Rogers takes aim at youth with Vice partnership

Media | 10/30/2014 9:27 pm EDT

When Rogers Communications Inc. CEO Guy Laurence wore a leather jacket to the announcement of his company's latest project —a $100 million joint venture with Vice Media Inc. —the unconventional outfit emphasized...

John Bitove stepping down as Sirius chairman

Media | 10/30/2014 8:33 pm EDT

John Bitove is stepping down as chairman of satellite radio operator Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc., the company said Thursday. SiriusXM Canada said in a press release that Bitove, who among other things is the founder of...

Smartphone sales of China’s Xiaomi drive global growth

telecom | 10/30/2014 3:41 pm EDT

Global smartphone shipments were up 25.2 per cent in this year's third quarter from a year earlier, driven largely by explosive growth in devices coming from China's Xiaomi, International Data Corp. said in a release Wednesday. IDC said that preliminary data indicates there were 327.6 million shipments of...

Wireline wholesale hearing to put focus on ISP access

telecom | 10/29/2014 4:55 pm EDT

The CRTC faces another major policy hearing next month, and this one has the potential to affect independent Internet service providers that depend on major telecom companies to connect them to customers. In September, the...

PIAC awarded costs in two CRTC proceedings

Media | 10/29/2014 4:46 pm EDT

The CRTC has awarded the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) about three-quarters of the costs it had requested for its participation in an ongoing mobile-TV complaint. PIAC had asked for $39,324.66 in costs for its participation in an undue preference complaint regarding mobile-TV services offered by BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc. and Quebecor Inc. The CRTC said in an online post Wednesday that it “considers that PIAC has claimed excessive time in respect of its legal fees. Consequently, the Commission has reduced the amount of time allowed for PIAC’s external...

Deepak Khandelwal moving to Rogers from Google

telecom | 10/29/2014 4:06 pm EDT

Deepak Khandelwal will become new chief customer officer at Rogers Communications Inc., the company said in a press release Tuesday. Khandelwal is currently vice-president of global customer experience at Google Inc. and will...

Public to be consulted on radio applications

Media | 10/28/2014 6:17 pm EDT

The CRTC said Tuesday that it will start seeking public comment on applications for new radio stations. In an online notice publishing results of a yearlong review of the commercial radio sector, the commission said it will issue...

Steven Barry appointed IT director for CIRA

Media | 10/28/2014 3:57 pm EDT

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority said Tuesday it has appointed Steven Barry as its director of information technology. CIRA said in a news release that Barry has more than 20 years of experience as an IT executive,...

Canadian mobile carriers rankings vary by city

telecom | 10/28/2014 3:36 pm EDT

A look at Canada's three biggest cities by a U.S.-based mobile analytics company found different carriers' dominance fluctuated in the second half of this year, depending on the location. For Toronto, the report on...

LTE network top priority for new Wind CEO: Lacavera

telecom | 10/27/2014 8:48 pm EDT

As Wind Mobile’s chief operating officer, Pietro Cordova, steps into the CEO role vacated by Anthony Lacavera Monday, his top priority will be to put an LTE network in place, the outgoing CEO said in a phone interview....

Newcap stations denied lenience on local content quota

Media | 10/27/2014 6:33 pm EDT

On Monday the CRTC denied a request from two Newcap Inc. television stations in Lloydminster, Alta., for lenience on meeting the regulator's quotas for providing local content. The two channels,...

Bell complaint could thwart Rogers’ hockey strategy: analyst

Media | 10/27/2014 5:54 pm EDT

Notwithstanding Guy Lawrence's recent remarks about rival BCE Inc. being a "crybaby," a market analyst says Rogers Communications Inc.’s strategy for NHL streaming could be affected by Bell's recent CRTC complaint. The analysis follows last week’s complaint by Bell that Rogers is contravening...

Rogers becomes first Canadian carrier to aggregate LTE spectrum

telecom | 10/24/2014 9:04 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. said Friday it has become the first Canadian wireless carrier to combine spectrum bands for enhanced LTE service, a move it said will improve the mobile-video experience of...

