New tower rules to take effect in July

telecom | 06/27/2014 5:32 pm EDT

Industry Canada has decided to tighten up regulations regarding the erection of antenna towers, including adding a requirement than any company putting a tower up for telecommunications or broadcasting purposes not be exempted...

Telus switches advertising agencies: report

Media | 06/27/2014 5:20 pm EDT

Telus Corp. has ended an 18-year relationship with Taxi, the advertising agency that created marketing campaigns featuring a variety of cute animals including monkeys to hippopotamuses, the Globe and Mail reported on Friday. The...

Germany cancels Verizon contract amid spy concerns: report

telecom | 06/27/2014 3:43 pm EDT

The German government has cancelled a contract with U.S. communications giant Verizon Communications Inc. amid worries over spying by the U.S. government, Bloomberg reported Friday. The article said...

Blais warns against too much competition in wireless

telecom | 06/27/2014 2:25 pm EDT

CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais reportedly said in an interview with the Financial Post that the commission needs to be careful not to force roaming rates that are prohibitively low or encourage too much competition. The article...

Main wireless carriers lost subs in Q1: CWTA

telecom | 06/26/2014 8:40 pm EDT

Wireless subscribers declined during the first quarter among Canada's publicly traded carriers, according a compilation posted on the website of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA). According to the compilation, based on publicly released data, the carriers had 27.55 million wireless subscribers at the end of the first quarter, down 32,137 from the beginning of the year. CWTA spokeswoman Ashlee Smith called the drop a "minor dip" in an email and said it could be due to "a number of reasons," including some carriers shifting machine-to-machine...

BlackBerry launches ‘Fact Check’ portal

Media | 06/26/2014 6:58 pm EDT

BlackBerry Ltd. said Thursday it has launched a new website to "hold our competitors accountable for what they say, when what they say is wrong." Mark Wilson, BlackBerry's senior vice-president of marketing, said on the company's official blog that the company has to defend itself with the facts.  "As we’ve been...

Shaw sees earnings decline in Q3

Media | 06/26/2014 2:53 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc. said Thursday its third-quarter earnings took a hit as its television subscriber base continued to decline and its media division took in less money. The company said in a press release that net income...

OpenMedia to meet TPP negotiators

Media | 06/26/2014 2:50 pm EDT

OpenMedia.ca said Thursday it is going to meet negotiators of the Trans-Pacific Partnership when they convene in Ottawa in early July, and it is inviting the public to provide input into various related issues, including Internet...

Google extends Android to TVs, cars

Media | 06/25/2014 8:41 pm EDT

Google Inc. is extending its Android operating system to cars and television sets, the company said Wednesday during its Google I/O developer conference in San Francisco. Customers can use the Android Auto service to connect...

Mobilicity less attractive than Wind for Quebecor: analyst

telecom | 06/25/2014 7:07 pm EDT

New-entrant wireless carrier Mobilicity is in a holding pattern after the collapse of a buyout deal with Telus Corp. that could harm its chances of being rescued from bankruptcy protection,...

Sprint CEO says merger would increase competition: report

telecom | 06/25/2014 4:51 pm EDT

Sprint Corp. CEO Dan Hesse was quoted in an article published on the website CNet Wednesday as saying a merger, such as one between his company and T-Mobile US Inc., would increase wireless...

U.S. Supreme Court declares Aereo illegal

Media | 06/25/2014 4:04 pm EDT

The U.S. Supreme Court has sided with broadcasters in their case against Aereo Inc.’s TV service, ruling that the service violates the U.S. Copyright Act. U.S. studios and broadcasters had challenged Aereo’s use of...

Next-generation 911 on CRTC’s radar

telecom | 06/25/2014 3:07 pm EDT

The CRTC said Wednesday it will review how regulations pertain to the evolution of 911 services and start a proceeding on the matter in early 2016. The regulator said in a press release that it will look at ensuring that telecommunications service providers' networks can support new technologies when when 911 call centres become capable of using...

