International ICT conference to draw $3-5 billion investment in Canadian economy: Organizers

Media | 07/09/2010 2:21 pm EDT

Organizers for the next World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT), to be held in Montreal in 2012, are expecting the event to draw investments of $3-5 billion in the Canadian economy. Montreal won the hosting privileges for conference, known as the “Olympics of information and...

CRTC pursuing $57,000 in do-not-call fines through Federal Court

telecom | 07/08/2010 8:32 pm EDT

As calls mounted this week for increased powers for the CRTC to collect fines, commission information shows the agency is seeking do-not-call list fines from nine organizations, totaling $57,000, through the Federal Court. The national do-not-call list, launched in the fall of 2008, contains phone numbers of individuals...

Rogers, Telus join international forum to shift traditional voice to IP

telecom | 07/08/2010 5:52 pm EDT

Rogers and Telus are taking part in international discussions about the move away from traditional telephony and the global race to replace toward IP voice systems.  The International IP Interconnection (i3) Forum—a global group of IP service providers—hosted a two-day technical workshop in Warsaw, Poland,...

Federal Court of Appeal decision maintains ‘content-neutral’ role of ISPs

Media | 07/07/2010 9:12 pm EDT

OTTAWA—Internet service providers (ISPs) celebrated a Federal Court of Appeal decision Wednesday that said ISPs play a “content-neutral role” in the transmission of data and do not carry on broadcasting activities. Cultural groups and ISPs had been arguing before the court...

Rogers’ discount Chatr brand a reaction to new entrants: Public Mobile

telecom | 07/05/2010 9:51 pm EDT

Rogers Communications may not be the only incumbent telco to launch a contract-free, unlimited talk-and-text wireless brand. Bruce Kirby, vice-president of strategy and business development with Public Mobile, told The Wire Report in an interview that the incumbents are reacting to new wireless entrants on the scene. Kirby said the incumbents are trying to prevent new players like Public Mobile from succeeding. “The incumbents are … inclined to sort of do a knee-jerk reaction to anything that they see as being competitive in the market,” Kirby said. Carmi Levy, an independent technology consultant, said that the landscape is changing “seismically” in...

Telcos could double their revenues through cloud services: Deloitte researcher

Media | 07/05/2010 9:22 pm EDT

As mobile voice revenues begin to stagnate, experts say telecommunication companies will increasingly turn to cloud solutions to generate more income. “We are not making more phone calls, we are not making more long-distance phone calls, the number of corporations that are out there buying more lines for fax...

CRTC extends traffic management policy to wireless providers

telecom | 07/05/2010 9:18 pm EDT

The CRTC’s decision last week to implement traffic management policies for wireless carriers could be a step toward a broader regulatory framework for mobile services, John Lawford, counsel with the consumer advocacy group the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), told The Wire Report Monday. “Are we going...

Northern Ontario communities lobbied for seven years to get broadband

telecom | 06/30/2010 7:01 pm EDT

It took about seven years of lobbying the government for 18 communities in Northern Ontario to finally get access to high speed Internet.  “We stuck to it and worked with government, the private sector and industry to make this project move forward, and after six or seven years, we had the end result of getting...

In RIM vs. Apple, RIM impresses carriers and customers, but stumbles with developers

telecom | 06/30/2010 6:51 pm EDT

As the battle between Canada’s Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) and main competitor like Apple Inc. heats up, mobile industry insiders say RIM might have an advantage by offering devices that use less network bandwidth—but they add that the Waterloo, Ont.-based company is playing catch-up in other...

Telus, cablecos join Bell’s call for review of usage-based billing decision

telecom | 06/30/2010 5:08 pm EDT

Telus Corp. and a coalition of Canada’s largest cable companies are lending support to Bell Canada’s call to review the CRTC’s recent decision on usage-based billing.  In CRTC telecom decision 2010-255, issued May 6, the commission said Bell could implement a usage-based billing model for its...

TV wars heat up in West as Telus’ IPTV enters market

Media | 06/29/2010 9:10 pm EDT

Telus Corp.’s new Internet protocol TV (IPTV) offerings may be challenging Shaw Communications’ virtual monopoly on television in Western Canada—but analysts say the incumbent hasn’t lost much ground. “For the first time ever, IPTV seems to be superior to legacy cable,” said a research...

