RIM releases enterprise software for BB10

telecom | 01/23/2013 8:40 pm EST

The latest iteration of Research In Motion Ltd.’s secure enterprise service is now available for corporate clients to download, the company said Wednesday. In a release, RIM said its BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 will...

Advocacy groups ask Paradis to intervene in spectrum deal

telecom | 01/23/2013 3:49 am EST

A coalition of public advocacy groups are asking Industry Minister Christian Paradis to prohibit Rogers Communications Inc.’s from acquiring AWS spectrum Shaw Communications Inc. purchased in a 2008 auction. In a letter sent to the minister Monday, the groups—including the Public Interest Advocacy Centre...

Rogers enters LTE roaming agreement with 3 Hong Kong

telecom | 01/18/2013 9:41 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc.’s has reached a deal to allow its fourth-generation LTE customers to roam on 3 Hong Kong’s network in Hong Kong, the company said Thursday. In a release, Rogers said its deal with 3 Hong Kong was the first that would allow Canadian subscribers to roam on an LTE network in another country. It said the deal applied...

Mobile data costs to rise, Deloitte says

telecom | 01/18/2013 9:19 pm EST

Prices for mobile wireless data will rise and tiered “quality of service options” will emerge in the U.S. in 2013, with Canada following 18 months later, Deloitte and Touche LLP said in its annual technology, media and telecom predictions. Duncan Stewart, director of technology, media and telecom at Deloitte Canada, said in an Ottawa-area...

Lacavera steps aside as Orascom moves to gain control of Wind

telecom | 01/18/2013 8:48 pm EST

Anthony Lacavera will sell off his share of Wind Mobile and step down as its chairman and CEO as foreign parent company Orascom Telecom Holdings S.A.E. moves to convert its non-voting stake in the new entrant carrier into full operational control, Wind said Friday. In a release, Wind said Lacavera, who founded the company in 2008, has reached a deal to transfer his equity share in the company to Orascom, which is owned by Amsterdam-based VimpelCom Ltd., in exchange for an undisclosed amount of cash. He will also retain Globalive Communications Corp.'s original wireline assets including discount home phone and long distance company Yak Communications Canada Corp., and business and cloud services company OneConnect Services Inc. He will also retain control of the Globalive name, the...

Northwestel focuses on upgrading fixed wireless services in revised modernization plan

telecom | 01/18/2013 4:13 pm EST

Northwestel Inc. will roll out third-generation fixed wireless services to 41 northern Canadian communities over the next five years and seek partnership funding to reach 26 more, the company said in a revised modernization plan. In a $233 million plan filed with the CRTC Wednesday, BCE Inc.'s...

Internet throttling complaints drop after March

telecom | 01/17/2013 11:32 pm EST

The CRTC received 75 complaints about Internet throttling in 2012 but saw complaints decline after the first three months, the commission said in a status report released Thursday. In the report, the CRTC said it received 59...

SaskTel rolls out fibre for businesses

telecom | 01/17/2013 11:26 pm EST

SaskTel will spend $32.5 million over four years to build out a fibre-to-the-premise network for businesses in nine of Saskatchewan’s largest municipalities, the provincial Crown corporation said Wednesday. In a release, SaskTel said its “Fibre to the Business” project will replace the company’s existing DSL infrastructure for...

Visa approves RIM’s mobile payment system

telecom | 01/17/2013 11:22 pm EST

RIM Ltd.’s backend mobile payment system has gained the approval of Visa Inc., allowing partnering carriers to support Visa-operated cards from authorized financial institutions, the company said Wednesday. In a release,...

Flaherty letter to CRTC broke ethics rules: Dawson

telecom | 01/17/2013 11:16 pm EST

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty broke government conflict of interest rules when he wrote to the CRTC in support of Durham Radio Inc.’s application for a highly coveted FM radio slot in the Toronto market, the federal ethics...

Rural ISPs form lobby group for more fixed wireless spectrum

telecom | 01/17/2013 11:00 pm EST

A group of small, wireless Internet service providers (ISPs) formed a new organization to lobby the federal government for more spectrum for wireless Internet providers serving hard-to-reach rural communities, said Jonathan Black, treasurer of the new group. In a telephone interview this week, Black said representatives...

Nokia cuts IT workforce

telecom | 01/17/2013 10:55 pm EST

Nokia Corp. will cut 300 IT employees and transfer up to another 820 to a pair of outside agencies in an effort to “streamline” its IT organization, the mobile phone manufacturer said. In a release Thursday, Nokia said it will transfer some of its IT activities and up to 820 employees to HCL Technologies Ltd. and TATA Consultancy Services Ltd. to create an IT department that is “appropriate for...

Government fund to expand northern mobile services

telecom | 01/16/2013 9:20 pm EST

Twenty-five communities in the Northwest Territories will gain access to mobile broadband Internet services and 31 communities will see improved broadband services through a federal program designed to build strategic economic infrastructure, Infrastructure Canada said. In a release Tuesday, Infrastructure Canada said it was partnering with Falcon...

