TAGGED AS TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Wholesale wireline decision coming Wednesday

telecom | 07/20/2015 6:58 pm EDT

The CRTC will issue its decision on wireline wholesale services on Wednesday, the CRTC announced Monday. It will hold a lock-up session for the media at 2 p.m. and the decision will be released at 4 p.m., it said in a press release. A hearing held last fall touched on a number of issues, including mandating wholesale access to fibre-to-the-home connections and wholesale rates....

Internet

PayPal, Ebay split completed

Media | 07/20/2015 6:08 pm EDT

PayPal Holdings Inc. announced Monday in a press release its separation from Ebay Inc. is complete and it will now be an independently traded company on the Nasdaq. “Mobile technology is transforming payments, making it easier, safer and more affordable for people to move and manage their money than ever before,” Dan Schulman, PayPal CEO, said in the release. “As an independent company, we see a tremendous opportunity for PayPal to expand our role as a champion for consumers and partner to merchants, and to help shape the industry as money becomes digital at an increasingly rapid pace.” The company noted in the release that it processed $46 billion in mobile payments last year and that it serves more than 169 million customers in 203 markets. The announcement of the two companies splitting came last year. The...

Smartphones

CRTC to review rules for French-language music content

Media | 07/20/2015 3:52 pm EDT

The CRTC announced Monday it plans to review rules for French-language vocal music on the radio. It said in a release that it would re-examine the current framework in order “to ensure that it...

CRTC Music streaming Radio

Credential sharing could help, or harm, OTT services

Media | 07/17/2015 7:47 pm EDT

The practice of sharing passwords so that more than one person or household can access a streaming service has financial ramifications for the industry, according to a new report, though it could also provide new services with a...

Internet Netflix Ott

T-Mobile pays $17.5M US for 911 outages

telecom | 07/17/2015 6:25 pm EDT

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said Friday that it has reached a settlement with T-Mobile U.S. Inc. that will see the carrier paying $17.5 million US for a pair of 911 outages last year. The FCC said in a press...

Fcc Wireless

Switch to IPv6 on as old IP addresses run out

telecom | 07/16/2015 8:00 pm EDT

The Internet has run out of new IP addresses based on the most commonly-used format, and one Canadian expert says service providers in the country are being too slow in making the switch to the newer protocol. Jacques Latour,...

Apps Internet Iot

Bell denied appeal in northern 911 case

telecom | 07/16/2015 6:03 pm EDT

BCE Inc. has been denied by the Supreme Court of Canada the right to appeal a 2013 decision by a trial court that found the company had unjustly enriched itself by billing mobile customers in the Northwest Territories for 911 services they did not receive. A decision issued Thursday noted that 911 service is not available in most of the N.W.T., Yukon and Nunavut. It said that a 911 call in these areas might be answered by a recorded message. Yet, it said Bell Mobility had been charging customers 75 cents a month for 911 service, which resulted in a class-action suit. The Supreme Court...

Wireless

Telus launches $7-a-day U.S. roaming

telecom | 07/16/2015 5:59 pm EDT

Telus Corp. on Thursday announced a $7-a-day option for U.S. roaming. It said in a press release that the service is called US Easy Roam, and that customers opting for this option will be able to enjoy their regular allotments...

Data charges Internet Roaming

Shaw announces new data centre for Calgary

telecom | 07/16/2015 3:22 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc. on Thursday announced that it will have a new "state-of-the-art" data centre in Calgary that will begin operations this fall. It said in a press release the 40,000-square-foot facility will...

Data centres Internet Shaw

Big telecoms urge market approach for CRTC in basic-service review

telecom | 07/15/2015 9:29 pm EDT

Canada’s largest Internet service providers told the CRTC it’s not necessary to implement a subsidy system for broadband Internet service, while advocacy groups argued that relying on...

CRTC Internet

Government plans Spectrum Analytics Centre

telecom | 07/15/2015 6:57 pm EDT

The federal government is planning to create a Spectrum Analytics Centre by 2017, according to a new document on Industry Canada's website. The online document, titled Digital Canada 150 2.0, is intended to be an update of...

Internet Spectrum

White House announces program to bring broadband to poor

telecom | 07/15/2015 5:05 pm EDT

The office of U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced a program to bring broadband Internet to 275,000 low-income households across the country, in partnership with local governments and...

