Early problems emerge with Shomi service

Media | 12/04/2014 4:46 pm EST

Some TV-industry analysts who are among the early adopters of Rogers Communications Inc.'s and Shaw Communications Inc.’s Shomi are detailing problems they've experienced with the streaming service in...

Lisa de Wilde to join Telus board

telecom | 12/04/2014 3:35 pm EST

Telus Corp. on Thursday said that Lisa de Wilde will join its board of directors on Feb. 1. De Wilde is currently CEO of Ontario public educational broadcaster TVO and chairwoman of the Toronto International Film Festival...

Xplornet claims to have fastest rural fixed-wireless Internet

telecom | 12/04/2014 3:31 pm EST

Xplornet Communications Inc. on Wednesday announced 25 Mbps service on fixed-wireless Internet service in rural parts of New Brunswick, making its service the fastest among comparable products in...

Federal bill raises stakes on copper theft

telecom | 12/03/2014 10:05 pm EST

The Canadian Electricity Association on Wednesday praised a Conservative MP's private member's bill that treats copper theft from key infrastructure more seriously. The proposal by Vancouver South member Wai Young would amend the Criminal Code to treat "interference with critical infrastructure" with more severity, the CEA said in a...

Bell’s Kevin Crull happy with ‘business case’ for $4 CraveTV

Media | 12/03/2014 9:36 pm EST

The $4-a-month price tag for CraveTV, Bell Media’s new streaming service, is part of the company’s attempt to differentiate itself from competitors, according to Kevin Crull, president of BCE Inc.’s media division. “We’re not duplicating what you currently get from your TV subscription. We’re bringing something that isn’t there,” he said in a phone interview. “We thought $4 was the right price point in order to encourage Canadians to sign up in droves and to really get a very high adoption rate of this product.” Bell announced Wednesday it would launch the new service — which was previously known by the code name...

CRTC urged to look toward future on wireline regulation

telecom | 12/03/2014 8:44 pm EST

GATINEAU, Que. — On Wednesday, the first day of replies in the CRTC’s wholesale wireline hearing, the regulator was consistently asked to look to the future in determining how best to...

Rogers VP calls CNOC’s arguments on wholesale rates ‘absurd’

telecom | 12/02/2014 10:17 pm EST

GATINEAU, Que. — Rogers Communications Inc.'s senior vice-president of regulatory affairs, Ken Engelhart, on Tuesday attacked some of the arguments made on behalf of smaller Internet service providers during CRTC's hearing on wholesale wireline services. For example, VMedia Inc., an Ontario-based provider of...

Wind Mobile expands out-of-network coverage

telecom | 12/02/2014 9:37 pm EST

Wind Mobile said Tuesday it has struck a deal with another network operator to provide its customers with greater coverage when traveling outside Wind's core network in Canada. Wind did not name the company in the press...

Roam Mobility extends coverage to Mexico

telecom | 12/02/2014 8:39 pm EST

Roam Mobility Inc., a provider of SIM cards for out-of-Canada mobile usage, said Tuesday it has extended its service to Mexico. The Vancouver-based company said in a press release that, starting Dec. 10, it will offer seven-day...

Wireless data spending to surge next year: IDC

Media | 12/02/2014 6:00 pm EST

Wireless data will be the biggest and fastest-growing segment of global telecommunications spending next year, technology research firm International Data Corp. said Tuesday. IDC said in a press release that wireless data...

Many businesses unprepared for cyber threats: Cisco

telecom | 12/02/2014 4:50 pm EST

A large proportion of Canadian businesses are unprepared for cyber threats, Cisco Systems Inc. said Tuesday, particularly as new processes emerge with growth in mobile and cloud-based technology. Cisco said in a press release...

Catalyst calls for urgency in Mobilicity restructuring

telecom | 12/01/2014 9:58 pm EST

Recent documents submitted in Mobilicity’s court-monitored bankruptcy process indicate private-equity company Catalyst Capital Group Inc. is anxious to see a new arrangement for the wireless...