Where are Canada’s startups? 165 foreign buyouts since 2004

Media | 01/16/2013 10:27 am EST

In March 2009, Waterloo, Ont.-based Research in Motion Ltd. acquired Certicom Corp., a Mississauga, Ont. technology security company, in what seemed a rather routine purchase of a Canadian tech startup. The purchase stands out today because a Canadian company bought a Canadian startup, which is rare. Of the roughly 165 Canadian companies bought out between 2004 and the end of 2012, most of them startups, RIM's purchase of Certicom was the only acquisition by a Canadian company in that eight-year period, according to a list of acquisitions compiled by the Branham Group and published this month on the website of the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC). The remainder were acquired by larger companies based in the United States, as well as in Europe, Japan, the United...

Shaw-Rogers deal will test new entrant rules on spectrum transfers, analysts say

telecom | 01/15/2013 9:46 pm EST

A $700 million deal between Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. brings the cable companies into “uncharted regulatory territory” as spectrum earmarked for new entrants goes to an incumbent telco, industry analysts said. In the deal announced Monday, Rogers said it would purchase Shaw’s...

Telus expands LTE in Quebec

telecom | 01/15/2013 9:43 pm EST

Telus Corp. extended its fourth-generation LTE service to the Quebec communities of Beauce, the north coast of Mauricie, Charlevoix and Ile d’Orleans, the company said Tuesday. In a release, François Gratton, the president of Telus Quebec, said the LTE rollout is part of Telus’ $840 million investment to upgrade infrastructure in Quebec by 2014. The company added that it has invested $12.3 billion in...

Rogers, Shaw forge deal for spectrum, cableco, broadcast assets

Media | 01/14/2013 11:28 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc. may have found the additional mobile spectrum it was seeking to better compete with rival carriers Telus Corp.and BCE Inc. in Western Canada, and at the same time added to its cable business in Ontario. In a deal announced after markets closed Monday, Rogers said it secured an option to purchase,...

Industry Canada opens consultation on backhaul spectrum

telecom | 01/14/2013 10:41 pm EST

Industry Canada is consulting on a plan to increase the amount of spectrum available to mobile carriers and other Internet service providers (ISPs) for wireless backhaul amid a pending spectrum crunch. In a consultation notice posted in the Canada Gazette on Dec. 21, the federal department said it is considering options to...

Sandvine appoints O’Carroll to board

telecom | 01/11/2013 10:23 pm EST

Dermot O’Carroll was appointed to Sandvine Inc.’s board of directors, the company said Thursday. In a release, Sandvine said O’Carroll has about 40 years of experience in the telecommunications industry with 20 years in senior executive roles. O’Carroll most recently held the position of senior vice-president of network engineering and operations at Rogers Communications Inc. until his retirement in 2012. “Dermot’s elite experience in the industry will help ensure that the Company’s strategy and focus are guided by the ‘voice of the customer,’” Roger Maggs, chairman of Sandvine’s board of directors, said in a statement....

Shaw loses most cable subs in quarter in 10 years

telecom | 01/11/2013 9:58 pm EST

Shaw Communications Inc. experienced the highest quarterly loss in cable subscribers in 10 years during the first quarter of 2013, Canaccord Genuity said in a research note this week. Canaccord analyst Dvai Ghose noted Shaw lost 23,912 cable customers in the quarter and 611 net aggregate cable TV, Internet and telephony customers. Shaw generated...

Where are Canada’s startups? ‘Scrounging up’ funding

Media | 01/11/2013 8:04 pm EST

Limited funds and the complex process of obtaining them are one of the key obstacles making it difficult for Canada’s technology startups to grow and remain in Canada, experts and tech entrepreneurs say. One of the biggest and most common challenges facing Canada’s tech startups is financing, Roberta Fox, chair...

Angel investors get another $100,000 in funding

Media | 01/11/2013 3:38 pm EST

A $100,000 investment from the federal Conservative government will allow Maple Leaf Angels Corp. to connect more angel investors with startups in southern Ontario, said Gary Goodyear, the minister of state for federal economic development in Ontario. A release said the investment will help Toronto-based Maple Leaf Angels, a not-for-profit organization...

Sandvine reports profits, higher revenues

telecom | 01/11/2013 3:21 pm EST

Canadian network technology company Sandvine Inc. reported profits and revenue of $27.5 million US for the fourth quarter of 2012, the company said Thursday. Sandvine said in a release profits were $6.5 million US in the fourth quarter, up from a net loss of $2.1 million US in the same period of 2011. The revenues of $27.5 million rose from $21.8...

Rogers Internet goes down in southern Ontario

telecom | 01/11/2013 3:03 pm EST

Internet service was restored Wednesday night to Rogers Communications Inc. southern Ontario customers who experienced disruptions to their high-speed Internet services, Jennifer Kett, a spokeswoman for the company, said Thursday. In an emailed statement, Kett said the service disruption lasted about four hours with Internet service restored by 11 p.m....