Fibre optics Internet

Distributel expands Internet services in Quebec

telecom | 07/15/2015 3:33 pm EDT

Distributel Communications Ltd. is expanding its high-speed cable Internet services to 29 more markets throughout Quebec. Some of new communities covered include Asbestos, Baie Comeau, Chelsea, Drummondville, Trois...

Cable Internet Television

Cogeco Cable earnings boosted by U.S. operations

telecom | 07/15/2015 3:04 pm EDT

Cogeco Cable Inc. reported higher third-quarter earnings on Tuesday, attributing gains largely to its U.S. operations, which benefited from favourable terms when translating U.S. dollars to Canadian. The company said in a press...

Cable Cogeco Internet

Morgan Elliott takes reins of Shaw’s regulatory ops

Media | 07/15/2015 2:48 pm EDT

Morgan Elliott has taken on the job of vice-president of regulatory and government relations at Shaw Communications Inc., according to his LinkedIn profile. The profile indicates Elliott started the job in June. It also indicates that during the same month he left his job as vice-president of government relations at...

Telus sells Blacks website

Media | 07/14/2015 9:04 pm EDT

Telus Corp. said Tuesday that it has reached an agreement to sell the website of the Blacks photography retail operation to Montreal-based photo finishing company Les Pros de la Photo. It said in an emailed statement the sale will close on Aug. 4, at which time the purchasing company will do business as Blacks.ca. "The timing of this sale ensures our customers will be able to continue using the site and app without interruption to order the same quality products they’ve come to expect from Blacks," Telus said. A "small number" of Blacks employees will be offered jobs under the new owner, Telus said. Last month, Telus announced it was closing all Blacks retail outlets. Blacks has operated for more than 80 years. It was purchased by Telus in 2009 for $28 million shortly after BCE Inc. acquired The Source....

Internet Iptv Landline phones

Wearable tech could eliminate need for smartphones: exec

Media | 07/14/2015 8:11 pm EDT

Wearable devices could replace everything in our pockets, eventually wiping out smartphones in five to 10 years, says one wearable-technology company CEO. However, others say functionality, design and...

Apps Internet Smartphones

Bell’s CraveTV to go pure OTT

Media | 07/13/2015 10:28 pm EDT

BCE Inc. will make its CraveTV streaming service available to all Canadians as of Jan 1., 2016, it said in a press release Monday, in what marks a change in strategy for the company. Bell Media president Mary Ann Turcke said...

Bell CRTC Internet

No-link rule removed from Pan Am website

Media | 07/13/2015 8:23 pm EDT

The website for the Pan Am Games, underway in Toronto, has had a rule indicating a ban on unauthorized links removed. On Friday, the following quote appeared on the terms-of-use section for the website Toronto2015.org:...

Internet

Rules set for next spectrum auction, applications due Aug. 6

telecom | 07/13/2015 7:53 pm EDT

Industry Canada's finalized rules for the next wireless spectrum auction have been published, as four unclaimed licences left over from last year's 700 MHz auction and this year's AWS-3...

700 mhz Aws-3 Bell

Comcast to launch video-streaming service

telecom | 07/13/2015 7:19 pm EDT

Comcast Corp. is launching an Internet-based video streaming service to be available to subscribers of its Xfinity Internet service. The company said in a blog post Sunday that the service, called Stream, will allow customers to “watch live TV from about a dozen networks — including all the major broadcast nets and HBO — on laptops, tablets and phones in their home.” It added the service also includes on-demand programming, as well as TV-everywhere access and a cloud-based PVR. Stream will cost $15 US a month and launch in Boston later this summer, followed by...

Internet Ott Television

Carl Wiese to head BlackBerry’s global sales

telecom | 07/13/2015 2:07 pm EDT

BlackBerry Ltd. said Monday that Carl Wiese has been hired as its president of global sales, replacing John Sims who has left the company. The company said in a press release that Wiese comes from spending more than a decade in senior roles at Cisco Systems Inc., most recently as senior vice-president in charge of global sales and getting products to...

Wind expands signal in Toronto subway stations

telecom | 07/13/2015 2:00 pm EDT

Wind Mobile said Monday it has expanded its coverage in stations that are part of Toronto's subway system. The wireless carrier said in a press release it now has the entire downtown loop of Line 1 covered and has added...

Wind mobile Wireless

Digital activists push for free wireless Internet for all

telecom | 07/10/2015 6:50 pm EDT

A movement is underway to make wireless Internet access ubiquitous and free in most urban environments, with people's home routers as the source of these public connections. The people behind...