No FTTP wholesale without CRTC action: PIAC

telecom | 12/01/2014 9:49 pm EST

GATINEAU, Que. — Three consumer groups opened the second week of the CRTC hearing into wholesale wireline connections by telling the regulator to expand its wholesale access regulations to fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP)...

Smartphone market growth expected to slow

telecom | 12/01/2014 5:56 pm EST

International Data Corp. said Monday that growth in worldwide smartphone shipments is expected to drop from 26.3 per cent this year to 12.2 per cent next year, and even further in the years beyond that. IDC said in a press release that it expects smartphone shipments to amount to 1.3 billion this year, rising to 1.4 billion in 2015. IDC research manager Ramon Llamas noted in a phone interview that these estimates were rounded off, thus not reflecting the full growth of more than 12 per cent in shipments expected in 2015. It said average annual shipment growth would be 9.8 per cent between...

Cogeco boosts Internet speeds

telecom | 12/01/2014 5:42 pm EST

Cogeco Cable Inc. said Monday that it has increased the Internet speeds of its customers in Quebec and Ontario. The company said in a press release that, in Quebec, the changes include increasing the download speed of its Express...

Transparency reporting put government on alert: report

telecom | 12/01/2014 3:42 pm EST

Public Safety officials were warned by an internal memo of the need to keep "operational details" secret, as two of Canada biggest telecommunications providers were preparing to disclose...

Bell to give ‘Project Latte’ details Wednesday

Media | 12/01/2014 3:40 pm EST

BCE Inc. said Monday it will release “full details” of its upcoming video-streaming service, codenamed "Project Latte," on Wednesday. The company’s Bell Media division sent invitations to a media event in Toronto that it said would include a presentation, question-and-answer session and...

Mandated wholesale access to FTTP wouldn’t deter investment: Shaw

telecom | 11/28/2014 10:29 pm EST

GATINEAU, Que. — Shaw Communications Inc. on Friday took a different tack than other large Internet service providers that have spoken before the CRTC’s wholesale wireline...

Class action lawsuits against Bell, Telus approved

telecom | 11/28/2014 8:35 pm EST

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has certified two class action lawsuits against BCE Inc. and Telus Corp. regarding rounding up minutes used in wireless calls. In a news release on its website Thursday, Rochon Genova LLP, which represents the plaintiffs, said that the practice “affected millions of Canadians and meant that, for example, a call lasting one minute and one second would be billed as a two-minute call.” “Customers who purchased a fixed number of minutes for a set fee (e.g. 100 local minutes for $25) would deplete their talk time minutes much faster than...

Mobilicity granted protection until Jan. 30

telecom | 11/28/2014 7:25 pm EST

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has approved Mobilicity’s request for an extension of bankruptcy protection until Jan. 30. A court filing, obtained from the wireless carrier’s public relations provider Longview...

Bell Aliant FTTH reaches 1 million premises

telecom | 11/28/2014 6:02 pm EST

BCE Inc.’s Bell Aliant division has passed one million homes and businesses with its fibre-to-the-home network, the company said in a press release Friday. “Customers can continue to expect more as Bell is committed...

SaskTel expands higher-speed rural Internet

telecom | 11/28/2014 6:00 pm EST

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said Friday it has expanded its High Speed Fusion Internet service for rural and remote communities to 25 additional locations. It said in a press release that this fixed-wireless,...

What happens to VOD in an OTT world?

Media | 11/28/2014 4:50 pm EST

The launch of new streaming services from Canada’s biggest TV providers adds yet another option for viewers who want to catch up on or try out a new show, raising the question of whether they will complement — or...

Bell to buy Glentel retail chain

telecom | 11/28/2014 3:47 pm EST

BCE Inc. said Friday it has reached a deal to buy mobile products retail chain Glentel Inc. for $670 million. The companies said in a press release that the price would be paid in cash and stock, and also includes the assumption...

First part of Montreal subway network done

telecom | 11/28/2014 3:45 pm EST

The first phase of a $50-million wireless network in Montreal’s subway system is operational, the parties involved announced Friday. A joint press release from the Société de transport de Montréal...