Privacy office memo suggests ‘warrant light’ approach to lawful access

telecom | 01/09/2013 9:47 pm EST

The Conservative government should take a “warrant light” approach to lawful access legislation now stalled in the House of Commons in the form of Bill C-30, Karim Benyekhlef, a law professor at the Université de Montreal, said in a new report to Canada's privacy commissioner. The Canadian Press...

Dish makes unsolicited, competing bid for Clearwire

telecom | 01/09/2013 8:21 pm EST

Dish Network Corp. submitted an unsolicited bid to purchase Clearwire Corp. at $3.30 US per share, higher than Sprint Nextel Corp.'s offer of $2.97 US per share, Clearwire said. Sprint, which in October said it would be acquired by Japanese mobile carrier Softbank Corp., said in a December release that it intended to purchase its remaining 50 per...

Shaw profits higher as cable TV losses continue

Media | 01/09/2013 7:53 pm EST

Shaw Communications Inc. reported higher profits for the first quarter of its 2013 fiscal year despite further subscriber losses in its cable TV segment. On Wednesday the company reported profit of $235 million for the first...

Sandvine receives $6.5M order

telecom | 01/09/2013 7:51 pm EST

Sandvine Inc. said it received more than $6.5 million in follow-on network policy control orders from top communications service providers in Asia. In a release Tuesday, Sandvine said it announced initial orders from the Asian customer in May 2012 and that, since that time, it received orders from “Tier-1” Asian operators that total about $20 million. "We have been able to demonstrate our ability to measure application usage on a granular basis and provide meaningful streaming video metrics based on device, display characteristics and transport quality,” Tom Donnelly, chief operating officer of sales and global services at Sandvine, said in a statement. He said the company is now expanding its capabilities to additional network locations....

Cisco releases new TV distribution platform

telecom | 01/08/2013 10:46 pm EST

Cisco Systems Inc. unveiled a new Videoscape Unity television distribution platform at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday. In a release, Cisco said the new platform enables advanced multiscreen video and television services. It said Videoscape Unity is an expansion of its Videoscape service and includes a multiscreen cloud...

Industry Canada issues revised spam regs

telecom | 01/07/2013 9:48 pm EST

Industry Canada issued revised regulations to support Canada’s new anti-spam law. In a notice in the Canada Gazette on Jan. 5, 2013, Industry Canada said the regulations were revised to address industry concerns that the proposed regulations were too broad. In a blog post on Monday, David Elder, a communications lawyer at Stikeman Elliott LLP in...

Ubuntu releases mobile OS

telecom | 01/07/2013 8:50 pm EST

Linux-based open source computer operating system Ubuntu launched a free, mobile device platform. “Your phone is more immersive, the screen is less cluttered, and you flow naturally from app to app with edge magic,” said a message posted this month on the website of Ubuntu, adding that the system's developers will be available for meetings at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas....

The economics of a fibre rollout: demographics, competition, aerial space, are key

telecom | 01/07/2013 7:36 pm EST

Consumer demand for bandwidth and more efficient network builds are allowing Bell Aliant Inc. to roll out its fibre-to-the-home network in communities that were previously seen as not a viable...

RIM’s chief information officer retires

telecom | 12/21/2012 5:06 pm EST

Research In Motion Ltd.’s (RIM) chief information officer Robin Bienfait will retire at the end of this year, the company said Thursday. In RIM’s third quarter results for fiscal 2013, the company said Bienfait is retiring after six years of service. “Her team has diligently prepared us for the launch of BlackBerry 10 and beyond, and I will remain deeply grateful for her leadership and commitment,” Thornsten Heins, president and CEO of RIM, said in a statement. In a release, RIM said Bienfait came to the company in 2007 with the aim of growing RIM from a single presence in Canada to a distributed, worldwide model. She will continue supporting RIM in an advisory capacity, the company said. Prior to joining RIM, the company said Bienfait held senior positions with...

Cogeco buys Peer 1

telecom | 12/21/2012 5:04 pm EST

Cogeco Cable Inc. reached an agreement to acquire Vancouver-based Peer1 Network Enterprises Inc. for $526 million, the companies said Friday. In a release, the companies said the enterprise value of the Internet infrastructure provider is about $635 million. Louis Audet, president and CEO of Cogeco, said in a statement that the acquisition is part of the company’s plan to grow its presence in the data centre...

MTS wins contract from federal government

telecom | 12/21/2012 5:00 pm EST

MTS Allstream Inc. signed a “multi-year contract” to provide business IP and switched Ethernet services to the federal government through Shared Services Canada, the company said Friday. Shared Services is the...

RIM reports subscriber loss, lower sales

telecom | 12/21/2012 4:56 pm EST

Research In Motion Ltd. reported lower third quarter losses, lower sales of its BlackBerry smartphones and, for the first time, a loss on its subscriber base, the company said in a quarterly earnings report released Thursday. RIM...