Government to ban paper bills for telecoms

telecom | 10/24/2014 8:16 pm EDT

The budget implementation bill introduced by the federal government in the House of Commons Thursday would forbid telecommunications companies for charging customers for paper bills. The bill would “prohibit providers of telecommunications services from charging subscribers for the provision of paper bills,” something that the government has previously promised to do. The Public Interest Advocacy Centre, which had asked the CRTC to eliminate the practice, said in a press release Friday that it “commended” the government for the move. “The government listened to...

PIAC gets half its requested costs in helpline case

telecom | 10/24/2014 7:02 pm EDT

The CRTC said Friday it is awarding the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) about half of the costs it had requested for its participation in a proceeding about charges for wireless calls to helplines. In September, the...

Shomi signs deal with Warner Bros.

telecom | 10/24/2014 4:28 pm EDT

Shomi, the online-streaming partnership of Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc., said in a press release Friday that it has reached a deal with Warner Bros. that gives it the rights to a number of Warner Bros....

Cable giants’ results show cord-cutting continues

Media | 10/23/2014 9:12 pm EDT

Canada's two biggest cable companies on Thursday reported losses of more than 100,000 television subscribers each over the last year. Roger Communications Inc.'s earnings release showed that it had 2.04 million TV subscribers at the end of the third quarter on Sept. 30, down 111,000 from a year earlier. Shaw...

Carriers report high mobile activity after Ottawa shootings

telecom | 10/22/2014 8:54 pm EDT

BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. said they experienced high volumes on their wireless networks in Ottawa Wednesday, after shooting incidents that morning at the National War...

Jack Tomik leaving Rogers, being replaced by Al Dark

Media | 10/22/2014 4:11 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. said Wednesday that Jack Tomik is stepping down as senior vice-president of media sales at the end of this month and being replaced by Al Dark. Rogers said in a press release that Tomik's departure comes after the successful implementation of a new multiplatform sales model. Coincidentally, Dark took Tomik's place as general manager of CBC/Radio-Canada's revenue group two years ago when Tomik first came to Rogers.   Dark joined Rogers in April this year as vice-president of national sales....

Bell files complaint against Rogers’ online NHL offerings

Media | 10/21/2014 7:17 pm EDT

BCE Inc. has filed a challenge with the CRTC against Rogers Communications Inc.’s plan to offer its own customers free access to its NHL streaming product until the end of the year as well as exclusive content while watching games. Bell claims the free trial of Rogers’ NHL GameCentre, announced in September,...

Rogers cancels smartphone-upgrade promotion

telecom | 10/21/2014 6:22 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. said Tuesday it has cancelled a program that had mobile customers paying an extra fee for the option of upgrading to another smartphone after one year and having subsidies on their previous phone waived....

U.S. employees using their own technology: survey

Media | 10/21/2014 5:39 pm EDT

A survey of U.S. consumers shows about 40 per cent of those working for large organizations use their own technology for work purposes at least some of the time. Gartner Inc. said in a press release Tuesday that its study found...

Rogers-Netflix collaboration benefits both, experts say

Media | 10/20/2014 8:30 pm EDT

While the announcement that Rogers Communications Inc. and Netflix Inc. are working together on an original TV series marked an unprecedented collaboration between the two rivals, it’s a logical...

Apple’s soft-SIM could hurt carriers: Huang

telecom | 10/20/2014 8:24 pm EDT

A feature of Apple Inc.'s new iPads could become a thorn in the side for wireless carriers, Barclays Capital telecom analyst Phillip Huang said Monday.  The iPad Air 2, released last week, has a software-based SIM card, or soft-SIM, that allows users to switch between multiple carriers directly through the device as well as use different...

FCC investigates spectrum capabilities for 5G

telecom | 10/17/2014 7:40 pm EDT

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced Friday that is going to examine the potential use of spectrum in frequencies once thought unusable for mobile services in anticipation of 5G wireless services. The FCC...

Wireless data, faster Internet driving consumer spending: CRTC

Media | 10/16/2014 8:42 pm EDT

Canadian telecom service providers got more money from their customers last year largely as a result of increased wireless data usage and demand for faster Internet, the CRTC said Thursday. Overall...