Cogeco, SaskTel warn against mandatory wholesale on fibre connections

telecom | 11/27/2014 9:19 pm EST

GATINEAU, Que. — Two Canadian Internet service providers told the CRTC on Thursday that opening up fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks to wholesale access could hurt the “fragile”...

Rogers says no decision yet on Shaw spectrum deal

telecom | 11/27/2014 9:06 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc. says the federal government has not yet informed it of a decision on whether it can buy wireless spectrum from Shaw Communications Inc. A report on the news website Cartt Thursday cited anonymous...

Bell employees caught reviewing company’s products

Media | 11/27/2014 8:36 pm EST

A former marketing professional and now a critic of the industry has identified several BCE Inc. employees he says have been writing positive reviews of one of their own company's products on Apple Inc.'s App Store. Scott Stratten, president of UnMarketing, wrote in a blog post this week that he has linked positive reviews of MyBell Mobile with different Bell employees, by tracing their names through the professional social networking site, LinkedIn. Bell employees identified on Stratten's blog as making these reviews include associate director Mike McEnery, performance manager Charbel Nassif, marketing manager Steph Steen, computer applications support associate Vince Caputo, IT executive Saad Saade and senior project manager Tori Brown. Bell spokesman Paolo Pasquini said...

‘New entrants need to find ways to work together’: Lacavera

telecom | 11/26/2014 11:53 pm EST

OTTAWA — Wind Mobile chairman Anthony Lacavera said Wednesday there is still the possibility of a deal between his company and wireless competitors such as Mobilicity or Quebecor Inc.-owned Videotron to build a national alternative to the incumbent carriers. “It doesn't make a lot of sense for us as...

Mandating wholesale FTTH would be ‘another risk factor’: Bell

telecom | 11/26/2014 9:53 pm EST

GATINEAU, Que. — BCE Inc. told the CRTC Wednesday that many of its customers could be delayed from upgrading to an Internet connection faster than what's available through fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) if smaller Internet service providers receive the right to buy wholesale space on fibre-to-the-home networks (FTTH)....

Court documents hint Mobilicity arrangement drawing near

telecom | 11/26/2014 7:02 pm EST

Court documents filed in the bankruptcy protection case of wireless carrier Mobilicity suggest talks with other parties regarding a sale, merger or partnership are progressing and could materialize...

WWE Network, Sport Plus approved for distribution

Media | 11/26/2014 4:41 pm EST

A pair of non-Canadian TV services were approved for distribution in Canada by the CRTC on Wednesday, a professional wrestling channel and another specializing in Greek sporting events. One notice on the CRTC website said...

Small ISPs tell CRTC they want to invest in ‘middle mile’

telecom | 11/25/2014 10:17 pm EST

GATINEAU, Que. — Representatives from Canada’s small Internet service providers on Tuesday asked the CRTC to open up more of the incumbents’ broadband networks, mandating wholesale access for fibre-to-the-premises connections and giving the ISPs the ability to build so-called “middle-mile” connections. Infrastructure investment was the main issue as more than a dozen executives, lawyers and experts representing the Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC) spoke at the CRTC’s hearing into its wholesale regulations for wireline networks. BCE Inc., which...

‘Massive deceleration’ in tablet market noted by IDC

telecom | 11/25/2014 6:53 pm EST

The tablet market in 2014 is undergoing a "massive deceleration," technology research company International Data Corp. said Tuesday. It predicted in a news release there would be 235.7 million shipments of tablets and two-in-one hybrids this year, a gain of 7.2 per cent from a year earlier. That's down from...

Enterprise customers ‘more demanding’: Allstream head

telecom | 11/25/2014 6:38 pm EST

MONTREAL — Business customers have become more knowledgeable about technology and more specific about their telecommunications needs, said Michael Strople, president of Manitoba Telecom Services...

Bell proposes $16M in benefits payments for Astral divestments

Media | 11/25/2014 6:31 pm EST

BCE Inc. has proposed to the CRTC that it pay $16 million in support for TV and radio programming in Canada in relation to divestments required as part of its purchase of Astral Media Inc. last year....