Industry Canada posts 2500 MHz replies

telecom | 12/21/2012 4:53 pm EST

Industry Canada released final reply comments for its consultation on proposed regulations for its upcoming 2500 MHz spectrum auction. DAVE Wireless, MTS Allstream Inc., Public Mobile Inc., Quebecor Media Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., SaskTel, and Telus Corp. are among the companies that submitted reply comments, as well as BCE Inc. and Bragg...

Telus rolls out LTE in B.C. communities

telecom | 12/20/2012 10:14 pm EST

Telus Corp. invested more than $1.04 million to bring fourth-generation LTE wireless services to eight British Columbia communities, the company said Wednesday. In a series of releases Wednesday, Telus said it invested $160,000 in Dawson Creek, $350,000 in Fort St. John, $235,000 in Tumbler Ridge, $200,000 in Golden and Revelstoke, and $300,000 in the...

Incumbents will be winners in 700 MHz auction: BMO

telecom | 12/20/2012 10:00 pm EST

BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. will be the “winners” of next year’s 700 MHz auction, beating new entrant carriers Wind Mobile, Mobilicity and Public Mobile for the most prized mobile...

Arris to buy Motorola Home from Google

telecom | 12/20/2012 9:49 pm EST

Arris Group Inc. agreed to buy Motorola Mobility LLC’s “Motorola Home” business from Google Inc. for $2.35 billion US in cash and stock, the companies said Wednesday. In a release, the companies said Arris will spend $2.05 billion US in cash to acquire the division, owned by parent company Google, which offers set-top boxes and other...

Inukshuk sues Vecima over spectrum deal

telecom | 12/19/2012 10:01 pm EST

The Inukshuk Wireless Partnership is suing Vecima Networks Inc. in the Supreme Court of Ontario over a spectrum holdings deal, Vecima said.  Vecima said in a release Tuesday that Inukshuk argues in court that Vecima did not comply with an agreement to sell radio spectrum to Inukshuk, a partnership betweeen Rogers Communications Inc....

B.C. court approves Telus share conversion

telecom | 12/19/2012 9:40 pm EST

Telus Corp.’s proposal to exchange non-voting shares for common shares on a one-for-one basis was approved by the Supreme Court of British Columbia, the company said Tuesday. In a release, Telus said the court determined the exchange to be “fair and reasonable.” Telus said the court rejected arguments and appeals made by New York-based hedge fund Mason Capital Management LLC that opposed Telus’ proposal. The court decision said Mason’s arguments “display a lack of regard for the overall circumstances relating to TELUS and its shareholders, which are to be...

CCTS rejects call for more enforcement powers

telecom | 12/19/2012 9:27 pm EST

The Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) would be “willing and able” to enforce a future code of conduct for wireless carriers though it does not want additional powers to do so, the CCTS said. In regulatory documents filed with the commission this month, mobile carriers and consumer interest groups said the...

No injunction against Mobilicity ads, B.C. court says

telecom | 12/19/2012 9:22 pm EST

New entrant wireless carrier DAVE Wireless Inc. can continue airing ads about “unlimited” data packages and the limited nature of its competitors “unlimited” packages after British Columbia’s top...

CRTC order on NFL, NHL content violated Copyright Act: Bell

Media | 12/19/2012 7:28 pm EST

The CRTC infringed the Copyright Act last year when it ordered BCE Inc. to explain how it would make exclusive NHL and NFL mobile sports content available to competitor Telus Corp., BCE said in court...

Mitec names new CFO, director

telecom | 12/18/2012 9:02 pm EST

Radio frequencies products manufacturer Mitec Telecom Inc. appointed Leslie Hayes as its chief financial officer and Edward Leavens as a director on the company’s board, Mitec said. In a release Tuesday, Mitec said Hayes and Leavens will replace Bruno Dumais and Noah Billick, respectively, and that they will work out of the company’s...

Auction format means lower revenues, less gaming: Lemay

telecom | 12/18/2012 9:00 pm EST

Industry Canada's new format for the 700 MHz spectrum auction next year will lead to lower government revenues and less in-auction “gaming,” a mock auction by research firm Lemay-Yates Associates Inc. showed. In October, Lemay-Yates conducted a mock auction with eight bidding groups competing for 45 spectrum licences, including nine licences in five geographic regions in one country. Those bidders, which were assigned to behave as either a new entrant or incumbent wireless carrier, were given different auction budgets totalling $2.2 billion for spectrum carrying a total reserve price of $950 million. In an interview, Johanne Lemay, co-president of Lemay-Yates, said seven of the bidders purchased all 45 licences with $1.3 billion, or about 37 per cent above the total...

Samsung can continue U.S. sales, drops European lawsuits

telecom | 12/18/2012 8:57 pm EST

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. said it will withdraw lawsuits seeking to ban sales of Apple Inc.’s products in Europe a day after a U.S. judge denied Apple’s request for a permanent injunction against U.S. sales of 26 Samsung products, Reuters reported. In a decision released Monday, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh...