CRTC makes do-not-call registrations permanent

telecom | 06/25/2014 3:04 pm EDT

The CRTC said Wednesday that registrations on Canada's do-not-call list will now be permanent. Previously, those that registered phone numbers with this database would have had to register again after six years. Telemarketers are legally forbidden from calling numbers on the do-not-call list. The CRTC said since the list was introduced in 2008, it has imposed fines of almost $4 million for infractions. CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais said in a press release that it "makes sense that registration be made permanent in order to spare Canadians the inconvenience of having to...

Canada’s SnapSaves bought by Groupon

Media | 06/25/2014 1:14 pm EDT

SnapSaves, a Toronto-based company that makes an app for receiving cash back on certain purchases, has been bought by Groupon Inc. Users of SnapSaves take pictures of the receipts from their purchases to claim cash on certain products. The photos are uploaded with the company's app, SnapSaves explains on its website. Customers can request cheques...

BlackBerry lays off 65 staff

telecom | 06/24/2014 8:58 pm EDT

BlackBerry Inc. has laid off 65 employees, “primarily” in its Global Alliances and Ecosystem group, the company confirmed Tuesday. A BlackBerry spokesperson said in an email Tuesday that the company “is working...

European Union roaming caps being reduced

telecom | 06/24/2014 7:10 pm EDT

The European Commission said Tuesday that limits on mobile roaming charges throughout the European Union for users based in member countries will be reduced as of July 1, including a more than 50 per cent cut to data charges. The...

1 in 5 households using cellphones only: StatsCan

telecom | 06/24/2014 2:20 pm EDT

The proportion of Canadian households using cellphones exclusively for their telephone service was 21 per cent last year, and a clear majority of households where all members are younger than 35 were using mobile only, Statistics...

CRTC delays deadline for TV-review comments till Friday

Media | 06/23/2014 8:27 pm EDT

The CRTC said Monday it is extending the deadline for submitting comments in the third phase of its Let's Talk TV proceedings until Friday. The deadline had previously been set for Wednesday. A number of issues are up for review in the proceeding, including the requirement that TV service providers allow customers more choice with regard to the channels in their subscription packages. A public hearing has been set for Sept. 8....

Rogers getting reluctant on rollbacks: Barclays

telecom | 06/23/2014 8:19 pm EDT

After pronouncements from Rogers Communications Inc. about improving the customer experience and simplifying the options available to customers, analysts from Barclays said the company appears to be "shifting away from...

Carriers finally have ‘will’ for VoLTE: analyst

telecom | 06/23/2014 6:26 pm EDT

After years of dragging their feet, carriers finally have “the will” to adopt the latest in wireless technology that will allow them to ditch their old networks once and for all, according to Nordicity analyst Stephan...

New Ontario area code delayed by a year

telecom | 06/20/2014 3:40 pm EDT

The CRTC said Friday that the implementation date for a new area code in southwestern Ontario has been pushed back a year as new information indicates numbers within existing area codes there will not run out as quickly as...

Ottawa company brings PVR capability to over-the-air TV

Media | 06/20/2014 3:11 pm EDT

Amid the many challenges television service providers were already facing, along came an Ottawa company making devices with digital recording capabilities and electronic-guide functionality for those...

Cisco commits $150 million to Canadian innovation

Media | 06/19/2014 5:56 pm EDT

Cisco Systems Inc. on Thursday announced it would put $150 million toward innovation and technology development in Canada over the next 10 years. The U.S. technology giant said in press release it was establishing the Cisco...

Public backs heavy CRTC hand in TV service: survey

Media | 06/19/2014 3:07 pm EDT

The CRTC has the backing of the general public if it decides to get into regulating the prices people pay for television service, according to a new survey. A poll done by Forum Research, released in advance to The Wire Report,...

Quebecor says it needs regulated roaming to become fourth carrier

telecom | 06/18/2014 9:14 pm EDT

Quebecor Inc. said explicitly Wednesday that it intends to become Canada's "fourth wireless competitor," though it needs "a fair and competitive federally regulated roaming...