BlackBerry offers iPhone holders up to $600 to buy Passport

telecom | 11/25/2014 6:07 pm EST

BlackBerry Ltd. is offering up to $600 in incentives for Canadian iPhone users to purchase a BlackBerry Passport. On Monday, BlackBerry said in a press release that, between Dec. 1 and Feb. 13, it...

Karen Sheriff to lead Q9 Networks

telecom | 11/25/2014 3:27 pm EST

Q9 Network Inc., a Toronto-based provider of data centre services, said Tuesday that Bell Aliant CEO Karen Sheriff would become its president and CEO as of Jan. 5. Sheriff has been CEO of Bell Aliant since 2008. She is slated to...

Catalyst would fund spectrum purchase for Mobility: report

telecom | 11/24/2014 10:25 pm EST

Catalyst Capital Group Inc. would help fund Mobilicity's purchase of new spectrum in the government's AWS-3 auction next year, its leader said in an interview with the Globe and Mail. An...

Too early to decide on fibre-network regulation: Competition Bureau

telecom | 11/24/2014 9:30 pm EST

GATINEAU, Que. — CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais said during the first day of the CRTC’s hearing into its wholesale wireline regulations that his commission needs to be a...

Ericsson, IBM working on 5G antennas

telecom | 11/24/2014 8:35 pm EST

Ericsson AB and International Business Machines (IBM) Corp. announced Monday that they are working together researching antennas for the future era of 5G wireless communications. The companies said in a press release that they...

Video-calling on smartphones going mainstream: Gartner

Media | 11/24/2014 6:28 pm EST

More than one-third of U.S. smartphone users conduct video calls over their devices, and this activity is expected to grow in popularity around the world, technology research company Gartner Inc. said Monday. The company said in a press release that a survey indicated that 34.6 per cent of U.S. adult smartphone users used their device for video calling, and this proportion was 53.5 per cent among those aged 18 to 24. "We believe the U.S. market is an important leading indicator for video calling take-up in other global markets," Andrew Chetham, managing vice-president at Gartner,...

Telus offer could start holiday pricing battle: analyst

telecom | 11/24/2014 6:18 pm EST

Telus Corp. has made the first moves in what could be a competitive fourth quarter as wireless carriers fight for holiday sales, an analyst said Monday. Phillip Huang, a telecom analyst with Barclays...

Government, Rogers pledge millions to wireless-support centre

telecom | 11/21/2014 8:38 pm EST

Wavefront, a Vancouver-based centre that provides financial and consulting support for the wireless industry, was the recipient of funding pledges on Friday worth a combined $13.5 million from the...

Shomi teams with Twitter on marketing

Media | 11/21/2014 4:46 pm EST

Shomi, the online streaming service owned by Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc., said Friday it has partnered with Twitter Inc. for a marketing campaign. Shomi said in a press release it will be the...

‘Foolish’ not to oppose government spectrum policy earlier: Telus lawyers

telecom | 11/20/2014 11:09 pm EST

OTTAWA — Lawyers for Telus Corp. said Thursday they regretted the "foolish" decision to not dispute Industry Canada’s power over so-called deemed spectrum transfers when the...

Bell complaint about NHL content meant to ‘hinder’: Rogers

Media | 11/20/2014 9:15 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc. on Thursday defended itself against a complaint to the CRTC from BCE Inc. about its online NHL hockey content, saying Bell's application is simply an attempt to "hinder" efforts to provide customers with innovative products. In October, Bell launched an application before the commission that said the way Rogers was distributing its online NHL products GameCentre Live and GamePlus constituted an undue preference. In a statement to the CRTC, obtained by The Wire Report, Rogers said: "This application is nothing more than Bell’s attempt to use the Commission’s regulatory processes to inhibit or hinder our ability to...

Trio calls on government to reign in major telecoms

Media | 11/20/2014 7:42 pm EST

Three industry observers, including two academics, have released an open letter to senior government officials that seeks strong measures to temper the power of major players in the telecommunications industry. The letter comes...

CRTC tells Cogeco to implement customer-transfer system

telecom | 11/20/2014 7:38 pm EST

The CRTC said Thursday that Cogeco Cable Inc. must adopt an automated, cross-industry customer-transfer system for its television and Internet operations by the new year. In it decision, the...