Tories invest $100,000 in startups

telecom | 12/18/2012 6:19 pm EST

A $100,000 investment from the federal government will encourage more private investment in Oakville, Ont. startups, Conservative MP Terence Young said Monday. Young said in a release that the funding program, called the FedDev Ontario Investing in Business Innovation, will allow the Oakville-based Angel One Investors Network to expand its membership...

Ontario telco complains about unregistered cableco competitor

telecom | 12/18/2012 6:17 pm EST

Execulink Telecom Inc., an incumbent telco in Southern Ontario, asked the CRTC to stop a local cableco competitor from offering “unauthorized” telephone services. In an application filed with the commission on Monday, Execulink said cableco Nor-Del Cablevision Ltd. is offering local, IP-based telephone services...

Sprint to acquire 100% of Clearwire

telecom | 12/18/2012 6:11 pm EST

Softbank Corp. aims to strengthen its wireless holdings in the United States as Sprint Nextel Corp. said it reached a deal to acquire 100 per cent ownership of Clearwire Corp. for $2.2 billion US. Sprint, which said in October it would be acquired by Japanese mobile carrier Softbank, said in a release Monday it will purchase its remaining 50 per cent...

CRTC review should look at support for mobile, new technologies: Northwestel

telecom | 12/18/2012 3:02 pm EST

One of the top issues for the CRTC's upcoming review of Northwestel Inc. and telecom services in the North will be how to better support newer technologies like advanced mobile services, said Paul Flaherty, Northwestel’s president. “Lots of people are going to talk about the interest of having more wireless...

CRTC consults on 911 services

telecom | 12/17/2012 10:18 pm EST

The CRTC opened a consultation on the future of Canada’s 911 emergency services. In a release Monday, the CRTC said it appointed commissioner Tim Denton as inquiry officer and encouraged Canadians to comment on how 911...

Canada turns away from new ITU telecom treaty

telecom | 12/14/2012 9:34 pm EST

The two-week World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai concluded with a new global treaty on global interconnection and telecom communications, with 89 states supporting the treaty and others, including Canada, refusing to sign it. Mohamed al-Ghanim, chairman of the conference hosted by the International Telecommunication...

Private members bill on tower sharing voted down by government

telecom | 12/14/2012 7:07 pm EST

The Conservative government voted down a private members' bill in Parliament to create a new tower sharing and consultation regime for wireless carriers. Bill C-429, tabled by NDP MP Sylvain Chicoine in June, was defeated Wednesday by a vote of 154 to 130 as the Conservatives voted against it. The NDP, Liberals, Green...

Shaw focuses on broadband, customer service, as Telus takes subs

telecom | 12/13/2012 10:18 pm EST

Shaw Communications Inc. is focused on improving customer service, leveraging its new WiFi network, and selling more Internet service subscriptions to retain customers in its battle with Telus Corp. in Western Canada, said Peter Bissonnette, Shaw’s president. “This is about making ourselves much more customer centric,” Bissonnette said in a phone interview this week. “Whatever our customers are demanding in terms of their experience, our objective is to meet that experience.” The incumbent cableco, operating in Western Canada, is facing tough competition from...

SaskTel brings high-speed Internet to First Nations

telecom | 12/13/2012 10:01 pm EST

SaskTel rolled-out high-speed Internet services to eight First Nations communities, the company said. In a release Thursday, SaskTel said the Makaoo, Seekaskootch, Piapot, Little Pine, Mosquito, Witchekan Lake, Keeseekoose and Key First Nations  will have access to high-speed Internet services. The new services are a part of a 2010 initiative to...

Bell boosts pension fund, on track for fiscal targets

telecom | 12/12/2012 9:57 pm EST

BCE Inc. said it is on track to meet its annual growth targets as it announced a $750 million voluntary contribution to its pension plan Tuesday. In a release, Bell said it made the $750 million pension contribution out of its...

Former Bell executive Alain Gourd dies at 66

Media | 12/12/2012 9:48 pm EST

Alain Gourd, an independent broadcasting consultant and former chair of an industry-led working group on over-the-top services, died Dec. 8, a release from his firm Alain Gourd Communications Inc. said Tuesday. In the release,...

Mobilicity says it will countersue Telus over false advertising claims

telecom | 12/11/2012 9:01 pm EST

New entrant wireless carrier DAVE Wireless Inc. will launch a countersuit against Telus Corp., arguing the incumbent telco uses false advertising in its promotions, said Stewart Lyons, the...