Has the time come to make broadband a basic service?

telecom | 06/18/2014 7:27 pm EDT

As the CRTC is set to reconsider what constitutes a basic telecommunications service, some voices are saying that it’s about time to include broadband Internet in that definition. Under current rules, basic service includes...

CIBC payment app available for Bell wireless customers

Media | 06/18/2014 4:27 pm EDT

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and BCE Inc. on Wednesday said that CIBC's mobile payment app will be available in the coming weeks for certain mobile phones on the Bell network. In a joint press release, the companies said the app will be available for Samsung Electronics Co.’s Galaxy S4, Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II, HTC Corp.'s One (M7), and BlackBerry Ltd.'s Q10, Z10 and Bold 9900. It will be downloadable from Google Inc.'s Play store or BlackBerry World, depending on the device being used. In an article last November, The Wire Report reported that...

Netflix for BlackBerry, among other things

Media | 06/18/2014 3:25 pm EDT

BlackBerry users will gain access to several applications this fall, including Netflix, as a result of making Amazon.com Inc.'s Appstore part of the BlackBerry 10.3 operating system that becomes available this fall, BlackBerry...

SOCAN says ringtone money isn’t available anymore

Media | 06/18/2014 2:46 pm EDT

OTTAWA — The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) said in a recent Federal Court filing that there is "no remedy" should the court find that it owes wireless carriers $12 million for tariffs they paid for ringtones used between 2006 and 2012. SOCAN made the case that the...

Telecoms square off on government intervention

telecom | 06/18/2014 1:01 am EDT

TORONTO — Canada’s biggest telecom companies faced off with one of their smaller rivals over the government’s approach to regulating the wireless industry at the Canadian Telecom Summit on Tuesday. Ted Woodhead,...

Government formalizes ‘notice-and-notice’ copyright regime

telecom | 06/17/2014 10:14 pm EDT

A “notice-and-notice” copyright regime — under which Internet service providers (ISPs) will be legally required to notify customers about copyright infringement complaints brought to...

Wind seeks LTE spectrum from Shaw, Quebecor

telecom | 06/17/2014 8:27 pm EDT

TORONTO — Wind Mobile CEO Anthony Lacavera said Tuesday that his company needs access to LTE spectrum, perhaps from unused space held by Quebecor Inc. or Shaw Communications Inc., if his company is to continue to be a viable alternative to the incumbent wireless carriers. Lacavera said in an interview from the sidelines of the Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto that LTE would cut network costs for Wind and offer its customers faster data services. He said the rollout of LTE across the world over the next few years means his company has little choice but to adopt and invest in the...

Advocacy groups challenge payment plans for future phones

telecom | 06/17/2014 7:33 pm EDT

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and Consumers Association of Canada have filed an application with the CRTC challenging plans from wireless carriers that see customers making regular,...

Therrien says court ruling should prompt reviews of C-13, S-4: report

telecom | 06/17/2014 7:27 pm EDT

New Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien says two government bills that deal with the sharing of information about Internet users, C-13 and S-4, should be reviewed in light of a recent Supreme Court...

Smartphones lead growth of ‘connected’ devices: IDC

telecom | 06/17/2014 5:23 pm EDT

Growing adoption of smartphones around the world will help drive growth in the total number of "smart connected devices" shipped to 1.8 billion this year, an increase of 15.6 per cent over last year, research company International Data Corp. said Tuesday. IDC said in a news release that such connected devices...

Yves Dupras returning to CRTC

Media | 06/17/2014 5:12 pm EDT

Heritage Minister Shelly Glover announced Tuesday that Quebec lawyer Yves Dupras was returning as a commissioner of the CRTC. A press release from Heritage Canada said Dupras would start a five-year term as a full-time designated...