Data charges Internet Smartphones

CRTC wants details on Shomi availability to BDUs, ISPs

telecom | 07/10/2015 4:09 pm EDT

The CRTC is asking Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. for detailed information about how and when they made their streaming service available to other broadcast distributors and...

CRTC Ott Television

Wireless price hikes affecting other telecom spending: report

Media | 07/09/2015 8:55 pm EDT

“Sharp” price hikes in wireless service over the past year are prompting people to reduce how much they spend on other telecommunications services, according to a Conference Board of...

Cable Data charges Internet

CRTC consulting on some Talk TV decisions

Media | 07/09/2015 8:43 pm EDT

The CRTC has opened a consultation on a number of decisions it made as part of its Let's Talk TV review of television services ahead of making official changes to its broadcasting regulations to include them. It is consulting...

CRTC Pick-and-pay Television

CMF provides $14.1M for digital media projects

telecom | 07/09/2015 8:00 pm EDT

Canada Media Fund (CMF) announced Thursday it will provide $14.1 million in funding for 22 digital media projects. CMF said in the press release that the funding was “part of the first round of production support from the 2015-2016 Experimental Stream,” which helps creators develop new content for digital media and software applications....

EU votes down ‘link tax’

telecom | 07/09/2015 5:50 pm EDT

Canadian-based activist group OpenMedia on Thursday congratulated the European Parliament for voting against a proposal that fees be paid by Internet search engines that use text excerpts that promote links to news articles from outlets across the European Union. OpenMedia said in a press release that this proposed "link tax" was part of a...

T-Mobile to provide free roaming in Canada, Mexico

telecom | 07/09/2015 3:33 pm EDT

T-Mobile U.S. Inc. announced Thursday a "Mobile without Borders" upgrade that will remove roaming charges for U.S. customers when using wireless service from Canada or Mexico, and also for customers making calls to these countries. The company announced in a news release that this upgrade will be available July 15. The company said upgrades will be made automatically for no additional cost to all new customers of its Simple Choice plans, which starts at $60 US a month for unlimited calling, texting and non-LTE data, and with 3 GB of LTE data. Existing customers can opt-in, T-Mobile...

Data charges Internet Roaming

Openface to be main WiFi provider in Montreal project

telecom | 07/09/2015 1:44 pm EDT

Openface Internet announced Thursday it will provide the main bandwidth to power a public WiFi project in Montreal. The company, based in Montreal, said in a press release it will provide a 20 Gbps Internet connection, following...

Internet Wifi Wireless

Shoan, government reach deal on confidentiality

Media | 07/08/2015 8:39 pm EDT

CRTC commissioner Raj Shoan and the government, who are battling in court over a finding that he committed workplace harassment, have reached an agreement on keeping the identities of individuals involved in this case private. A...

CRTC Privacy

Industry Canada funds Internet service boost in B.C.

telecom | 07/08/2015 8:22 pm EDT

Industry Canada announced Wednesday it is providing $3.34 million as part of a process to expand and improve Internet services to 11,000 homes in British Columbia. It said in a press release that Columbia Basin Trust would...

Internet

Radio ratings’ accuracy questioned

Media | 07/08/2015 6:58 pm EDT

A new piece of technology is causing controversy within Canada’s oldest broadcast medium. Over the past months, some radio stations in Canada have quietly begun using a device called Voltair in an attempt to improve their ratings — at least until ratings service Numeris stepped in and told them to stop a few weeks ago. Now Numeris says...

Microsoft restructuring phone business, cuts jobs

Media | 07/08/2015 4:37 pm EDT

Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday it is cutting as many as 7,800 positions primarily as a result of restructuring its phone hardware business. The company said in a press release that this will result in a write-down of about $7.6 billion US on assets gained through the acquisition of Nokia Corp.'s devices and services business last year. It said it faced an additional $750 million to $850 million in restructuring costs. “We are moving from a strategy to grow a stand-alone phone business to a strategy to grow and create a vibrant Windows ecosystem including our first-party...

Apps Microsoft Smartphones

CRTC can’t apply 2 different acts in mobile-TV decision: Bell

Media | 07/07/2015 5:53 pm EDT

The CRTC erred in finding that BCE Inc. gave itself an undue preference with the pricing of its mobile TV product because the Telecommunications Act does not apply to this case, Bell argued in a court document Monday. Bell said the CRTC committed a jurisdictional error in its decision earlier this year, in which it...