Moore’s copyright ‘extremist’ comments seen as deliberate, out of frustration

Media | 06/29/2010 9:05 pm EDT

University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist says he believes Heritage Minister James Moore’s comments about copyright “extremists” weren’t made by accident. “I don’t think this was someone who was speaking out of turn. It seems to me that someone as smart...

TeraGo gets ‘great deal’ on broadband spectrum: Consultant

telecom | 06/28/2010 9:21 pm EDT

TeraGo Networks Inc.’s $5-million acquisition of licences to operate broadband services in the 24 GHz spectrum band is a “great deal,” wireless industry consultant Eamon Hoey, a senior partner with Hoey Associates in Toronto, said in an interview. TeraGo announced last week it has agreed to purchase...

Consumers confused about where to direct complaints, CRTC documents show

Media | 06/25/2010 8:20 pm EDT

It’s a Byzantine complaints system that handles Canada’s broadcasting and telecommunications services. Many consumers don’t know where to turn. That is a dominant theme in thousands of complaints to the CRTC made between April 14 and May 14, 2010, which The Wire Report obtained through access-to-information. A significant number of these complaints were forwarded to other organizations. During the period, for example, the CRTC received many complaints about cellphone billing, which were forwarded to the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS).  “The problem has always been that the CRTC is more or less a policymaking organization...

Mobile carriers can’t compete with networks alone, must move to personalized service: Henderson

telecom | 06/25/2010 3:20 pm EDT

Mobile carriers will have to increasingly compete for customers with personalized, location-based services as network improvements make speed and reliability issues less of a concern among consumers, Ericsson Canada president and CEO Mark Henderson, told The Wire Report in an interview. As Canadian...

‘The Internet of things’ to connect everyday objects wirelessly: Wired.com’s Hansen

telecom | 06/24/2010 9:10 pm EDT

OTTAWA—Connectivity is tipping toward an “Internet of things” where everyday objects connect to each other through wireless networks, exchanging tremendous amounts of data, Evan Hansen, editor-in-chief of Wired.com, said in a speech in Ottawa Thursday morning. ...

Municipalities call on feds to amend Telecom Act, warn of network costs

telecom | 06/23/2010 9:42 pm EDT

OTTAWA—Opening the door to foreign investment in the telecom sector will “add millions more” to the annual costs that municipalities pay to expand and manage network infrastructure, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has told Industry Canada. In a submission for the department’s public...

In Japan’s mobile landscape, very little is free: Maynard

Media | 06/23/2010 9:19 pm EDT

Canadians are eyeing Japan’s mobile app market with interest, where very little is free and application developers are seeing better returns, James Maynard, president of Wavefront, a commercialization centre in Vancouver, said in an interview. Wavefront is now a year into a business partnership with the Mobile...

Lessons for Canada in $43-billion Australian broadband plan, experts say

telecom | 06/22/2010 9:57 pm EDT

Canada could take a page from Australia’s new $43-billion AU national broadband partnership between the federal government and the country’s largest telco, experts say. Catherine Middleton, the Canada research chair in communication technologies and the information society at Ryerson University, said Australia developed its digital strategy following extensive consultations, and that Canada needs a similarly detailed plan. “Canada should definitely engage in this sort of detailed planning, with a view to consider how best to develop faster broadband infrastructures that are considered to be essential to the 21st century,” Middleton wrote by email to The Wire...

Opposition parties planning to amend Tories’ digital locks provision in C-32

Media | 06/21/2010 10:20 pm EDT

All three federal opposition parties have lined up against the Conservative government’s approach to protecting digital locks in copyright reform Bill C-32, setting up the controversial provision for amendment at committee stage. “Once again, the Conservatives have taken a punitive approach by calling for...

Carriers say NDP bill seeking to unlock phones is unnecessary

telecom | 06/21/2010 10:01 pm EDT

A Private Members’ Bill introduced by the NDP last week would require carriers to unlock clients’ cellphones for free after their three-year contract expires—but the wireless industry says it’s an unnecessary measure. NDP MP and small business critic Bruce Hyer introduced on Thursday Bill C-560, the...

Bell Canada says HSPA+ deferral account plan will ‘future proof’ communities

telecom | 06/18/2010 9:21 pm EDT

Bell Canada’s plan to use deferral account funds to finance the expansion of its HSPA+ network in rural Ontario and Quebec will “future proof” rural communities better than than its previous DSL plan, the company said in reply comments filed with the CRTC last week. Bell responded...