Shaw gets naming rights to Ottawa Convention Centre

Media | 10/16/2014 6:23 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc. has reached a sponsorship deal with the operators of the Ottawa Convention Centre, resulting in the venue being renamed the Shaw Centre, effective immediately. Shaw said in a press release that the...

CBS launches OTT video service

Media | 10/16/2014 5:17 pm EDT

CBS Corp. is the latest U.S. media company to say it will start providing consumers with an online option for accessing video content without the need to subscribe to a television service. The company said in a press release Thursday that CBS All Access is available immediately to U.S. residents for $5.99 US a month. The service is accessible through CBS.com and the CBS app for devices running on Apple Inc.'s iOS or Google Inc.'s Android. Other connected devices will be announced in the coming months, CBS said. CBS All Access features full current seasons of 15 prime-time shows with new episodes available the day after they air, CBS said. The company added that past seasons of eight current series are available, including Survivor, The Good Wife and Blue Bloods. There are also 5,000 episodes of past television shows, such as Star...

Videotron makes 3 VP appointments

Media | 10/16/2014 4:27 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc.'s Videotron on Thursday announced three senior-level appointments in the marketing department of existing employees, two of which had managers becoming vice-presidents. Julie Brault was named vice-president of...

TD mobile app allows customers to deposit cheques

Media | 10/16/2014 3:31 pm EDT

TD Canada Trust announced Thursday it has introduced a way for customers to deposit cheques in their bank account by taking a photo with their mobile phone through the bank’s mobile app. The bank also said business...

Public not yet sold on Internet of Things: survey

Media | 10/16/2014 3:24 pm EDT

The Internet of Things has been compared to the Industrial Revolution in terms of its eventual impact, though the general public is not yet fully aware of it nor convinced of its value, according to a recent study. That’s...

Netflix subscriber growth slower than forecast

Media | 10/15/2014 9:01 pm EDT

Netflix Inc. said Wednesday that subscriber growth in both the United States and internationally was less than it expected in the third quarter. "We added about a million new members in the U.S., ending Q3 with 37.22 million...

EU countries could be next for regulator-Netflix conflict

Media | 10/15/2014 6:09 pm EDT

When CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais faced off against Netflix Inc. in September, his ordering of the U.S.-based streaming service to give the CRTC information it had previously refused to provide added fuel to a debate about whether the CRTC can — or whether it should — regulate online video services. That debate, which saw everyone from Prime Minister Stephen Harper to Quebecor Inc. and Google Inc. wade in during the CRTC’s Let’s Talk TV hearing, has cooled off somewhat, for the moment at least, after the CRTC decided to exclude Google Inc.'s and Netflix’...

Applications sought for rural Internet expansion

telecom | 10/15/2014 2:42 pm EDT

Industry Canada said Wednesday it is seeking applications from Internet service providers to qualify for funding to build or improve their networks in rural and northern communities across the country. The funding is the next...

French bank creates payment system with Twitter

Media | 10/14/2014 8:58 pm EDT

French bank Groupe BPCE announced Tuesday what it called a "world first in the payment-media field" in allowing payments to be made via Twitter. It said in a press release it has created, in partnership with its...

BCE’s Siim Vanaselja to retire next year

Media | 10/14/2014 8:34 pm EDT

BCE Inc. said Tuesday that its chief financial officer, Siim Vanaselja, will retire in the second quarter of next year. The company said in a press release that he will be replaced by Glen LeBlanc, currently chief financial officer of BCE-controlled Bell Aliant Inc. BCE also said the transaction to take control of all shares of Bell Aliant it does not...

CRTC to question B.C. station about broadcasting without licence

Media | 10/14/2014 6:55 pm EDT

Notices issued by the CRTC on Tuesday and Friday indicated two out of three British Columbia radio stations accused of broadcasting in Canada without a licence will not appear at a scheduled hearing...