Fixed-line Internet data downloads surge 30%

Media | 11/20/2014 7:33 pm EST

The latest report on Internet usage from Sandvine Inc. shows average monthly data downloaded on fixed-line Internet accounts in North America was up about 30 per cent in the second half of 2014 compared to a year earlier. The...

Yahoo becomes default search engine for Firefox

Media | 11/20/2014 7:30 pm EST

Yahoo Inc. and Mozilla Corp. announced Wednesday they have reached an agreement that makes Yahoo the default browser on Mozilla's Firefox Internet browser in the United States for desktops and mobile devices. The agreement...

Starbucks starts wireless charger rollout in U.S.

telecom | 11/20/2014 7:27 pm EST

Starbucks Corp. announced on Tuesday it is starting a U.S. rollout of wireless charging stations in its coffee shops. It said in a press release that about 200 locations in the San Francisco Bay area have been equipped with...

Shomi adds Disney content

Media | 11/19/2014 7:44 pm EST

Shomi, the new streaming service from Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc., announced Wednesday that it had signed a content deal with the Walt Disney Co. Under the terms of the deal, Shomi will offer a selection of Disney’s film library, as well as current and past TV...

Jenna Bourdeau joins CBC

telecom | 11/19/2014 3:38 pm EST

CBC/Radio-Canada said Jenna Bourdeau is the public broadcaster’s new senior director of acquisitions. Bourdeau, who was previously vice-president of distribution in its proper rights division, will “oversee the acquisition of distinct, bold and engaging Canadian and international...

TV-everywhere not on public’s radar: study

Media | 11/19/2014 12:19 am EST

Canadian broadcast distributors need to do more to increase awareness and usage of their TV-everywhere products, according to Gord Hendren, president of Charlton Strategic Research, which produced a report on the subject....

‘Weak’ advertising market here to stay: experts

Media | 11/18/2014 10:18 pm EST

Canada’s largest media companies take it as a given that the current market for advertising on traditional broadcast media is weak, but experts say broadcasting is shifting to a new normal as online advertising becomes the dominant platform for advertising. In a Nov. 6 conference call following its most recent quarterly report, BCE Inc. CEO George Cope said his company continues to see “softness” for advertising at its media properties. Siim Vanaselja, Bell’s chief financial officer, said in the previous quarter’s conference call that “the advertising...

New York City to replace payphones with WiFi hubs

telecom | 11/18/2014 9:40 pm EST

New York City will replace its payphones with a free WiFi network, the mayor’s office said in a press release. The network, called LinkNYC, will cover all five boroughs and will generate $500 million in advertising revenues...

Rogers says ‘several’ business accounts break wireless code

telecom | 11/18/2014 8:15 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc. is asking the CRTC for a break on "several" of its wireless contracts with business customers that it says contravene the wireless code. A letter from Rogers, posted to the CRTC's website on Tuesday, said the revelation came after the commission's clarification in October on how...

Thorsten Heins to lead Powermat Technologies

telecom | 11/18/2014 3:33 pm EST

Powermat Technologies Ltd., a New York-based maker of public charging stations for mobile devices, said Tuesday that it has appointed former BlackBerry Ltd. CEO Thorsten Heins as its new CEO and chairman. Its outgoing CEO and...

Telus supports Bell complaint about GamePlus

Media | 11/18/2014 2:33 pm EST

Telus Corp. has filed a letter with the CRTC that supports BCE Inc.'s complaint against Rogers Communications Inc.'s online hockey streaming products. In October, Bell said in a filing to the commission that Rogers is...

Report suggests declining momentum for Google Glass

Media | 11/17/2014 5:10 pm EST

Google Inc.'s wearable device, Glass, is seeing a decline in interest among the public and application developers, according to an article by Reuters. The article, published Friday, said nine out of 16 app makers it contacted that were involved in projects for Google Glass have put on hold or completely abandoned their work for this device, mostly citing a lack of customers or limitations of the device. It said three others had stopped working on consumer applications in favour of those for businesses. "There’s no market at this point," Tom Frencel, CEO of Little Guy...