Grassroots copyright lobbies targeting MPs over the summer

Media | 06/18/2010 9:05 pm EDT

OTTAWA—Grassroots lobbying is picking up on the government’s copyright bill as MPs head home for the summer and the legislation now awaits second reading vote and a trip to a special legislative committee in the fall. Consumer and public interest groups have created a copyright action page at online portal...

Liberal party says maintain Canadian control, ownership of telecom sector

telecom | 06/17/2010 9:44 pm EDT

OTTAWA—The Liberal party took an official position on foreign ownership in the telecom sector Wednesday, saying that networks and telecom companies should remain in Canadian hands at a minimum of 51 per cent. The Liberals wrote a separate opinion in a report on Canada’s foreign ownership rules in the telecom...

Appoint cabinet minister for ‘digital policy’: Senate report

telecom | 06/16/2010 10:40 pm EDT

OTTAWA--The Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications released a broad “Plan for a Digital Canada” Wednesday that recommended the Conservative government appoint a cabinet minister for digital policy. At a press conference in Ottawa, Conservative Senator and committee member Leo Housakos said...

Cultural groups argue in court that Globalive decision did not meet objectives of Telecom Act

telecom | 06/16/2010 8:54 pm EDT

OTTAWA—A coalition of cultural groups has won intervener status in the Federal Court challenge of the government’s Globalive decision, arguing the government did not consider the “essential role” telecom companies play in the “maintenance of Canada’s identity and...

2500 MHz auction expected in 2011; band to accommodate WiMax, LTE

telecom | 06/16/2010 4:05 pm EDT

Industry Canada is expected to hold a spectrum auction for the 2500-2690 MHz band as the department opens it up to accommodate broadband wireless technologies such as WiMax and LTE. “Depending on how things turn out and how it maps for the spectrum that is cleared, they [Industry Canada] seem to be indicating that it...

Researchers looking at coming ‘crisis’ in data congestion expect usage-based pricing

telecom | 06/15/2010 8:57 pm EDT

Industry experts researching business and technical solutions to “an approaching crisis” in data congestion say usage-based pricing may become the norm. Last month, experts gathered in Cape Town, South Africa, for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Conference on Communications (ICC) to discuss how the telecommunications industry can cope with what they say are exponential levels of growth in data usage on mobile and fixed networks. “We are already in a state of crisis. Some people don’t know this, and others do know it but try to ignore it,” Reinaldo Valenzuela, director of wireless research at Bell Labs at...

New ITU wired home network ‘unification standard’ to reach Canadians next year

telecom | 06/14/2010 10:29 pm EDT

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has approved a new global standard for next-generation wired home networks, meaning the technology could reach Canadian homes by next year. The new standard, called G.hn, was adopted by all 191 member-countries of the ITU’s telecommunication...

Telus, Bell tussle over CRTC decision, government services contract, and ‘taxpayer overpayments’

telecom | 06/11/2010 9:24 pm EDT

Telus Corp. and Bell Canada are in a tussle over a big services contract with the federal government. Telus Corp. says cabinet had better overturn the CRTC’s decision on the Department of National Defence’s (DND) network services—or taxpayers could end up getting bilked for it....

Ottawa launches telecom foreign investment consultation, suggests changes to broadcasting

Media | 06/11/2010 8:46 pm EDT

OTTAWA—Industry Minister Tony Clement announced a consultation Friday on opening Canada’s telecom sector to foreign investment—but to some surprise the discussion paper also proposed an option to increase the foreign investment limits in broadcasting. In the paper, Clement...

Digital strategy consultation paper leaves ‘little for us to chew on,’ experts say

Media | 06/11/2010 6:22 pm EDT

The federal government’s consultation document on the digital economy—which as of Friday had received nine individual comments and 11 from organizations--lacks analytical depth and direction, experts say. “I thought at this stage in their thinking, there might have been more...

Carriers need to adapt to Internet-dependent ‘millennial generation’ that ‘lives online’

Media | 06/09/2010 10:08 pm EDT

TORONTO—Telecom carriers need to adapt to a new reality in which the “millennial generation”—people between the ages of 12 and 24—is accustomed to a world in which they are always connected, said a panel of experts at the 2010 Canadian Telecom Summit. Kaan Yigit, founder and president of the Solutions Research Group, said at the 2010 Canadian Telecom Summit that he recently met a young woman at a conference who told him she doesn’t just use the Internet. “I live on the Internet,” she said. Yigit, who took part in a panel Wednesday called “the Broadband Connected Home,” said the sentiment is common among young people who feel a...