Industry Canada announces $41M for small-town Internet projects

telecom | 07/07/2015 4:17 pm EDT

Industry Canada said Tuesday it will spend $35 million to improve or expand Internet service for 8,400 homes in Nunavut, and in a separate announcement said $6 million would go toward doing the same...

Internet Wireless

Bell overcharging departing customers, says Quebecor

telecom | 07/07/2015 4:04 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc. has filed an application asking the CRTC to force BCE Inc. to stop charging customers after the date they cancel telecommunications services. An application from Quebecor appearing on the CRTC website Monday said...

Bell CRTC Internet

TV tangible-benefits spending up 27% last year: report

Media | 07/07/2015 2:32 pm EDT

Companies spent $138.7 million on TV-related tangible benefits in Canada in the 12 months ended Aug. 31 last year, marking a 27 per cent increase from a year earlier, according to TV-industry research...

Cable CRTC Iptv

Messaging traffic to grow 70% in next 4 years

Media | 07/07/2015 2:24 pm EDT

The volume of online and mobile messaging will increase 70 per cent over the next four years, Juniper Research Ltd. said Tuesday. The research group said the number of emails, instant messages, social media posts, and text...

Apps Smartphones Wireless

U.S. kids prefer video content on mobile devices: survey

Media | 07/06/2015 8:18 pm EDT

A new study conducted by Miner & Co. Studio. suggests watching regular cable TV is declining among kids in the United States, who would prefer to watch their favourite shows on a smartphone or...

Cable Internet Smartphones

Government provides $2M to upgrade Internet in Quebec

telecom | 07/06/2015 5:26 pm EDT

Industry Canada said Monday that it is providing $2 million to bring faster Internet service to residents in the Quebec region of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean. It said in a press release it would provide $2 million to two Internet...

Internet

International Datacasting names co-CEOs

Media | 07/06/2015 4:23 pm EDT

International Datacasting Corp., the Ottawa-based maker of broadcasting technology, said Monday that Chris Barrett and Steeve Huin have been appointed co-CEOs of the company. Barrett and Huin replace Doug Lowther, who will be...

Internet Radio Television

Ontario farmers want better Internet access, says group

telecom | 07/06/2015 3:22 pm EDT

Most Ontario farmers have issues with the quality of their Internet connections and more than 90 per cent feel the Internet is important to their livelihoods, according to a provincial farming advocate. Brent Royce, a board member for the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, said in an article on the group's website, dated July 3, that the organization did a recent survey that found two out of three farmers have unreliable Internet connections. The survey also found that 94 per cent "believed access to the Internet is important to their farm operations, and the majority of those...

CRTC Internet

Broadcaster challenges 2-year-old CRTC decision in court

Media | 07/03/2015 7:27 pm EDT

ADR.TV said Friday that it has applied to Federal Court for a judicial review of the CRTC's decision in August 2013 not to grant it mandatory carriage on basic TV packages in Quebec past Aug. 31...

Cable CRTC Iptv

Government files to censor details in Shoan case

Media | 07/03/2015 5:06 pm EDT

The federal government has filed a notice of motion in Federal Court to keep certain details under wraps in the judicial review CRTC Commissioner Raj Shoan is seeking of a process that found he committed workplace harassment. A...

CRTC Privacy

CRTC postpones deadline for wholesale-Internet tariff process

telecom | 07/03/2015 4:09 pm EDT

The CRTC said Friday it has moved the deadline for comments in its review of wholesale high-speed Internet tariffs by two weeks. It announced in May it would review the application process and...

Bell CRTC Internet

Rogers buyout of Mobilicity closes

Media | 07/02/2015 10:43 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. said in a press release late Thursday afternoon that its acquisitions of Mobilicity and wireless spectrum from Shaw Communications Inc. have received all necessary approvals and are now closed. Both...

Mobilicity Rogers Shaw

Netflix hires another lobbyist for Canada

Media | 07/02/2015 7:07 pm EDT

Netflix Inc. has hired Environics Communications Inc. to lobby the Canadian government on its behalf, The Lobby Monitor reported this week. It has three new filings under Environics, represented by three different Ottawa-based consultants: Louis-Charles Roy, Alex Bushell and Greg MacEachern. All three filings are registered to address the topics of broadcasting and telecommunications, and Roy also has the topic of consumer issues in his registration. Netflix's new filings with Environics state that there "are no proposals for legislative change at this time.” Netflix has...