CRTC should regulate data roaming charges, practices, PIAC says

telecom | 12/10/2012 9:59 pm EST

The CRTC should regulate wireless carriers’ international roaming policies to prevent Canadians from experiencing “bill shock” when they return from travelling in other countries, a report by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) said. In a report titled “Consumers and Wireless Data Roaming,” released Monday, PIAC said voluntary measures that Canadian carriers take to warn their subscribers about the costs of international data roaming charges are insufficient to protect Canadians from pricier-than-expected bills when they travel abroad. The consumer group called on the CRTC to require carriers to use text messages to warn consumers when they are in a position to incur data roaming charges; impose default monthly caps on how much consumers can be...

Garneau campaigns on no telecom investment restrictions

telecom | 12/10/2012 8:00 pm EST

Liberal leadership candidate Marc Garneau said Canada should open its doors completely to foreign ownership in the telecom sector. “I would maintain restrictions on foreign ownership in broadcasting because of cultural and content implications to ensure continued production and broadcast of Canadian shows and content...

City of Hamilton considers cancelling free WiFi

telecom | 12/10/2012 7:58 pm EST

The City of Hamilton is looking at cancelling its free WiFi service, the Hamilton Spectator reported. The newspaper said in a report Monday that the city's audit, finance and administration committee is considering a recommendation to cancel the program, primarily intended to support tourism. “We were getting a lot of complaints from the...

Netflix reaches exclusive deal for Arrested Development in Canada

telecom | 12/07/2012 9:47 pm EST

Netflix Inc. will distribute the new, fourth season of comedy Arrested Development in Canada, the company said Monday. In a release, Netflix said the new season of the program, which went off the air in 2006, is being produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television and Imagine Television. The show's previous three seasons...

Godard leaves IDC

telecom | 12/07/2012 9:28 pm EST

Fred Godard resigned as a director with International Datacasting Corp. (IDC), the research firm said Thursday. In a release, IDC said Godard’s resignation was effective immediately and that it follows an announcement last week that he will no longer serve as the company’s president and CEO, roles he had held since March 2010. With Godard’s departure, IDC’s board now consists of Georges Ata,...

Teliphone Corp. acquires Navigata

telecom | 12/07/2012 9:23 pm EST

Toronto network operator Teliphone Corp. acquired Navigata Communications 2009 Inc.’s core assets, operations and network, the company said. “The transaction includes all core assets, operations and network of Navigata Communications 2009 Inc. including its British Columbia wireless microwave backhaul network, its Canadian Wavelength Fibre...

CRTC rejects GATPE appeal

telecom | 12/07/2012 9:01 pm EST

The CRTC denied a GATPE Services request to review and vary its August decision to allow Dellvoice.ca and the Fibernetics Group of Companies to continue offering free telephone services in the Montreal market. In a Dec. 4 letter to GATPE’s owner, Max May, the CRTC’s executive director of telecommunications, Chris Seidl, said the commission closed its file on GATPE’s request, which was submitted earlier...

Telus again close to 33% foreign ownership limit

telecom | 12/07/2012 8:46 pm EST

U.S. hedge fund Mason Capital Management LLC appears to have purchased a “significant long position” in Telus Corp.’s common shares, Telus said Thursday. In a release, Telus said “large blocks” of...

Ontario group completes fibre backbone

telecom | 12/07/2012 8:41 pm EST

The Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) completed a 5,500 kilometre fibre optic backbone, the organization said Friday. The group of public and private organizations aims to provide 13 rural communities with high-speed Internet access by early 2014. At a news conference in Gananoque, Ont., webcast online, EORN said the fibre optic backbone will...

Younger demographic more a PC than smartphone generation, Deloitte says

Media | 12/07/2012 8:12 pm EST

Despite rapid growth in smartphone and tablet use, more than 80 per cent of global Internet traffic, as measured in bits, will continue to come from laptops and PC computers in 2013, consulting firm Deloitte and Touche LLP will forecast in its annual media and technology predictions in January. Duncan Stewart, director of technology, media and telecom at Deloitte Canada, said in an interview that a younger, 18-to-24 year-old demographic continues to prefer PCs (including laptops) over smartphones and tablets. The laptop and desktop share of Internet traffic will remain at about 80 per cent in 2013, though computers make up less than 50 per cent of devices. “Their share is declining,...

SaskTel billing glitch leads to $100,000 bills

telecom | 12/06/2012 9:46 pm EST

A technical glitch caused SaskTel wireless customers to receive bills for data usage of up to $100,000 each, the company said on its website Tuesday. “As part of the 4G LTE network capacity enhancements, SaskTel was...

Competition bureau appoints enforcement adviser

telecom | 12/06/2012 9:38 pm EST

Competition and privacy lawyer Bill Miller will become the Competition Bureau's special enforcement adviser to the commissioner of competition, the agency said Thursday. In a release, the bureau said Miller, who assumed his new role on Dec. 3, has 25 years of experience in the Department of Justice, most recently as general counsel for the...

Northwestel hearing to review price caps, subsidies, other regs

telecom | 12/06/2012 9:04 pm EST

Price caps, subsidies and other regulations applying to Northwestel Inc. will be under review as the CRTC looks at the company's plan to “modernize” its telecommunications services at a public hearing in June, the commission said. In a notice of consultation issued Thursday, the CRTC said the...