Regulatory uncertainty could hurt innovation: experts

telecom | 06/16/2014 9:18 pm EDT

TORONTO — Ongoing interventions by Industry Canada, the Competition Bureau and the CRTC into Canada’s wireless industry are likely to harm future investments by telecom companies, Brookings Institute economist Robert...

Rogers CEO wants telecoms to stop wasting users’ time

Media | 06/16/2014 5:48 pm EDT

TORONTO — Rogers Communications Inc. CEO Guy Laurence says the telecom industry has wasted Canadians’ time. He said in a speech to the Canadian Telecom Summit Monday that complexity in...

Tool helps customers discover personal info telecoms use

telecom | 06/16/2014 5:03 pm EDT

A coalition of online privacy advocates on Monday announced the availability of an online tool subscribers can use to ask telecom services providers what kind of personal information they're...

CRTC allows exception on affiliate rates

telecom | 06/16/2014 5:01 pm EDT

The CRTC said Monday it has allowed an exception to its rule that telecommunications service providers' affiliates must charge identical rates to the incumbent phone company that controls them when reselling its services that...

BlackBerry releases enterprise-version BBM

telecom | 06/16/2014 4:51 pm EDT

BlackBerry Ltd. on Monday announced the availability of BBM Protected, a version of its BBM messaging service for enterprise use. The company said in a press release that the new application is "the most secure and reliable real-time mobile messaging experience in the industry." BlackBerry said BBM Protected will provide employees with a familiar and useable way to communicate messages, with added security for the transmission of sensitive details. It allows workers to communicate within their own organizations and with BBM Protected users at other companies. It is the first...

CRTC drops Bell complaint about condo access

telecom | 06/16/2014 4:40 pm EDT

The CRTC has closed an undue preference complaint by BCE Inc. against Rogers Communications Inc. regarding access to a Toronto condo building. Bell had filed a complaint alleging that a Toronto condo building was not allowing it...

Court decision muddies lawful access rules for ISPs: Lawford

telecom | 06/13/2014 9:00 pm EDT

Friday’s Supreme Court decision requiring law enforcement to get a warrant in order to obtain customers’ personal information from Internet service providers muddies the water around...

Teenager arrested for hacking Bell accounts

telecom | 06/13/2014 7:35 pm EDT

The RCMP on Friday said it has arrested and charged a minor in Quebec for hacking into a supplier of BCE Inc. and posting personal information from its small-business clients online. The police said in a press release that the...

FCC to examine U.S. Internet traffic management

Media | 06/13/2014 6:28 pm EDT

Tom Wheeler, chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, said Friday that his organization is looking into whether Internet service providers are purposely diminishing, for their own benefit, the flow of content from...

Rogers to spend $450M on B.C. wireless network

telecom | 06/13/2014 3:12 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. said Thursday it would spend $450 million to expand and improve its wireless network British Columbia over the next three years. It said in a press release that the outlay would expand its mobile network in more than 70 communities throughout the province. It added that it would improve existing LTE connections with use of the 700 MHz spectrum bought in this year's auction. Rogers spent $3.29 billion of the $5.27 billion raised in that auction. Rogers said when these investments are done, it will have spent $2 billion on its wireless network in B.C. Last...

Cogeco Cable looks to enter wireless market

telecom | 06/12/2014 8:30 pm EDT

Internet- and television-service provider Cogeco Cable Inc. is looking to enter the wireless market if the CRTC paves the way with new rules as part of its ongoing review of the wholesale wireless sector, the company’s...

No registration needed for CRTC licence lobbying

Media | 06/12/2014 7:34 pm EDT

Canada's lobbying commissioner says attempts to convince the CRTC to grant a broadcast licence do not have to be registered under the Lobbying Act, The Lobby Monitor reported Thursday. The article (subscribers only) said...

Slow growth cited in Twitter exec’s resignation

Media | 06/12/2014 5:01 pm EDT

Twitter Inc.'s chief operating officer, Ali Rowghani, has resigned his position, a move that has been linked with slower-than-expected growth the company has seen lately. Rowghani posted on Twitter Thursday morning: "Goodbye Twitter. It's been an amazing ride, and I will cherish the memories." A story published a day earlier on...