Jacob Glick to join Rogers

Media | 10/14/2014 6:13 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. said Tuesday that Jacob Glick will start work next month in the newly created position of chief corporate affairs officer. Previously, Glick headed Google Inc.'s global public policy and government relations team, and before that took on the same responsibilities...

TekSavvy buys software company Openjive

Media | 10/14/2014 4:54 pm EDT

TekSavvy Solutions Inc. said Monday it has purchased an Ottawa-area software company called Openjive Inc. Independent ISP TekSavvy said in a press release that Openjive's programs, including Lingo, integrate platforms from...

Spectrum transfer to Telus from NextWave approved

telecom | 10/14/2014 4:25 pm EDT

Industry Canada said Friday it has approved the transfer of two wireless spectrum licences in Quebec to Telus Corp. from NextWave Wireless Inc. The licences in question are for WCS spectrum. One licence for Quebec City expires...

Moore says decision on 3500 MHz won’t hurt rural areas

telecom | 10/14/2014 4:24 pm EDT

Industry Minister James Moore said late last week suggestions that a consultation on the usage of 3500 MHz spectrum will lead to a deterioration of broadband Internet services in rural areas are "completely false." In a statement posted on Industry Canada's website Thursday, Moore said since launching the...

CRTC says wireless code applies to some business accounts

telecom | 10/14/2014 2:22 pm EDT

The CRTC said Wednesday that the wireless code applies to any mobile service, even business accounts, where the individual using the service is responsible for any portion of the charges incurred. The decision was issued in response to clarification that had been sought be Telus Corp. The company said it was unclear whether "corporate individual plans," in which an employer negotiates rates with a carrier then provides employees with a stipend to cover the costs, or "employee purchase plans," which allows employees or members of an organization to obtain wireless accounts...

Rogers ranked fastest Canadian ISP by PCMag.com

telecom | 10/10/2014 7:47 pm EDT

For the second year in a row, PCMag.com has named Rogers Communications Inc. the fastest Internet service provider in Canada. The online technology publication gave Rogers a score of 30.3, which is based on a compilation of...

TSN mobile app available for Telus Optik customers

telecom | 10/10/2014 6:08 pm EDT

Customers of Telus Corp.’s Optik TV service can now access content from BCE Inc.’s TSN channels mobile devices, Telus said Friday. “TSN's five national feeds are now available through Optik on the go,”...

AWS-3 auction prompts debate around urban-rural issues

telecom | 10/10/2014 5:22 pm EDT

A proposal from one incumbent carrier to restrict set-asides in the upcoming AWS-3 auction to urban centres has elicited debate in the latest round of submissions to Industry Canada from carriers...

Rogers-Shaw merger seen as making ‘complete sense’

Media | 10/09/2014 8:07 pm EDT

A merger between Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. has been the subject of speculation for years. As the various industries these companies participate in — broadcasting, TV distribution, landline phone services, Internet and, in Rogers' case, mobile — change rapidly, at least one...

Bell Aliant expands N.B. fibre network

telecom | 10/09/2014 5:00 pm EDT

Bell Aliant Inc. said in a press release Thursday that it will extend its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network to another 4,177 premises in three communities in New Brunswick. It added that it has invested $122 million since 2009 to bring its FibreOP network  “to 230,000 homes and businesses” in N.B., adding that the service is now available in “almost every part” of the province. In January, The Wire Report reported that Bell Aliant was the leading provider of fibre-to-the home in Canada, with its fibre-optic network passing about 770,000 homes and businesses in...

MTS opens new network monitoring facility

telecom | 10/09/2014 3:38 pm EDT

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. has opened a new Winnipeg facility for monitoring and managing its network infrastructure, the company said in a press release Thursday. The Manitoba Network Operations Centre will also “act...

VOD figures pad overall TV viewership numbers: TVB

Media | 10/08/2014 9:13 pm EDT

The Television Bureau of Canada has released what it says are the first statistics on viewership of broadcast distributors’ video-on-demand (VOD) platforms, which show an additional four to nine per cent of viewers use VOD...