Telus announces 2 new cloud products

Media | 11/17/2014 4:30 pm EST

Telus Corp. on Monday announced two new products it said can help businesses take advantage of cloud computing. One is called Cloud Collaboration, which Telus said in a press release is a suite of cloud-based communications...

Jay Forbes to become MTS chief executive

telecom | 11/17/2014 3:25 pm EST

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. said Monday that Jay Forbes will replace Pierre Blouin as chief executive. It said in a press release that Forbes will assume the role on Jan. 1, one day after Blouin retires. Blouin's pending...

Patrice Ouimet named Cogeco’s new CFO

telecom | 11/17/2014 3:22 pm EST

Cogeco Cable Inc. said Monday that Patrice Ouimet has been made the company's new chief financial officer, effective immediately. The position became vacant in July after Pierre Gagne left the company for what was described by Cogeco as "personal reasons." Cogeco said in a press release Monday that Ouimet's previous job was as chief...

Streaming services present ‘exciting’ opportunity: production exec

Media | 11/14/2014 10:03 pm EST

It makes sense that David Cormican is optimistic about the impact new streaming services will have on Canadian producers. He’s halfway through the shoot of a new show called Between. It's a teenager-focused drama about a group of youth quarantined by the government after the outbreak of a mysterious disease. It...

MTS Classic TV phase-out hastened by CRTC rules

telecom | 11/14/2014 9:07 pm EST

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc.'s first generation of IPTV service was already on the way out, pushed aside by a more technologically advanced alternative the carrier started in 2009, but CRTC requirements for participation in...

BlackBerry releases new enterprise system

Media | 11/13/2014 5:58 pm EST

BlackBerry Ltd. on Thursday announced the availability of its latest system for enterprise management of mobile devices. The new system is called BES12, which BlackBerry said in a press release "is the foundation for...

Radio India ordered to shut down U.S. transmissions

Media | 11/13/2014 5:18 pm EST

The CRTC said Thursday that it has ordered a Vancouver-area radio station found to be transmitting signals from the United States back to its home base in British Columbia to cease these operations before the end of the day. A...

FCC begins AWS-3 auction

telecom | 11/13/2014 3:27 pm EST

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s AWS-3 auction began on Thursday. The auction, which has a minimum price of a little more than $10 billion US and is scheduled for a single day, includes 1,614 licences in the 1695 to 1710 MHz, 1755 to 1780 MHz and 2155 to 2180 MHz bands. The 65 MHz...

We’ve paid artists $2 billion US, Spotify says

telecom | 11/12/2014 10:08 pm EST

Spotify defended the compensation it pays to the music industry in a blog post Tuesday, writing that it “has paid more than two billion dollars to labels, publishers and collecting societies for distribution to songwriters and recording artists” since it began in 2008. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek wrote that when “I hear stories about artists and songwriters who say they’ve seen little or no money from streaming and are naturally angry and frustrated, I’m really frustrated too.” He said that the company has been “trying to build a new music economy that...

Wireless code will deprive carriers of due funds: lawyer

telecom | 11/12/2014 9:57 pm EST

OTTAWA — Whether the CRTC is infringing on carriers' "vested rights" was among the arguments that came up in the Federal Court of Appeal Wednesday as mobile operators challenged a...

Bell, Cogeco execs say enterprise market weak

telecom | 11/12/2014 9:42 pm EST

Executives from two of Canada’s largest telecommunications companies told the crowd at the Scotiabank Telecom & Cable 2015 Conference on Wednesday that the business of selling services to businesses is challenging their...

Roam Mobility launches new U.S. plan

telecom | 11/12/2014 4:46 pm EST

Roam Mobility Inc. announced Wednesday a new roaming plan for Canadians visiting the U.S. that gives customers unlimited voice minutes, international texting and calls to Canada for $19.95 a month. Customers who want data can get...

Microsoft releases Lumia 535 smartphone

Media | 11/11/2014 7:42 pm EST

Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday released its new Lumia 535 smartphone. The 535 is the first of the Lumia series of phones not to carry the Nokia brand. Microsoft completed its purchase of Nokia Corp.'s devices and services...