Opinion: The CRTC’s expertise may not be as expert as we think

Media | 06/09/2010 3:31 pm EDT

Last Tuesday, those attending a Federal Court of Appeal hearing in Ottawa—to consider whether Internet service providers are broadcasters—laughed somewhat nervously when Justice Marc Noël asked whether the court has become Canada’s broadcasting expert in place of the CRTC. According to The Wire...

Videotron’s Dépatie calls for spectrum cap for 700 MHz auction

telecom | 06/08/2010 11:44 pm EDT

TORONTO—Industry Canada should impose a spectrum cap at the next spectrum auction for the “valuable” 700 MHz band, Videotron Ltd. president and CEO Robert Dépatie told a crowd of industry insiders at the 2010 Canadian Telecom Summit. “For wireless solutions to work, spectral resources will be...

Open up telecom and broadcasting sectors to 49 per cent foreign investment: Bell Canada

Media | 06/08/2010 11:36 pm EDT

TORONTO—CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein has found an ally in his proposal to confront convergence and raise the foreign ownership limits in both the broadcasting and telecom sectors to 49 per cent.  Mirko Bibic, senior vice president of regulatory and government affairs at Bell...

Wireless providers need to focus on the overall ‘subscriber experience’: Walter

Media | 06/07/2010 10:12 pm EDT

TORONTO—Wireless providers need to focus on the overall “subscriber experience” to retain and build their customer bases, Juergen Walter, head of business solutions with Nokia Siemens Networks, said at the 2010 Canadian Telecom Summit conference Monday. Juergen said that...

Clement says government looking at relaxing foreign investment rules for both incumbents and new players

Media | 06/07/2010 9:03 pm EDT

TORONTO—Industry Minister Tony Clement says the government will propose measures to liberalize foreign investment in the telecom sector for both incumbents and new entrants—but some big players say they are not convinced this means the government supports a "level playing...

Faster Internet speed offerings and consumer demand will leave third-party ISPs behind, Primus says

telecom | 06/04/2010 8:57 pm EDT

GATINEAU, Que.—Today’s retail Internet market remains competitive but faster speed offerings will leave third-party Internet service providers (ISPs) behind if they can’t access the “central offices” of the incumbents’ networks, Matt Stein, vice-president of...

Wholesale high-speed access debate intensifies as incumbents criticized for monopoly business models

telecom | 06/04/2010 2:47 pm EDT

GATINEAU, Que.—Divisions between Canada’s incumbent cable and telecom companies and small, third-party Internet service providers (ISPs) intensified at the CRTC Thursday as commissioner Timothy Denton said the incumbents aim to “crush the weak, feed the strong.” “Cable...

Moore urges parties to propose copyright amendments

Media | 06/03/2010 9:46 pm EDT

OTTAWA—Heritage Minister James Moore is urging the opposition parties to come forward with proposed amendments to the government’s new copyright bill as the Tories prepare to send the bill to a special legislative committee for tinkering. “If they have ideas now they should put them down on paper,” Moore told The Wire Report on...

Conservative government tables copyright bill, nods to cultural, entertainment industries

Media | 06/03/2010 12:42 am EDT

OTTAWA—The Conservative government introduced a long-awaited copyright reform bill Wednesday that proposed strict legal protections for “digital locks” on content and devices but also new exceptions for copyright users.  Bill C-32, the Copyright Modernization Act, was tabled in the House Wednesday afternoon, but Heritage Minister James Moore and Industry Minister Tony Clement announced the bill at the offices of Electronic Arts in Montreal, sending a clear signal that the government is lending an ear to the content industries.  “Canadian companies will benefit. For example, the video game sector, a key sector of the economy here in Montreal and elsewhere...

‘The cable network is a shared and limited resource’: Rogers

telecom | 06/03/2010 12:24 am EDT

GATINEAU, Que.—The CRTC should not mandate wholesale Internet access to the cable carriers’ so-called next generation networks because there is a limited amount of spectrum in the network tubes, a consortium of Canada’s largest cable companies told the CRTC Wednesday. “The cable network is a shared...

Telus says network unbundling would hobble its ability to compete with cable TV services

Media | 06/02/2010 12:09 am EDT

GATINEAU, Que.--Telus Corp. told the CRTC Tuesday that regulations forcing it to unbundle its high-speed Internet infrastructure to third-party wholesale buyers would hobble its ability to compete with cable television using Internet protocol television (IPTV). “If we were forced to unbundle...