Mulcair denounces Glover statements on Netflix regulation

Media | 10/08/2014 8:11 pm EDT

OTTAWA — NDP Leader Tom Mulcair on Wednesday denounced Heritage Minister Shelly Glover's statements that ruled out regulation for online video services such as Netflix and YouTube, which...

Péladeau would put Quebecor shares in blind trust if leader: reports

Media | 10/08/2014 7:04 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc.'s controlling shareholder Pierre Karl Péladeau said he'll put his holdings in the company in a blind trust if he becomes leader of the sovereigntist Parti...

Government ‘disappointed’ with Bell’s email-contract delay

telecom | 10/07/2014 7:48 pm EDT

The federal government's email consolidation program, slated to begin earlier this year, has yet to get underway and the government department in charge of the project says it’s because BCE...

Facebook closes WhatsApp purchase

Media | 10/07/2014 6:42 pm EDT

Facebook Inc.'s purchase of instant messaging company WhatsApp Inc. closed Monday, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Details of the filing show the final value as $4.59 billion US in...

Alec Saunders steps down from BlackBerry

telecom | 10/07/2014 4:30 pm EDT

BlackBerry Ltd. vice-president Alec Saunders, who heads the company’s QNX cloud division, announced on his personal blog on Tuesday that he will be leaving the company Nov. 3. Saunders took over the job in January,...

Court dismisses Amdocs case against Mobilicity

telecom | 10/06/2014 9:24 pm EDT

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has ruled against a supplier that was seeking millions of dollars in payment from Mobilicity, which has been in bankruptcy protection for more than a year. Amdocs Inc., a Missouri-based...

Quebecor says newspaper sale not connected to wireless expansion

Media | 10/06/2014 7:59 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc. says there is no connection between the $316-million proposed sale of its English-language newspapers to Postmedia Network Canada Corp. and its intention of expanding its mobile services across Canada. The company also said Monday that it is evaluating the “long-term viability” of its Sun News Network television channel, which is not part of the sale that includes its Sun-branded newspapers. Postmedia and Quebecor announced in news releases Monday that 175 of Sun Media's publications will become the property of Postmedia in exchange for a cash payment of $316...

Rogers launches second-screen hockey app

Media | 10/06/2014 6:36 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. announced it is releasing a new hockey app that will give customers access to new camera angles and additional content like interviews and analysis. “Exclusive to Rogers’ customers, and it...

U.S. online industry group criticizes Canada

Media | 10/06/2014 5:40 pm EDT

A coalition of some of the biggest Internet companies in the United States criticized Canada in a report released Tuesday for being a laggard in the usage and development of Internet technology to grow the economy. The Internet...

Bell launches HSPA+ in 2 Yukon communities

telecom | 10/06/2014 4:33 pm EDT

BCE Inc. has launched 4G wireless service in Pelly Crossing and Burwash Landing, Yukon, the company said in a press release Monday. Bell spokeswoman Jacqueline Michelis clarified in an email that the service is delivered...

Marriott fined $600K for WiFi blocking

telecom | 10/03/2014 8:50 pm EDT

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said Friday that it has fined hotel operator Marriott International Inc. $600,000 US for deliberately blocking people's access to personal WiFi hotspots at a convention area in...

CRTC approves enhanced 911 applications

telecom | 10/03/2014 7:49 pm EDT

The CRTC has approved applications from Manitoba Telecom Services Inc., Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp., Telus Corp., Bell Aliant and BCE Inc. regarding enhanced 911 services. The regulator said in separate decisions Friday it has approved applications by MTS, SaskTel, Telus, Bell Aliant and BCE to introduce a 911 text messaging service. It also approved applications by MTS, SaskTel, Bell Aliant and Telus to introduce an in-call location update feature, which “enables public safety answering points to request an update to a wireless 9-1-1 caller’s location...

The benefits of being ruled by the CRTC

Media | 10/03/2014 7:02 pm EDT

In the past, an aspiring broadcast distributor had no choice but to go to the CRTC and get a licence before they launched their cable or satellite business. Now, in theory at least, they can bypass the entire process by launching...