BlackBerry to support financial transactions for wireless incumbents

Media | 06/12/2014 4:58 pm EDT

BlackBerry Ltd. said Thursday it has reached a three-year deal with a consortium comprised of Canada's three incumbent wireless providers to support financial transactions conducted through...

Amazon launches music streaming in U.S.

Media | 06/12/2014 4:51 pm EDT

Amazon.com Inc. announced Thursday the launch of a new music-streaming service in the United States. It said in a press release that the product is called Prime Music and is available at no extra cost to existing U.S. customers...

BlackBerry might make phablets: report

telecom | 06/11/2014 9:12 pm EDT

BlackBerry Ltd. chief executive John Chen said the company might get into the business of making so-called phablets, or smartphones with extra-large screens, according to an article in an Indonesian publication. In an interview...

Senate committee fails to pass S-4 amendment on disclosure

telecom | 06/11/2014 7:47 pm EDT

The Senate committee dealing with the Digital Privacy Act failed to pass an amendment, on a tie vote, that would have required companies to inform individuals if their personal information was being...

Telecom Act allows retroactive code application, says government

telecom | 06/11/2014 7:39 pm EDT

The Telecommunications Act gives the CRTC the authority to apply its wireless code in such a way that it nullifies existing customer contracts, the federal government said in a new court filing...

More smartphone owners streaming audio, video: MTM

Media | 06/11/2014 6:09 pm EDT

The number of anglophone Canadians who are streaming television content on their smartphones increased 71 per cent from a year earlier, according to a new report from Media Technology Monitor (MTM). In 2013, 12 per cent of respondents reported watching TV on a smartphone, up from seven per cent a year earlier, according to MTM, a project of CBC/Radio-Canada. “While smartphone TV streamers watch less traditional TV on a TV set, they more than make up for that time streaming TV,” said the report, released on June 5. The number of users who stream video on their smartphones rose...

Google buys satellite company to improve Net access

Media | 06/11/2014 2:32 pm EDT

Google Inc. said Tuesday it had reached a deal to buy satellite company Skybox Imaging Inc. and hopes it can help it improve Internet access in some areas. Google said in a press release it is buying Skybox for $500 million US in...

Eliminate immunity for telecoms in C-13: privacy commish

telecom | 06/10/2014 8:55 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Federal privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien told a House of Commons committee on Tuesday that he was troubled by provisions in the government’s cyberbullying legislation that...

Canadian IP traffic to expand 2.4 times by 2018: Cisco

Media | 06/10/2014 8:14 pm EDT

Data transmitted over Internet protocol networks with devices in Canada will be about 2.4 times more in 2018 than what it was last year, according to a new report from Cisco Systems Inc. Highlights...

Internet ads revenue exceeded TV last year: PwC

Media | 06/10/2014 7:55 pm EDT

A recent report from PwC showed Internet advertising revenue in Canada surpassed television ad revenue last year for the first time. The report found Internet advertising was worth $3.75 billion last year, compared to $3.52...

Rogers climbs from bottom spot in Netflix speed index

Media | 06/09/2014 7:33 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. climbed out of the bottom ranking among 14 Canadian ISPs measured in latest speed index from Netflix Inc. Rogers had an average speed of 2.52 Mbps, according to Netflix's index for May that was posted Monday. That was up from an average speed of 1.67 Mbps in the April ranking. Netflix said in a blog that Rogers had the biggest improvement of any Canadian service provider measured. It moved to 12th place from 14th in April. Company spokesman Joris Evers said in an email that the scores represent average speeds for Netflix content during primetime viewing. Bell...

Verizon tells Netflix to ‘cease and desist’ on congestion claims

telecom | 06/06/2014 8:47 pm EDT

Verizon Communications Inc. on Thursday threatened Netflix Inc. with legal action in a cease and desist letter over messages the video-streaming service has shown to viewers that blames Verizon for quality issues experienced by that ISP's customers. “There is no basis for Netflix to assert that issues with...