Federal Court of Appeal justice considers sending matter back to CRTC

Media | 06/01/2010 9:40 pm EDT

OTTAWA--Justice Marc Noël questioned Tuesday the CRTC's decision to refer a jurisdictional matter to the Federal Court of Appeal—whether Internet service providers (ISPs) qualify as broadcasting undertakings—and raised the possibility of returning the issue to the commission.    In June 2009 the...

Primus warns it would leave residential Internet services if no unbundling

telecom | 06/01/2010 12:51 am EDT

GATINEAU, Que.--Primus will be forced out of the residential Internet business within five years if the CRTC doesn't mandate wholesale unbundling, Andrew Day, chief operating officer with Primus Telecommunications Canada Inc., told commissioners at a hearing on wholesale high-speed Internet access Monday. Smaller Internet...

NDP’s Masse urges a new study of anti-spam bill

telecom | 05/31/2010 10:13 pm EDT

NDP industry critic Brian Masse says he wants the Conservatives’ reintroduced spam bill to go through the House legislative process anew to ensure there are no “sleeper clauses.”  Industry Minister Tony Clement introduced Bill C-28, the Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act, in the House of Commons last week. The bill is similar to its previous version, Bill C-27, the Electronic Commerce Protection Act. It had received 64 amendments in the previous session of Parliament, reaching the Senate Transport and Communications Committee for review before being killed by prorogation. With unanimous consent in the House, Parliament could fast track the government bill, returning it to the Senate committee for consideration. The bill could also be fast tracked by giving...

Liberals prepared to sit through the summer to study copyright

Media | 05/31/2010 9:57 pm EDT

The Liberal party is prepared to sit on a special legislative committee throughout the summer to study a contentious and divisive copyright reform bill the government is expected to table Thursday. “There’s no question that it’s an issue that is important to Canadians. From our perspective we’re...

MTS says CRTC wholesale access hearings an opportunity to open up monopoly-dominated Internet market

telecom | 05/28/2010 10:26 pm EDT

The stakes are high as the CRTC begins hearings on wholesale Internet access services Monday, with some framing the proceeding as an an opportunity to open up an Internet market long dominated by a monopoly of incumbent phone companies. “Too often, the conversation about broadband in Canada...

Changes at CANARIE signify search for new direction

telecom | 05/28/2010 7:55 pm EDT

CANARIE Inc. is undergoing a major rethink of its mandate to help address what insiders describe as serious gaps in Canada’s “cyber infrastructure.” Observers say the advanced research network operator might need an overhaul if it’s going to continue to play an important role in Canada’s technology sector. CANARIE...

Quebecor Media expects CRTC to ‘throw out’ Bell’s deferral account proposal

telecom | 05/27/2010 9:46 pm EDT

Quebecor Media Inc. expects the CRTC to “throw out” Bell Canada’s submission to use its deferral account funds to expand its HSPA+ broadband Internet service in rural parts of Ontario and Quebec, says Dennis Béland, Quebecor’s director of regulatory affairs for...

‘These towers are causing tremendous backlash in our communities’

telecom | 05/26/2010 9:25 pm EDT

Responding to a recent dispute over cell tower construction in Calgary, Alta., a city planner says new wireless entrants on the scene do not fully understand the traditional working relationship that has existed between the city and wireless companies. “While we have some good corporate citizens here who are coming...

Wireless companies battling for untapped, young, ‘social handset’ market

Media | 05/26/2010 8:40 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. is trying to remain ahead of the competition as wireless carriers battle for what analysts say is a huge, untapped market of young consumers interested in social networking smart phone plans.  A bit more than 70 per cent of Canadian teens aged 13 to 19 are using wireless devices, but only 30...

Mobile carriers drop system access fee—for new subscribers only

telecom | 05/25/2010 10:36 pm EDT

Rogers, Telus and Bell may have withdrawn their system access fees but the change will only apply to new customers, Bianca Anghel, a senior research analyst at the Seaboard Group in Toronto, told The Wire Report. “Billings for existing customers on contracts are unchanged, so they’re still being charged for...