Videotron says national wireless expansion depends on CRTC

telecom | 10/03/2014 5:56 pm EDT

GATINEAU, Que. — The CEO of Quebecor Inc.'s Videotron told the CRTC Friday that her company needs the regulator to lower the legislated rate for domestic roaming if it is to build a national...

BCE says most Aliant common shares tendered

Media | 10/03/2014 4:01 pm EDT

BCE Inc. and Bell Aliant Inc. said Friday that a vast majority of the common shares of the latter have been tendered to the former, and that the whole deal should be completed on or around the end of this month. The companies...

Labelling requirements eased for wearables

telecom | 10/03/2014 3:26 pm EDT

Industry Minister James Moore announced Friday that the government is easing labelling requirements for electronic devices by allowing information to be displayed electronically on the devices' screens rather than in a...

Carriers ask CRTC to take powers from government

telecom | 10/02/2014 9:37 pm EDT

GATINEAU, Que. — Two of Canada's largest wireless carriers called on the CRTC to take some regulatory power from Industry Canada at the commission's week-long hearing into the wholesale wireless market. Both Rogers...

OTN sponsors Greek sports channel for distribution

Media | 10/02/2014 6:05 pm EDT

Odyssey Television Network Inc., which operates channels in Canada with Greek-oriented programming, is sponsoring a sports channel from Greece to be authorized for distribution in Canada. OTN's application was posted to the...

Wightman challenges decision on Rogers’ home-wireless service

telecom | 10/02/2014 5:51 pm EDT

A provider of phone services in southern Ontario is asking the CRTC to reconsider a decision made in July to not consider Rogers Communications Inc.'s wireless home-phone service a competitive local exchange carrier. Wightman Telecom Ltd. argued in an application posted online this week that the CRTC's judgment in...

Netflix gets 4 Adam Sandler movies exclusively

Media | 10/02/2014 4:11 pm EDT

Netflix Inc. said Thursday it has reached a deal to premiere four movies that will star and be produced by comedic actor Adam Sandler. The announcement comes just days after Netflix revealed plans to release its first original...

Sun News wins one, loses one in CRTC arbitration

Media | 10/02/2014 3:47 pm EDT

The CRTC on Thursday awarded Quebecor Inc.'s Sun News Network a victory in one of two arbitration cases involving its carriage with broadcaster distributors, though it sided with the service provider in another. In a dispute over carriage fees with Telus Corp., the CRTC sided with Sun News Network's proposal that included a variable rate card that the commission said gave the service provider an incentive to place the station in packages that featured as wide a distribution as possible. The CRTC said in its decision, posted online Thursday, that Telus' offer "falls...

Rogers takes aim at Telus, Bell network sharing

telecom | 10/01/2014 9:19 pm EDT

GATINEAU, Que. — It's not always a case of the wireless incumbents battling newer entrants; Wednesday's session of the CRTC hearing into the wholesale wireless market featured one of the big three throwing its two...

Bell Aliant makes concession on Ontera purchase

telecom | 10/01/2014 7:28 pm EDT

The Competition Bureau said Wednesday that Bell Aliant Inc. has responded to the bureau's concerns surrounding its purchase of an Ontario-government-owned telecommunications provider. The bureau said in a press release Bell...

SaskTel releases transparency report

telecom | 10/01/2014 5:06 pm EDT

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. on Wednesday joined other telecom providers in releasing a transparency report, which showed that it received 11,857 requests for information last year from government agencies and...

B.C. radio station denied signal expansion, again

Media | 10/01/2014 3:49 pm EDT

Newcap Inc. has been denied a request to the CRTC to expand the signal strength of a radio station in Kelowna, B.C., on the grounds it would add another station to the market of Penticton, B.C., about 60 kilometres south. The...

Sybase alumnus Mike Daniels joins BlackBerry board

telecom | 10/01/2014 1:52 pm EDT

BlackBerry Ltd. CEO John Chen has brought in another one of his connections from his days leading Sybase Inc. into the BlackBerry fold. On Wednesday, BlackBerry said in a press release that Mike Daniels has been appointed to BlackBerry's board of directors. Richards was chairman and CEO of a Virginia-based provider of mobile messaging and data services called Mobile 365 from 2005 to 2006, when Mobile 365 was acquired by Sybase, BlackBerry said. Richards was later a director with Sybase from 2007 to 2010, the company added. Chen was chairman and CEO of Sybase from 1998 to 2012....