CRTC warns companies as rural broadband deadline looms

telecom | 06/06/2014 8:45 pm EDT

This week the CRTC warned three companies — Telus Corp., BCE Inc. and Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. — about missing a late-August deadline for expanding broadband service to rural...

Canadian TV packages more flexible than in U.S.: study

Media | 06/06/2014 7:04 pm EDT

A report appearing on the CRTC's website Friday indicated that Canadian television service providers are offering more choice and flexibility than ones in the United States in selected markets....

Teksavvy data handover too expensive: Voltage

telecom | 06/06/2014 4:54 pm EDT

The Federal Court case Voltage Pictures LLC filed over illegal filesharing of some of its films was decided in February, but the courtroom back-and-forth is still ongoing. Voltage is trying to get Internet provider Teksavvy...

Vodafone says some countries tap into customer lines

telecom | 06/06/2014 4:46 pm EDT

British-based telecom-service provider Vodafone Group PLC said in a law enforcement disclosure report Friday that the governments of some countries in which it operates have direct access to its networks, allowing their agencies...

Videotron’s new TV app ‘sign of what’s to come’: analyst

Media | 06/05/2014 9:37 pm EDT

MONTREAL —Videotron’s new iPad application, which allows users to access live TV, free and paid video-on-demand (VOD) content and programming stored on a personal video recorder (PVR), in...

Rogers received over 170,000 sub-info requests in 2013

telecom | 06/05/2014 8:08 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. said Thursday it received 174,917 requests for information on subscribers from government agencies last year, though it did not say with how many it complied. The company...

Hungarian channel approved by CRTC

telecom | 06/05/2014 4:20 pm EDT

Hungary’s public broadcaster may soon be available for satellite subscribers in Canada after the CRTC announced on Thursday that it has added Duna World, distributed by Ethnic Channels Group Ltd., to the list of non-Canadian...

Verizon says Netflix ‘misleading’ viewers on connection issues

Media | 06/04/2014 7:49 pm EDT

In a blog post on its website Wednesday, Verizon Communications Inc. accused Netflix Inc. of "misleading" consumers about the source of buffering issues that viewers may have  experienced. The post from David Young, Verizon's vice-president of regulatory affairs, cited a Twitter posting showing a screen-grab from Netflix that said: "The Verizon Network is crowded right now." Young went on to say: "This claim is not only inaccurate, it is deliberately misleading." He said that the "most likely" reason for any transmission problems stems from the connection Netflix uses to connect to Verizon's network, which is something Netflix is...

Advocacy groups petition government on prepaid expirations

telecom | 06/04/2014 6:56 pm EDT

A pair of advocacy groups are asking to the government to overrule the CRTC's decision not to include a ban on expiration dates on prepaid wireless services in the wireless code that took effect...

U.K. regulator seeks lower wholesale wireless costs

telecom | 06/04/2014 4:06 pm EDT

As the CRTC continues its review of the wholesale wireless market in Canada, U.K. regulator Ofcom is proposing a new rate control to lower the price British wireless carriers can charge one another for completing calls to a...

Telecoms should provide warrantless disclosure stats: Therrien

telecom | 06/03/2014 10:24 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Daniel Therrien, the government’s nominee for privacy commissioner, told senators Tuesday that telecom companies should disclose statistics about the number of requests...

‘Connection’ helps commercial radio remain relevant: analyst

Media | 06/03/2014 8:29 pm EDT

Broadcast commercial radio remains popular in the face of competition from online streaming services and satellite radio because it’s a “point of connection” for listeners rather than just a music-delivery service, says analyst Jeff Vidler. The latest figures from the CRTC, released Tuesday, showed...