Internet Netflix Ott

Telus makes NFB content available through Optik

Media | 07/02/2015 4:51 pm EDT

Telus Corp.’s Optik TV customers will now have access more than 1,000 National Film Board of Canada (NFB) films on their TV via a new app. Telus announced Thursday in a press release that the NFB app is now available to...

Apps Iptv Smartphones

Government repeals wireless roaming caps

telecom | 07/02/2015 3:00 pm EDT

The federal government has complied with a CRTC request by repealing caps imposed last year on how much wireless carriers can charge each other for domestic roaming. A notice in the Canada Gazette said that subsections 239(2) and...

CRTC Roaming Wireless

‘Arbitrary’ limits in Industry Canada transparency guidelines: critics

telecom | 06/30/2015 8:49 pm EDT

Industry Canada’s new guidelines for transparency reports released by telecom companies put unnecessary limits on how information should be reported, according to two academics with expertise in...

Internet Landline phones Privacy

CMF to go on cross-country consultation

Media | 06/30/2015 6:33 pm EDT

The Canadian Media Fund (CMF) said Tuesday it will be going across the country for a consultation process this fall. It said in a press release that the consultation process will include several components, including focus groups...

CRTC Pick-and-pay Radio

CRTC revises third-party phone billing practices

telecom | 06/30/2015 4:32 pm EDT

The CRTC on Tuesday issued several changes to standards around billing that takes place on behalf of third parties by incumbent landline phone service providers. Phone companies are mandated to provide billing services primarily...

CRTC Landline phones

Cisco to buy cloud security company OpenDNS

Media | 06/30/2015 2:22 pm EDT

Cisco Systems Inc. announced Tuesday it is planning to acquire OpenDNS, a security systems company with offices in San Francisco and Vancouver. Cisco said in a press release that it will buy the company for $635 million US...

Apps Data centres Internet

Kelvin Shepherd stepping down from MTS

telecom | 06/29/2015 8:59 pm EDT

Kelvin Shepherd is retiring as president of Manitoba Telecom Service Inc., paving the way for Jay Forbes to take on the roles of both chief executive and president, the company said Monday. Forbes became CEO at the start of this...

Internet Iptv Landline phones

Telecom leaders sell IoT services to increasingly savvy market

telecom | 06/29/2015 8:14 pm EDT

Over the past year, there has been a key change in the Internet of Things (IoT) market, as customers have become more aware of the technology and what it can do for them, according to officials from...

Apps Internet Iot

Telcos losing advantage over cablecos in TV: analyst

telecom | 06/29/2015 2:50 pm EDT

Cable companies are “poised to level the playing field” against telephone incumbents in the area of TV service as they launch more advanced technological services of their own, Barclays Capital analyst Phillip Huang said Monday. Huang wrote in a research note that in recent years, telcos have “differentiated with their advantage" in IPTV services, "which were successfully marketed to consumers as the sexier next-gen TV vs. legacy cable service.” Rogers Communications Inc. said recently it would launch its IPTV service at about the same time it starts...

Cable Internet Iptv

Hexoskin shirts available through Best Buy

Media | 06/26/2015 8:20 pm EDT

Hexoskin, a Montreal-based maker of shirts that capture biometric information about people, said this week that its products were to become available on the Canadian website of Best Buy Co. Inc. as of Friday. The company said in...

Apps Internet Smartphones

Johanne Bélisle appointed CEO of CIPO

telecom | 06/26/2015 5:58 pm EDT

Industry Minister James Moore announced Friday the appointment of Johanne Bélisle as the next CEO of the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO). Bélisle has been the assistant deputy minister for various...

Free WiFi launched in Old Montreal

Media | 06/26/2015 2:52 pm EDT

The City of Montreal has started deploying free WiFi in parts of Montreal, according to a notice on its website. It said the service launched in Old Montreal and some surrounding areas on Thursday after getting funding from the...

Internet Wifi Wireless

Bell says its gigabit service marks ‘major shift’ in telecom

telecom | 06/25/2015 9:14 pm EDT

BCE Inc. is leveraging its fibre-to-the-home network to launch a new gigabit Internet service, making it the first large telecommunications company in Canada to offer such connections. It will launch first in Toronto, where 50,000 homes and businesses will have “first access” to the Gigabit Fibe service this...