Telus, Eastlink provide opposing perspectives on wholesale regulation

telecom | 09/30/2014 9:23 pm EDT

GATINEAU, Que. — The CRTC on Tuesday got opposing opinions on the need for wholesale wireless market regulation from two wireless carriers with very different perspectives. Incumbent carrier...

Netflix announces first original movie

Media | 09/30/2014 4:24 pm EDT

Netflix Inc. said Tuesday it would have its first original movie next summer. It said in a press release that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend will premiere on Netflix simultaneously with showings in Imax theatres...

Easier police access to online activity unpopular: survey

telecom | 09/30/2014 4:18 pm EDT

Most Canadians are not in favour of law enforcement having easier access to their online activities, according to a new survey. A poll done by Ipsos Reid, on behalf of the Canadian Internet...

EBay, PayPal to break up

Media | 09/30/2014 4:06 pm EDT

EBay Inc. said Tuesday that its EBay and PayPal divisions will split into two separate companies next year. The companies said in a press release the two divisions would spin off from each other in the second half of 2015, subject to regulatory approval and other conditions. "As independent...

Paying retail for wholesale access isn’t good enough, say carriers

telecom | 09/29/2014 9:40 pm EDT

GATINEAU, Que. — Legislation introduced earlier this year that caps wholesale wireless roaming rates to what host carriers charge their own retail customers doesn't create the conditions necessary for smaller operators to compete, representatives from Wind Mobile and Mobilicity told the CRTC on Monday. It was the...

CRTC to remove Netflix, Google input from Talk TV process

Media | 09/29/2014 9:05 pm EDT

The CRTC said Monday it will remove all evidence presented by Netflix Inc. and Google Inc., including oral and written presentations, from the Let’s Talk TV process, following the...

Amdocs seeking $2.9M from Mobilicity

telecom | 09/29/2014 5:34 pm EDT

Recent court filings show Amdocs Inc. is seeking almost $2.9 million in payments from Mobilicity. Amdocs, a Missouri-based provider of licensed billing, customer care, ordering and operational-support system products, said in a...

Diane Nyisztor joins Cogeco

telecom | 09/29/2014 4:46 pm EDT

Cogeco Cable Inc. said Monday that it has appointed Diane Nyisztor as vice-president of corporate human resources. Nysiztor was previously partner of international executive services at tax and consulting services company KPMG Canada, Cogeco said in a press release. “Following our recent...

Big 3 to benefit from ‘upgrade cycle’: Barclays

telecom | 09/29/2014 4:13 pm EDT

Apple Inc.'s recent release of the iPhone 6 has sparked an "upgrade cycle" among Canadian consumers that is likely to pad the bottom lines of Canada's major wireless providers, according to analysts at Barclays Capital. Phillip Huang and Ali Pervez said in a research note Monday that demand for cheaper devices in the iPhone 5 series is actually a bigger factor than the iPhone 6 sales, in terms of upgrades to LTE devices that will drive data usage by users. They noted that incumbents BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. recently raised prices by $30 on the iPhone 5C and 5S after lowering them to $0 and $100, respectively, in conjunction with this month's launch of the iPhone 6. The note said the typical price for a mid-tier smartphone data plan that...

Government blamed for CRTC predicament on Netflix

Media | 09/29/2014 2:49 pm EDT

The federal government’s pursuit of a consumer-driven broadcasting policy instead of a more comprehensive digital strategy has left the CRTC in a difficult position when it comes to regulating Internet video services, says...

U.S. channels have ‘little bargaining power’: CRTC

Media | 09/26/2014 7:40 pm EDT

Documents from the CRTC indicate its officials felt that if conventional television broadcasters from the United States had the right to negotiate their carriage by Canadian service providers, they would have "little bargaining power" due to their "marginal viewership" in Canada. "Since Canadian...

