/20/2016 4:36 pm EST

Canada's Gusto TV on Tuesday announced that has sold one of its original shows to a South Korean 4K channel. It said in a press release that 30 episodes of A is for Apple — a cooking-challenge program — had been...

CIRA adds $1M to community investment program

Media | 01/20/2016 3:51 pm EST

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) said Wednesday that it has committed another $1 million to its community investment program, which helps fund projects that improve Internet access and knowledge about digital...

CRTC working to resolve Iristel, NetTalk connection issue

Media | 01/20/2016 3:29 pm EST

Iristel Inc., a Markham, Ont.- based telecom company, announced Tuesday it is working with the CRTC to resolve an ongoing dispute with Florida-based VoIP provider NetTalk.com Inc., in order to reinstate connections to customers who have been disconnected from their VoIP service. Due to unpaid bills for services rendered for two years by Iristel to NetTalk totalling to $2 million, service to connect nearly 75,000 Canadian NetTalk customers was shut off on Jan. 15, according to notice posted Monday on Iristel’s website.  NetTalk had received a notice from counsel representing...

Corus seeks cash for Shaw Media purchase

Media | 01/19/2016 9:33 pm EST

Corus Entertainment Inc. said Tuesday it intends to offer a round of "subscription receipts" as a way to raise money to partially fund its recently announced purchase of Shaw Communications Inc.'s media division....

Verizon allows companies to cover data costs for consumer access

Media | 01/19/2016 7:44 pm EST

Verizon Communication Inc. announced Tuesday it is introducing a new sponsored data service, called FreeBee Data, to help businesses drive better consumer engagement without cutting into...

TeraXion sells division to Ciena

telecom | 01/19/2016 6:49 pm EST

Quebec City's TeraXion said Tuesday that it has sold its high-speed photonics components division to networking technology company Ciena Corp. TeraXion said in a press release the assets and related intellectual property of...

Mobile prices on the rise

telecom | 01/19/2016 3:55 pm EST

All major mobile carriers in Canada are raising their prices, according to analysts. Drew McReynolds, an analyst with RBC Dominion Security, detailed in a research note last week how BCE Inc. had recently raised its prices on share plans for premium smartphones by $5 to $65 a month, its plans for...

Rogers, Bell step up activity in 4K

Media | 01/18/2016 11:22 pm EST

TORONTO — Rogers Communications Inc. on Monday told a group of about 15 invited journalists that it sees a bright future in 4K television, while BCE Inc. announced that it was making a 4K set-top box available to customers of its Fibe TV service. Rogers, last week, began its involvement of 4K broadcasting with an NBA basketball game between the Toronto Raptors and the Orlando Magic, which it said was the first NBA game ever broadcast in 4K. Next up is a 4K broadcast of the Toronto Maple Leafs versus the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, which Rogers said will be the first NHL game ever shown in this picture quality. “We are absolutely convinced that 4K is the next big thing in video and television, and that’s why we are making this investment for 4K,” Dirk...

Telecoms to feel economic headwinds: analyst

Media | 01/18/2016 7:33 pm EST

Barclays Capital analyst Phillip Huang said Monday that providers of telecommunications services in Canada will feel the effects of the struggling economy. He said in a research note that most of repercussions from things such as...

Bell denied requests to switch Category A channels to B

Media | 01/18/2016 5:33 pm EST

The CRTC has denied BCE Inc. applications to have eight Category A channels changed to Category B channels, which would have reduced the requirements for Canadian content on these channels. The...

SOCAN says revenue collection surpassed $300M last year

Media | 01/18/2016 5:25 pm EST

The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) said Monday that the amount of revenue it collected last year surpassed $300 million for the first time ever. It said in a...

Ontario library wins award for hotspot-device lending service

Media | 01/15/2016 4:43 pm EST

The Kitchener, Ont., public library’s hotspot-device lending service has led it to win the Ontario Library Information Technology Association Project award from the Ontario Library Association....

CraveTV now available without strings for $8

telecom | 01/14/2016 9:28 pm EST

BCE Inc. said Thursday that its CraveTV streaming service is now available online to Canadians without TV subscriptions, but they will pay about twice what subscribers to Bell TV and other TV services have been putting out for...

Netflix says VPNs, proxies will no longer work

Media | 01/14/2016 8:13 pm EST

Netflix Inc. said Thursday that it will soon be employing technology that stops users from bypassing conditions that restrict some content from being seen in certain locations. David Fullagar, its vice-president of...

CRTC asks public for input on basic telecom services

telecom | 01/14/2016 5:46 pm EST

The CRTC is asking Canadians what telecom services they need, as part of the second phase of its proceeding on basic telecom services. The CRTC said in a press release it wants to know what telecom services Canadians consider...

Ont. court issues guidelines for ‘tower dump’ orders

telecom | 01/14/2016 5:40 pm EST

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Thursday issued a number of guidelines for police to follow when asking mobile service providers to provide information based on cell-tower activity to assist with investigations. The judgment applies to "tower dump" orders, in which police request records about activity...

Traditional TV still important for baby boomers: MTM

Media | 01/13/2016 9:54 pm EST

According to a new report on media technology adoption of baby boomers released Wednesday by the Media Technology Monitor, a project of CBC/Radio Canada, 89 per cent of baby boomer anglophones aged 50 to 69 have a paid TV service subscription, compared to 73 per cent of younger adults aged 18 to 49, and 93 per cent of seniors aged 70 and above. MTM said in the report that boomers spend an average of 16.6 hours a week watching traditional TV, compared to 9.4 hours by younger adults and 22.1 hours for seniors. It added that only 31 per cent of boomers have a Netflix Inc. subscription,...