TV-Internet connections rising: MTM

Media | 06/25/2015 8:10 pm EDT

New data from Media Technology Monitor (MTM) indicates growth in connections between television sets and the Internet. MTM, a project of CBC/Radio-Canada, said in a report released Thursday that 42 per cent of anglophone Canadians polled this spring reported accessing the Internet with a TV. That was up from 38 per cent last fall and 33 per cent the previous spring. It said 36 per cent reported owning a smart TV, which can connect the Internet without external components. That was up from 30 per cent last fall and 29 per cent last spring. By comparison, two per cent reported having a TV with...

4k tv Internet Netflix

Smaller wireless carriers cry foul on interim-tariff filings

telecom | 06/25/2015 7:24 pm EDT

Wind Mobile, Quebecor Inc. and Eastlink are asking the CRTC to require incumbent wireless carriers to re-file documents relating to interim tariffs and conditions for domestic roaming access. As part...

CRTC Data charges Roaming

Feds fund fibre Internet expansions in Ontario

telecom | 06/25/2015 5:45 pm EDT

Industry Canada on Thursday announced that it will provide funding to bring fibre-based Internet services to more than 800 homes in and around Durham, Ont., and 2,500 homes in the area of Kenora, Ont. A press release said about...

Internet Wireless

New OTT options tempting TV consumers: study

Media | 06/25/2015 4:18 pm EDT

A new study from Digitalsmiths, a subsidiary of TiVo Inc., shows almost 60 per cent of TV-service customers in Canada and the U.S. are spending more than $100 US a month for their subscriptions, and about one in four are...

Cable Internet Ott

CRTC revokes licences for 5 aboriginal radio stations

Media | 06/25/2015 3:59 pm EDT

The CRTC said it was yanking the broadcast licences of five aboriginal radio stations, all operated by a company called Aboriginal Voices Radio Inc., for years of non-compliance with licence conditions and radio regulations. The...

CRTC Radio

Shaw writes off $55M on abandoned IPTV project

Media | 06/25/2015 3:04 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc. on Thursday reported a decline in its quarterly income with much of the drop attributed to a $55-million write-down taken on an abandoned IPTV project. Shaw said in a press release that it started work in...

Cable Internet Iptv

Weather Network app launched for Apple Watch

Media | 06/25/2015 2:03 pm EDT

Pelmorex Media Inc. announced Thursday the launch of a new Weather Network app for Apple Inc.’s Apple Watch. “The Apple Watch is one of the must-have tech accessories this year and as Canada’s leading weather...

Apps Internet Television

Wearables will increasingly use AI, say techies

Media | 06/24/2015 7:25 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Those in the wearables industry envision the day when their products are taking less direction from humans and doing more thinking for themselves — in other words, incorporating more artificial intelligence...

Internet Iot Wearables

Fibre Internet customers more satisfied, says market study

Media | 06/24/2015 7:22 pm EDT

The proportion of Canadians connected to the Internet by fibre is rising and these people are more satisfied with their Internet service than others, according to market research data released...

Cable Fibre optics Internet

SaskTel announces M2M management portal

telecom | 06/24/2015 4:21 pm EDT

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said Wednesday it has launched a machine-to-machine (M2M) management centre, which is an online portal for its business customers to control and monitor devices linked to an M2M connection. SaskTel said the portal will allow customers to gain analytical information about their connected devices. "As more devices become digitized, including meters, sensors, modems, GPS receivers, cars and household appliances, the ability to track, manage and make sense of the data they output is a real concern for business owners," SaskTel said in a...

Apps Internet Iot

Rogers-Mobilicity deal sign of ‘benign’ regulatory environment: analyst

telecom | 06/24/2015 11:47 am EDT

Industry Canada’s approval of Rogers Communications Inc.’s bid to buy Mobilicity, as well a deal for Rogers to acquire spectrum from Shaw Communications Inc., signals an improvement in the...

CRTC Internet Spectrum

MTS launches single Internet service for home and on the go

telecom | 06/23/2015 9:02 pm EDT

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. launched a new plan Tuesday that integrates home Internet and wireless data service in one package, which analysts agreed is an indication of the ongoing trend toward...