BlackBerry devices bring in more cash in Q2

telecom | 09/26/2014 2:27 pm EDT

BlackBerry Ltd. posted a $207-million US net loss in its quarterly report released Friday, though it saw bump in the number of devices it derived revenue from in comparison to the previous period. In its second quarter, which...

Internet regulation may be template for future of wholesale wireless

telecom | 09/26/2014 2:19 pm EDT

As the CRTC prepares for a week of hearings beginning Monday on the future of wholesale wireless in Canada, the rules regarding wholesale Internet access may be a predictor of how the regulator will...

Wireless revenue growth slowed last year: CRTC

telecom | 09/25/2014 8:25 pm EDT

Revenue from wireless services in Canada was up just less than four per cent in 2013, marking a slowdown from growth that had exceeded six per cent for three straight years, according to data released by the CRTC on Thursday. The commission's Communications Monitoring Report for telecommunications (the broadcasting portion was released earlier this month) showed that there was $21.2 billion in wireless revenue in Canada last year, marking growth of 3.8 per cent from 2012. Revenue growth in this sector was 6.5, 6.2 and 6.6 per cent in the years 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, the report...

Mobilicity creditor protection extended

telecom | 09/25/2014 8:08 pm EDT

Mobilicity has been granted an extension of its creditor protection until Dec. 1, William Aziz, Mobilicity's chief restructuring officer, said in a statement Thursday. He said the order was granted by the Ontario Superior...

Cogeco calls for regulated access to wireless networks

telecom | 09/25/2014 8:05 pm EDT

Cogeco Cable Inc. wants the CRTC to set up regulated access to established wireless carriers’ networks, president and CEO Louis Audet said during a conference call with media Thursday....

C.D. Howe warns against pick-and-pay TV

Media | 09/25/2014 6:15 pm EDT

The C.D. Howe Institute released a report on Thursday that said the CRTC's proposal to mandate pick-and-pay television is "deeply misguided" and would be "irrelevant at best" and "harmful at...

MTS announces agreement on pensions

telecom | 09/25/2014 6:05 pm EDT

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. said Wednesday it has reached an agreement with its unions and retirees regarding a pension plan that was in dispute following its 1997 privatization and was subject to a Supreme Court decision early...

PIAC awarded $20K in costs by CRTC

telecom | 09/24/2014 4:01 pm EDT

The CRTC on Wednesday said it was awarding the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) almost $20,000 in costs for expenses incurred in three different proceedings, to be covered by various telecommunications companies. One of the...

Shaw CFO Steve Willson to retire

Media | 09/24/2014 3:59 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc. said Wednesday that Steve Wilson, its executive vice-president of corporate development and chief financial officer, will retire next year. It said in a press release that Wilson, who has been the...

BlackBerry launches Passport, new app

telecom | 09/24/2014 3:49 pm EDT

BlackBerry Ltd. launched a new smartphone, the Passport, on Wednesday, as well as an app that brings content from BlackBerry smartphones to computers and tablets. The Passport, revealed at a launch event in Toronto that featured...

Bell Aliant’s Karen Sheriff retiring

Media | 09/24/2014 3:34 pm EDT

Bell Aliant Inc. president and CEO Karen Sheriff will retire at the end of the year, BCE Inc., which is buying out Bell Aliant, said in a joint press release with its acquisition target on Wednesday. “Taking over in an aggressively competitive environment, she initiated a plan of corporate transformation and strategic priority-setting, and led...

CRTC in tough spot after Netflix refuses to disclose: experts

Media | 09/23/2014 8:52 pm EDT

Experts say that while CRTC must somehow respond to the refusal of Netflix Inc. to give the commission information it had been ordered to provide by CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais during a hearing last week, the government's stated refusal to tax and regulate online-video services cannot be ignored. On Friday, Blais repeatedly ordered the U.S. video-streaming company to provide information, such as its Canadian subscriber numbers and expenditures, which the company said Monday evening it would not provide. CRTC spokeswoman Patricia Valladao said Tuesday the regulator had no comment...