Aakash 2 tablet a ‘significant improvement’: DataWind

telecom | 12/06/2012 8:06 pm EST

The Aakash 2 tablet is a “significant improvement” from the first version, which was criticized by users for its slow processor and resistive screen, Suneet Singh Tuli, president and CEO of Montreal-based device maker DataWind, said Tuesday. Singh Tuli said in a phone interview that the new tablet, released in...

Hackers claim responsibility for WCIT disruption

telecom | 12/06/2012 7:53 pm EST

Web access to documents for the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) was disrupted Wednesday as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) came under criticism for approving Internet snooping standards. The Centre for Democracy and Technology (CDT), an American nonprofit that advocates for Internet freedom, said in an updated website posting Wednesday that member countries of the ITU, an agency of the UN, had approved technological standards “that could give governments and companies the ability to sift through all of an Internet user’s traffic—including emails, banking transactions, and voice calls—without adequate privacy safeguards. The move suggests that some governments hope for a world where even encrypted communications may not be...

Incumbents’ new wireless plans still positive for revenues: analysts

telecom | 12/06/2012 5:18 pm EST

The incumbents' new wireless plans appear to be more positive for their revenues than similar plans launched recently by incumbent telcos in the United States, Canaccord Genuity said in a report issued Dec. 5. “[T]he U.S. plans eliminate domestic long distance charges, while unlimited long distance costs $10 per...

No review of Telus’ foreign ownership, CRTC says

telecom | 12/05/2012 9:45 pm EST

The CRTC rejected a Globalive Wireless Management Corp. request for a review of Telus Corp.’s foreign ownership holdings. In June, Globalive asked the CRTC to review whether Telus was in compliance with federal laws that limit foreign ownership of large Canadian telecommunications companies. Under the...

Follow Quebec law for new national wireless code, carriers say

telecom | 12/05/2012 9:37 pm EST

The CRTC should model its future code of conduct for wireless carriers on similar consumer wireless legislation passed in the Quebec legislature, Canada’s wireless carriers said. In regulatory...

Telus opens Quebec data centre, invests in cloud services

telecom | 12/05/2012 9:05 pm EST

Telus Corp. opened a new $65-million data centre in Rimouski, Que., and said it will invest another $13 million on IT infrastructure in the province, the company said Tuesday. In a release, Telus said the new data centre connects to its national network and “is interconnected with major data centres across the...

Redknee deal means supporting one billion customers

telecom | 12/05/2012 8:23 pm EST

Mississauga, Ont. company Redknee Solutions Inc. will buy Nokia Siemens Networks' business support systems, gaining an additional 1,200 employees, the companies said Wednesday. Nokia Siemens' business support systems provide charging, rating, policy, and customer care services to more than 130 communications companies, including half of the top...

Mobile phone market slowing to 1.4% growth

telecom | 12/05/2012 7:17 pm EST

Growth of the global mobile phone market will slow to 1.4 per cent for 2012, the lowest annual growth rate in three years, research firm IDC said Tuesday. IDC said in a release it projects a record number of smartphone shipments, as a segment of mobile phones, during the 2012 holiday season. Vendors will ship more than 1.7 billion mobile phones in...

Rogers focuses on mobile commerce and video, M2M, as TV declines

Media | 12/05/2012 4:34 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc. will focus its growth on mobile commerce, mobile video and machine-to-machine communication devices over the next two years, Nadir Mohamed, president and CEO of the company,...

Broadband affordability will be key to universal access, experts say

telecom | 12/04/2012 9:39 pm EST

The affordability of broadband service, as opposed to where it’s available, will be the big question when the CRTC next reviews Internet access and whether it should be considered a “basic service,” industry experts say. “It’s not a matter of building it out, it’s a matter of subsidizing...

WCIT is not ‘about taking over the Internet,’ Touré says

telecom | 12/04/2012 8:44 pm EST

The news media contributed to “misinformation” leading up to the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), a forum that “is not about taking over the Internet,” said Hamadoun Touré, secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). “We have seen and heard many comments about ITU or the United Nations trying to take over the Internet,” Touré said Monday, according to the text of a speech to member countries attending the WCIT. “WCIT is not about taking over the Internet. And WCIT is not about Internet governance. WCIT is about making sure that we connect the billion people without access to mobile...

Telus expands B.C. mobile coverage

telecom | 12/03/2012 9:58 pm EST

Telus Corp. is investing $2.2 million in its wireless coverage of more than 35 kilometres of highway between Malakwa and Revelstoke, B.C., the company said Monday. Telus said the site project is part of a 10-year agreement with the province signed in 2011. Under the agreement, the release said, the company is bringing wireless to more than 1,700...