Internet Wireless

Verizon completes purchase of AOL

Media | 06/23/2015 6:31 pm EDT

Verizon Communications Inc. announced Tuesday that it has completed its acquisition of AOL Inc. The press release stated that “AOL is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Verizon." Verizon had announced in May that AOL...

Internet Ott Television

BlackBerry revenue falls to $658M US

telecom | 06/23/2015 2:40 pm EDT

BlackBerry Inc. reported revenue of $658 million US for its first fiscal quarter ended May 30, down from $966 million US a year earlier. The company said in a press release that hardware accounted for 40 per cent of that revenue,...

Blackberry Smartphones

Is government easing off on spectrum-transfer policy?

telecom | 06/22/2015 8:59 pm EDT

Speculation that the federal government is poised to approve the acquisition of Mobilicity and its spectrum by Telus Corp. or Rogers Communications Inc. has some observers disagreeing whether this would represent a major departure for the federal government in its spectrum-transfer policy. Recent reports in the Globe and Mail indicated that both companies have submitted proposals to purchase Mobilicity. An article published Friday quoted letters from Industry Canada that were addressed to Telus and Rogers, indicating that both proposals are so far seen in a positive light by the government....

Cable Internet Radio

Set-asides, caps at issue in upcoming auction of unsold spectrum

telecom | 06/22/2015 8:41 pm EDT

Large wireless carriers are arguing for the elimination of set-asides and spectrum caps in the upcoming auction of unsold AWS-3 and 700 MHz spectrum, while smaller competitors say those measures...

700 mhz Aws-3 Spectrum

BAE Systems bringing cloud-based security system to Canada

telecom | 06/22/2015 8:05 pm EDT

BAE Systems PLC announced Monday that its cloud-based cyber security system will be brought to commercial organizations in Canada for the first time. The company said in a press release that new...

Internet Wireless

Commercial-radio revenue down 0.5%: CRTC

Media | 06/22/2015 4:56 pm EDT

The CRTC on Monday said commercial-radio revenue in Canada was down 0.5 per cent for the 12 months ended last August, describing the trend as “stable from the previous year in spite of competition from satellite, online and...

Cbc CRTC Radio

ITU defines roadmap to 5G

telecom | 06/22/2015 3:37 pm EDT

The United Nations’ International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the intergovernmental body that is responsible for establishing worldwide standards of communication systems, announced Friday it has defined a roadmap for 5G mobile network development. It said in a press release that it has...

5g Internet Iot

Telus to expand fibre network in Edmonton

telecom | 06/22/2015 1:59 pm EDT

Telus Corp. said Friday it will be expanding its fibre-optic network in Edmonton to connect directly to more than 90 per cent of homes and businesses in the city over the next six years. The company said in a press release that...

Fibre optics Internet

Carriers ordered to comply in Apple competition case

Media | 06/19/2015 6:29 pm EDT

The Federal Court has ordered wireless carriers to provide information being asked for by the Competition Bureau as it looks into whether Apple Inc. engaged in anticompetitive practices related to sales of its iPhone. BCE Inc.,...

Apple Smartphones Wireless

Industry Minister James Moore leaving Ottawa

Media | 06/19/2015 5:53 pm EDT

Industry Minister James Moore said Friday that he will not run in this fall's federal election. Moore said in a statement posted to his personal website that he will finish his term as MP before "going home to British...

CRTC Internet Spectrum

SaskTel boosts wireless network capacity in 10 communities

telecom | 06/19/2015 4:44 pm EDT

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said in a press release Friday it is expanding the capacity of its wireless network in 10 Saskatchewan rural communities. The company will boost the...

Wireless

Privacy issues around wearables come into view

Media | 06/19/2015 3:17 pm EDT

As wearable technology moves further into the mainstream, thoughts are turning toward how individual privacy can be protected with such devices that track and transmit information as personal as health data and real-time location. Among the projects the Office of the Privacy Commissioner is slated to tackle over the next year is an analysis of fitness-tracker privacy and security. This project “will examine the relationship between the data collection and transmission practices of fitness-tracking devices, the cloud services they integrate with and how third parties may obtain access...

Internet Iot Privacy

Intel buys Recon Instruments

Media | 06/18/2015 8:54 pm EDT

U.S. technology giant Intel Corp. has purchased Vancouver-based wearables maker Recon Instruments, the company said in a blog post Wednesday. Recon makes smart eyewear for sporting activities such as cycling and running. Recon...