Merchants will be allowed to deny mobile payments: report

Media | 11/10/2014 9:30 pm EST

The federal government is poised to introduce rules that would ensure retailers can opt out of accepting payments though smartphone applications while still maintaining contactless-payment processing for credit cards, the Wall Street Journal reported online Monday. The measures would give merchants a tool to resist additional fees that credit card companies such as Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. might impose on mobile payments, given their growing popularity. Finance Minister Joe Oliver could announce the new regulations as early as this week, the article said. The Journal reported that fees...

Obama asks FCC to impose net neutrality rules

telecom | 11/10/2014 7:38 pm EST

U.S. President Barack Obama put out a statement in favour of net neutrality Monday, and asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to implement a plan that would “safeguard competition and user choice.” In the...

Budget bill gives CRTC sharper teeth

telecom | 11/10/2014 7:36 pm EST

New legislation proposed by the federal government will expand the powers of the CRTC, giving it the ability to fine offenders, share information with the Competition Bureau and exert control over companies that operate telecom...

Payment wristband to be tested in Canada

Media | 11/10/2014 6:23 pm EST

Toronto-based wearable technology maker Bionym is partnering with the Royal Bank of Canada and MasterCard for a Canadian test of wristbands that act as payment tools. Kurt Bartlett, a spokesman for Bionym, said in an email that...

Rogers’ Laurence deals with top customer problem — roaming

telecom | 11/07/2014 10:09 pm EST

With Rogers Communications Inc. focusing on improving its relationship with and reputation among customers, Friday's announcement of a $5-a-day roaming plan in the United States gets to the heart of what CEO Guy Laurence said was the biggest issue among Rogers' wireless subscribers when he joined the company....

BCE accuses condo developer of overcharging for access

telecom | 11/07/2014 8:57 pm EST

BCE Inc. is having more problems with a condominium developer operating in Toronto that it has previously filed complaints about. A letter posted on the CRTC's website this week shows Bell felt...

Regulating Netflix the least of CRTC’s concerns: Blais

Media | 11/06/2014 10:04 pm EST

The CRTC is concerned with “much bigger issues with greater ramifications down the road” than the question of whether it will regulate over-the-top (OTT) services like Netflix, CRTC...

Multi-screen Internet access growing: MTM

telecom | 11/06/2014 9:10 pm EST

Five times as many Canadians now own the four principle media for accessing the Internet — computers, smartphones, tablets and Internet-connected televisions — than was the case in 2012, according to the latest Media...

Bell wireless data revenue jumps 24%

Media | 11/06/2014 7:43 pm EST

BCE Inc. on Thursday reported higher revenue and profit numbers for the third quarter as it added subscribers to its its wireless, Internet and TV businesses and saw a jump in mobile-data revenue. The company said in a press...

Telus quarterly revenue tops $3B for first time

telecom | 11/06/2014 7:38 pm EST

Telus Corp. on Thursday reported quarterly revenue that topped $3 billion for the first time. Growth of 5.4 per cent from a year earlier gave the company revenue of $3.03 billion for the third quarter ending Sept. 30, the company said in a press release. Net income was down $1 million to $355 million, which Telus said was affected by things such as restructuring costs and integrating Public Mobile, which it purchased last year. Telus said its wireless revenue was up 6.6 per cent to $1.54 billion, while wireline revenue grew 2.5 per cent to $1.34 billion. Telus' subscriber numbers, as...

Quebecor’s telecom revenues up as wireless base grows

Media | 11/06/2014 7:35 pm EST

Quebecor Inc. reported overall revenue growth for the third quarter that was almost flat, as growth in its telecommunications services was offset by decline in its media segment. The company said in documents posted on its website Thursday that overall revenue for the three months ended Sept. 30 was $1.02 billion, down 0.2...

OTT expected to cause Internet capacity crunch

Media | 11/06/2014 7:30 pm EST

Netflix isn’t the only game in town anymore. In recent weeks, Canadian and American TV giants have made a number of announcements about new over-the-top (OTT) video services — HBO and CBS revealing new streaming...