Industry Canada removes L-band allocations

telecom | 12/03/2012 9:47 pm EST

Industry Canada will no longer reserve a swath of “L-band” spectrum for digital radio services and has removed the band allocations for satellite broadcasting and satellite mobile services. Industry Canada said in a notice Saturday it was immediately allotting the L-band spectrum (1452 MHz to 1476 MHz) to “aeronautical mobile...

Cogeco completes Atlantic Broadband deal

telecom | 12/03/2012 9:39 pm EST

Cogeco Cable Inc. said Friday it completed its acquisition of cableco Atlantic Broadband Inc. from private equity firm ABRY Partners. Cogeco announced the $1.36-billion US deal in July, marking its first entry in the U.S market. Formed in 2003, Atlantic Broadband is the 12th largest cable operator in the United States with 251,000 television customers...

Researchers urge changes to StatsCan’s Internet use survey

telecom | 12/03/2012 9:22 pm EST

Statistics Canada’s Internet use survey should undergo some changes to be more effective and timely, said researchers who use the data. According to Statistics Canada’s website, the survey, officially called the Canadian Internet Use Survey, replaced the former Household Internet Use Survey, which ran from 1997...

Blais foresees broadband access as ‘basic service’

telecom | 12/01/2012 2:14 am EST

OTTAWA—CRTC Chair Jean-Pierre Blais said he expects universal access to broadband Internet to one day be defined and regulated a "basic service," as home telephone services are now. “The commission’s mandate and overarching goal is to make sure all Canadians, including vulnerable populations, have access to essential communication services. No debate about that,” Blais said Friday in a speech at a dinner hosted by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC). “Deciding exactly what constitutes a basic service is open to interpretation, of course. Years ago, it meant having a basic telephone line. In light of the growing importance of broadband to all aspects of Canadians’ lives, I can foresee the day when universal access to broadband will form...

Telus says Mason reduced its stake

telecom | 11/30/2012 8:34 pm EST

A New York hedge fund that took Telus Corp. to B.C.’s top court over a share conversion battle “clearly reduced a significant portion” of its shares in the company, Telus said. In a release Friday, Telus said...

Canadian WCIT delegation to oppose more Internet regulation

telecom | 11/30/2012 8:13 pm EST

Canada will oppose proposals to increase regulations on international Internet traffic at a special meeting of the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) 193 member countries in December, Industry Minister Christian Paradis said. The World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), taking place Dec....

DragonWave closes deal for Nokia Siemens China segment

telecom | 11/30/2012 7:15 pm EST

DragonWave Inc. finalized a deal to acquire some of Nokia Siemens Networks B.V.'s wireless transport business in China, the company said Friday. DragonWave, a wireless network systems company based out of Ottawa, said in a release that all regulatory approvals in China were met, and that about 100 employees of Nokia...

CRTC looking at new phone number shortages

telecom | 11/29/2012 9:37 pm EST

The CRTC will form two ad-hoc committees to address a pending shortfall of available phone numbers in Alberta and southern Ontario. In a release posted on the commission’s website Thursday, the CRTC said the southern Ontario area codes 226 and 519, and the Alberta area codes 403, 587 and 780, are expected to run out of available new phone numbers...

McCarthy partner Takach runs for Liberal leadership

Media | 11/29/2012 9:36 pm EST

Toronto-area technology lawyer George Takach said he is running for the federal Liberal party leadership with “super-fast Internet for all Canadians” and a digital bill of rights as key pieces of his campaign platform.  In a speech Thursday posted on his campaign website, which declared his candidacy for the federal Liberal leadership,...

Startup Canada launches innovation action plan

Media | 11/28/2012 9:19 pm EST

Startup Canada, a nonprofit created this year, launched a new action plan to drive economic development, job creation and entrepreneurial innovation in Canada, the network said Tuesday. In a release, Startup Canada said the plan aims to make Canada one of the world’s top entrepreneurial economies and that, over three phases, the strategy will be...

Capacity billing rates make or break for wholesale Internet regime, small ISPs say

telecom | 11/28/2012 8:35 pm EST

The CRTC's review of the “capacity-based billing” rates it established in November 2011 will make or break wholesale Internet services provided by the incumbent cable and telecom...

Rate of lost, stolen cellphones falling, CWTA says

telecom | 11/28/2012 7:39 pm EST

Incidents of lost or stolen mobile phones fell by 15 per cent in 2011 and are on track to fall again in 2012, the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) said, citing carrier data. In a letter to the CRTC Tuesday,...

Hearing for Competition Bureau-Chatr case moved to March

telecom | 11/28/2012 6:44 pm EST

The Ontario Superior Court moved to March a hearing on the Competition Bureau's lawsuit against Rogers Communications Inc. for alleged "misleading advertising" related to its discount Chatr wireless brand. One person with knowledge of the case told The Wire Report the final stretch of the trial hearings, taking place in Toronto, should take about four weeks to complete. The hearing was scheduled to restart Nov. 5, 2012, but that has now been moved to March 18, 2013, due to scheduling issues. The Competition Bureau launched the court action against Rogers in 2010, seeking a...