Wearables

Bill S-4 passes in House of Commons

telecom | 06/18/2015 7:55 pm EDT

Bill S-4, the Digital Privacy Act, received royal assent and has become law, Industry Minister James Moore said in a press release Thrusday. The bill is an update to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents...

Internet Privacy

Canadian telecom prices remain high in international comparisons: report

telecom | 06/18/2015 7:32 pm EDT

Prices of low-end wireless plans have continued to climb for the second year in a row, while Canada’s rates for broadband, wireless and bundled telecom services remain high compared to other...

Cable Data charges Internet

CRTC officials battle over travel expenses: report

Media | 06/18/2015 1:57 pm EDT

The soured relations between CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais and Commissioner Raj Shoan extend beyond Shoan's court fight against worker-harassment findings and into arguments over travel expenses, according to a report. The...

CRTC

AT&T to be fined $100M US for throttling

telecom | 06/17/2015 8:09 pm EDT

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said Wednesday it would fine AT&T $100 million US for slowing down traffic for customers on wireless plans touted as being "unlimited." The FCC said in a press release that an investigation found AT&T "severely slowed data speeds" for these customers without adequate notification. It said AT&T started offering unlimited data plans for mobile service in 2007. It said that while it doesn't offer such plans anymore to new customers, existing customers are permitted to renew their unlimited plans....

Data charges Internet Smartphones

Wind offering cellular service in Toronto subway

telecom | 06/17/2015 4:30 pm EDT

Wind Mobile is the first wireless carrier to provide its customers with cellular service in the Toronto subway system, the company said in a press release Wednesday. Wind customers will have immediate “access to cellular...

Wind mobile Wireless

International Datacasting shareholders reject acquisition

Media | 06/16/2015 8:09 pm EDT

Shareholders of broadcasting-technology maker International Datacasting Corp. have rejected the proposed sale of its key assets to a San Diego-based company. International Datacasting,...

Radio Satellite tv Sports content

PIAC asks CRTC to expand boundaries for number portability

telecom | 06/16/2015 4:00 pm EDT

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) has filed an application with the CRTC asking that boundaries be expanded for which customers can transport their existing phone numbers. In an application...

CRTC Landline phones

Modernization Plan network improvements at risk: Northwestel

telecom | 06/16/2015 3:27 pm EDT

Northwestel Inc. is asking the CRTC to reconsider its move in March to eliminate a $20 surcharge the company charges some customers. The CRTC had ruled that Northwestel was no longer allowed to...

CRTC Internet

60% of mobile data on WiFi by 2019: Juniper Research

telecom | 06/16/2015 2:35 pm EDT

Almost 60 per cent of the data generated globally by smartphones and tablets will be offloaded to WiFi networks by 2019, Juniper Research Ltd. said Tuesday. Juniper said in a press release that more than 115,000 petabytes from...

Cable Internet Iptv

Competition Bureau seeks info on iPhone pricing from carriers

telecom | 06/15/2015 9:01 pm EDT

The Competition Bureau has filed applications in Federal Court seeking information from wireless carriers about how they set prices for Apple Inc.’s devices. The applications involve BCE Inc.,...

Apple Bell Competition bureau

BDUs worried about wording in new cancellation regulation

Media | 06/15/2015 8:16 pm EDT

Canadian TV providers are worried the wording the CRTC proposed to prohibit policies requiring 30-day notice to cancel TV services could be interpreted to apply to the cancellation of individual...

Cable CRTC Iptv

Cellular IoT/M2M connections predicted to quadruple by 2019

Media | 06/15/2015 6:58 pm EDT

The number of cellular Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) connections globally will nearly quadruple between 2014 and 2019, technology research group 451 Research LLC said Monday....

Internet Iot Smartphones

OpenMedia fights ‘link tax’ in Europe

Media | 06/15/2015 4:40 pm EDT

Canadian-based activist group OpenMedia is trying to drum up support against measures in Europe that would introduce fees for search engines and aggregation websites that use text excerpts to promote links to news articles. OpenMedia said in a news release that the European Union is considering a policy for the harmonization of copyright laws across the continent that would encourage countries to implement fees for snippets of text used when linking to news stories, which would affect companies such as Google Inc. and Reddit Inc. It said Germany and Spain already have a "link tax" in place, while Austria is considering one. OpenMedia spokeswoman Meghan Sali said in the release that small publishers are hurt by such measures. "This idea has already been an absolute...