MTS financial numbers down despite more subs

telecom | 11/05/2014 9:51 pm EST

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. on Wednesday reported lower third-quarter earnings and revenue, despite adding subscribers to its main retail categories. The company said in a press release that its revenue in the quarter was down...

Eastlink to fully subsidize iPhone 6 series

telecom | 11/05/2014 8:10 pm EST

Eastlink said Wednesday it will start offering the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus for no money down with two-year contracts to customers on Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island starting Friday. The company said in a press release...

‘Project Latte’ to be carried by Bell, Telus BDUs

Media | 11/05/2014 7:57 pm EST

BCE Inc.'s Bell Media said on Wednesday there are three TV services lined up to carry its recently announced video streaming service, two of which are in the Bell family as well as Telus Corp.'s Optik TV service. Bell Media said in a press release that the service, code-named "Project Latte," will be carried by Telus' IPTV service, as well as Bell Fibe TV and Bell Aliant FibreOP TV. On Monday BCE completed its purchase of the oustanding shares in Bell Aliant, making the Atlantic Canada telecom company a wholly own subsidiary. Bell Media said pricing details of its streaming service, which it revealed publicly for the first time on Friday, will be released before its launch date "in the near future." Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc....

Government pressured to open more WiFi spectrum

telecom | 11/05/2014 6:23 pm EST

Industry Canada is being lobbied to open up more unlicensed spectrum for wireless Internet, as the United States did earlier this year. Government briefing notes and emails written in advance of a meeting planned for May 27...

Canada 10th in home-WiFi penetration

telecom | 11/05/2014 3:59 pm EST

Canada has the 10th highest home-WiFi penetration rate among countries, U.S. research company Strategic Analytics said in a press release Wednesday. It said 61 per cent of homes in Canada have WiFi. The United States is in 11th...

Wind promises government it will invest in network

telecom | 11/04/2014 9:33 pm EST

The government has approved the buyout of Wind Mobile from VimpelCom Ltd. by a consortium led by Anthony Lacavera's Globalive Capital with a number of attached conditions, including that the new ownership group...

Fuse Powered buys Corona Labs

Media | 11/04/2014 6:26 pm EST

Toronto-based Fuse Powered Inc., which runs a mobile-app publishing and monetization platform, said Tuesday it has purchased Corona Labs Inc., a Palo Alto, Calif.-based company that also makes software for developers of...

Huawei announces $210M in new Ontario investments

telecom | 11/03/2014 8:52 pm EST

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. announced new plans over the weekend for a $210 million investment in Ontario over the next five years, much of it earmarked for research and development. The Chinese maker of network technology...

Wireless code still a hurdle for carriers: CCTS

telecom | 11/03/2014 7:47 pm EST

Some carriers are having more difficulty than others adjusting to life under the CRTC’s wireless code, according to the latest annual report from the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS). Of...

Shomi streaming service starts Tuesday

Media | 11/03/2014 6:14 pm EST

Shomi, the online streaming service being offered by Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc., will launch Tuesday, the companies said Monday. It will be available initially to TV and Internet subscribers of Rogers...

Mary Ann Turcke to head Bell Media sales

Media | 11/03/2014 5:54 pm EST

BCE Inc.'s Bell Media said Monday that Mary Ann Turcke was appointed group president of its media sales division for local TV and radio. Bell Media said, effective immediately, Turcke fills the role that was held by Luc...

Cogeco’s TiVo service will reduce sub loss: Audet

telecom | 11/03/2014 5:32 pm EST

Cogeco Cable Inc. CEO Louis Audet said Monday that providing TiVo service in Canada will help reduce the ongoing reduction in cable subscribers, or possibly even lead to growth. On Thursday, Cogeco said its TiVo service, which can bring customers Netflix service through their set-top boxes, would launch for Ontario customers Monday, and would be available in Quebec in the spring. "This launch will help us stabilize and reduce primary service unit losses (PSUs)," Audet said during a conference call Monday to discuss the company's fourth-quarter performance. "Hence, we expect that PSU losses suffered in 2014 will start reducing, and with any luck, we might gain customers." The company said in a release late Friday that it had a profit of $63.8 million in its fourth...