Bell reduces roaming charges for South Korea

telecom | 06/03/2014 6:11 pm EDT

BCE Inc. on Tuesday said it has reduced the cost of wireless roaming in South Korea for voice, text and data plans. Bell said in a press release it is now charging $30 for 60 minutes of voice time in the Asian country, compared to its previous rate of $40 for 50 minutes. A new talk-and-text package is available for $45 that allows 60 minutes of talk, 200 sent texts and unlimited incoming texts. The company said this package previously went for $60 and provided 50 minutes of voice with the same number of texts. The new rates for South Korea provide 50 megabytes of data for $30, compared to a...

Internet of Things worth $7.1 trillion US by 2020: IDC

telecom | 06/03/2014 5:22 pm EDT

The market to provide technology and services related to the Internet of Things will rise to $7.1 trillion US by 2020, International Data Corp. said Tuesday. The research company said in a press...

Rogers becomes Vodafone’s ‘exclusive partner in Canada’

telecom | 06/03/2014 3:35 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. said Tuesday it has struck a "partner-market agreement" with British telecom giant Vodafone Group PLC. Rogers said in a press release that this agreement makes it Vodafone's "exclusive partner in Canada" and will include a range of products and services, including...

Rogers launches Sportsnet streaming service

Media | 06/03/2014 3:29 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. on Tuesday announced the launch of an online streaming service and mobile application for Sportsnet programing. The company said in a press release the service is called Sportsnet Now, and for the time...

Data-packaging firm bought by Facebook

Media | 06/03/2014 3:13 pm EDT

A Finnish company that works with mobile operators to provide users with app-based data plans said Tuesday it has been bought by Facebook Inc. The company, Pryte Ltd., said in a message on its website: "Today, we are...

New Apple software routes iPhone calls through Macs

Media | 06/02/2014 7:40 pm EDT

At its Worldwide Developers Conference Monday, Apple Inc. revealed new software for Mac computers that, among other things, will allow iPhone calls and texting to be facilitated through a computer. Apple said in a press...

Purpose, fashion sense needed in wearables market: IDC

telecom | 06/02/2014 5:43 pm EDT

Wearable technology is expected to see "hockey stick growth" in Canada in the coming years, though the gadgets' purpose must be better demonstrated and the products have to look good on...

Bell, Videotron offer high-end WiFi routers

telecom | 06/02/2014 4:34 pm EDT

BCE Inc. and Quebecor Inc.'s Videotron have both announced the availability of new high-performance, multi-device WiFi routers available to its customers for an extra cost. On Monday, Bell said in a press release that its...

Middle East, Africa tablet market surges: IDC

telecom | 06/02/2014 2:28 pm EDT

The Middle East and Africa saw record growth in their tablet market in the first quarter of this year, despite a general slowdown in this industry's expansion globally, International Data Corp. said in a report released...

World Cup presents chance to test 4K TV

Media | 05/30/2014 8:17 pm EDT

When the World Cup begins in Brazil in two weeks, 3.2 billion people around the world will tune into the tournament, according to FIFA’s estimates. And while many of them will cheer on their team through a high-definition television, some broadcasters will be using the World Cup as an opportunity to test 4K — or ultra-high-definition— television signals. 4K TVs have a resolution that’s about four times higher than regular high-definition sets. Niclas Ericson, director of FIFA’s TV division, told The Wire Report in a phone interview that FIFA is making a 4K...

Advocacy groups object to nominee for privacy commish

Media | 05/30/2014 7:25 pm EDT

OpenMedia.ca said Friday it has sent a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper — on behalf of itself and other advocacy groups — protesting his nomination for a new federal privacy commissioner. OpenMedia, which...

WiFi could help wireless industry, consultant says

telecom | 05/30/2014 5:29 pm EDT

WiFi is not necessarily a friend of mobile carriers, though it could be, according to a Denmark-based industry consultant who’s hosting an international summit on WiFi in mid-June. Wireless service providers are...

Bell, Shaw extend mobile-TV to each other’s subs

Media | 05/30/2014 5:03 pm EDT

BCE Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. announced Friday, in separate press releases, that mobile applications for each of their conventional television networks are now available to subscribers of the other's TV-distribution services. Bell Media's CTV network said that its CTV Go application for Apple Inc. mobile...

Bill C-13 needs amending: Geist

telecom | 05/29/2014 9:13 pm EDT

Law professor Michael Geist called on the government to strike out parts of the lawful-access provisions in its so-called cyberbullying bill at an appearance on Parliament Hill on Thursday, saying that Bill C-13 should be amended...

Brian Mulroney nominated as Quebecor chairman

Media | 05/29/2014 2:50 pm EDT

Former prime minister Brian Mulroney has been nominated to be chairman of Quebecor Inc.'s board of directors, according to a corporate filing the company made on Wednesday. Mulroney would replace Françoise Bertrand, the chairwoman since March 2011, who Quebecor said in its filing has chosen not to seek re-election. Mulroney is currently vice-chairman, a role he was appointed to in March after Pierre Karl Péladeau stepped down from this role and other board positions as he prepared to run in the Quebec election for the Parti Quebecois. Péladeau, who according to the...

Daniel Therrien nominated as next privacy commish

telecom | 05/29/2014 2:07 pm EDT

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has nominated Daniel Therrien as the next federal privacy commissioner. Harper’s office issued the announcement through a press release on Wednesday. Therrien is currently an assistant deputy...

S-4 copyright trolling concerns not ‘valid’: Moore

Media | 05/29/2014 2:24 am EDT

OTTAWA — Industry Minister James Moore said Wednesday that he is not concerned that the government’s Digital Privacy Act will, as critics as have charged, open the door to copyright...

Growing smartphone market won’t help BlackBerry: report

telecom | 05/28/2014 7:30 pm EDT

A new report says smartphone sales will continue to grow in the coming years, though the opposite trend will be seen with BlackBerry Ltd.’s handsets. International Data Corp. said in a news...

CRTC splits difference on two Nova Scotia radio applications

Media | 05/28/2014 4:30 pm EDT

Two non-profit organizations applied to launch radio stations on the 88.7 FM frequency within 40 kilometres of one another outside of Halifax, and the CRTC on Wednesday said it approved the bid from...

Ont. privacy commish blasts federal cyberbullying bill

telecom | 05/28/2014 3:21 pm EDT

Ontario’s information and privacy commissioner on Wednesday criticized the federal government’s so-called cyberbullying bill, C-13, saying it would “invade the privacy of every...

Telus to invest $130M in Manitoba

telecom | 05/28/2014 3:09 pm EDT

Telus Corp. said Wednesday it is investing $130 million to upgrade its infrastructure in Manitoba between now and 2016. Telus said the money will go toward expanding its wireless LTE network, using the 700 MHz spectrum it bought...

Wholesale roaming caps won’t solve problem: Wind

telecom | 05/27/2014 6:02 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Proposed federal legislation that caps wholesale wireless prices is a good start but “doesn’t solve the issue,” Wind Mobile co-founder and chief regulatory officer Simon Lockie told a Senate...

Allstream gets certified for Ethernet service

telecom | 05/26/2014 6:11 pm EDT

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. on Monday said its business-networking arm, Allstream, had achieved a level of certification for its Ethernet services to enterprises, and is the first national carrier in Canada to receive this...

Industry Canada approves two spectrum transfers

telecom | 05/26/2014 5:16 pm EDT

Industry Canada has approved two spectrum transfers, from 7140282 Canada Inc. and ALO Mobile Inc. to Telehop Communications Inc., and from Silo Wireless Inc. to Xplornet Broadband Inc., the department said in two press releases Friday. Both acquisitions are “deemed” spectrum licence transfers, which are those involving spectrum assets acquired through the purchase of a company. Under the deals, Telehop will acquire AWS spectrum in Dawson Creek, B.C. and Hunstville, Ont., while Xplornet will acquire WCS spectrum in Strathroy, Ont....