Clement urges parties to fast track spam bill to Senate

Media | 05/25/2010 10:25 pm EDT

OTTAWA—Industry Minister Tony Clement says he hopes the federal government’s new anti-spam legislation—introduced in the House in mostly the same form as the version that died in the Senate—can be put on the fast track to enactment. Clement introduced Bill C-28, the Fighting Internet and Wireless...

Anti-spam legislation ‘expected to come into force in spring 2010’: Industry Canada

telecom | 05/21/2010 9:10 pm EDT

The Conservative government is set to introduce anti-spam legislation Tuesday that the Industry Department says “is expected to come into force in spring 2010.” The government introduced Bill C-27, the Electronic Commerce Protection Act, in the last session of Parliament, which was referred to the Senate Committee on Transport and Communications before it was killed due to a federal election. Industry Canada released its Business Plan 2010-2011 report this week, in which the department discusses activities to “support implementation of the Electronic Commerce Protection Act, which is expected to come into force in spring 2010.” The House of Commons notice...

‘There’s going to be more recourse to the courts as people challenge the commission’: Grant

Media | 05/21/2010 8:35 pm EDT

Peter Grant’s new book, Communications Law and the Courts in Canada, will be an essential reference guide on the desk of any communications lawyer—and communications nerds in general. The book, now known as “the Blue Book” for its blue cover, has been published by law firm...

New project hopes to connect mobile app developers with investors

Media | 05/21/2010 5:41 pm EDT

Canadian software developers have access to a new mobile application project in the US promising to help software creators find financial backers. Described as a wholesale digital marketplace, a new project called appbackr links mobile application developers with funding partners. A developer signs onto...

‘Really aggressive broadband policy is the single best thing a government can do’: Jarvis

Media | 05/19/2010 5:42 pm EDT

OTTAWA—As the Internet brings about a sea change across the media landscape, “really aggressive broadband policy” is the single best action for governments to support new media, Jeff Jarvis, journalist, blogger and journalism professor at City University of New York, told The Wire...

ISPs tell Federal Court of Appeal they transmit programming just like satellites

Media | 05/18/2010 10:19 pm EDT

OTTAWA—Major Internet service providers (ISPs) are arguing before the Federal Court of Appeal that the distribution of programming via telecommunications networks does not amount to broadcasting, and that if it did, major satellite companies like Telesat would qualify as “broadcasting undertakings” under...

Wireless industry says Industry Canada poised to increase spectrum licence fees

telecom | 05/18/2010 10:12 pm EDT

The Canadian wireless industry says it is concerned that Industry Canada will recommend raising spectrum licence fees to market rates when it releases an expert report on the issue this year. Spectrum licensing in Canada has been under debate for more than a decade, with the nature of fees collected by the government varying depending on the licence type. Licences bought through auctions are not subject to annual licence fee collection for a 10-year period, but non-auctioned licences incur fees depending on the band in use, the service offered, economic value of the licence, and previous benchmark rates. In March 2009, Industry Canada launched a consultation on spectrum licence...

Von Finckenstein outlines how Industry Department can transfer spectrum management to CRTC

telecom | 05/17/2010 10:26 pm EDT

OTTAWA—CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein has outlined three ways that Industry Canada can transfer its spectrum management responsibilities to the commission. Von Finckenstein has been pushing for a transfer of spectrum management powers to the CRTC, and at a spectrum roundtable on April...

Telus, Rogers say Calgary’s new tower consultation policy ‘too onerous’

telecom | 05/17/2010 10:16 pm EDT

The City of Calgary has passed an amendment to its telecommunications policy that Telus Corp. and Rogers Communications say is too onerous and is limiting cell tower construction in the city. Under the city's new policy, when a wireless carrier proposes to build a new cellphone tower, it must...

MobileBits pushing mobile ad-supported ‘answer engine’

Media | 05/14/2010 8:15 pm EDT

MobileBits Corp. is planning for the release of a intelligent “Q&A” search service for BlackBerrys, iPhones and some Nokia handsets, says Walter Kostiuk, CEO of the Sarasota, Fla.-based company. Mobile wireless is speeding up the decades-old quest for intelligent Web searches—or “answer...

Canada to have 5G, 6G within 20 years

telecom | 05/14/2010 6:57 pm EDT

We’re not far off from an era of “6G”—in which wireless technologies, devices, and applications will try to anticipate our actions and habits. Adam T. Drobot, chief technology officer and president of New Jersey-based Advanced Technology Solutions at Telcordia Technologies, told The Wire Report in an interview that Canada will...

Score Media says net neutrality should be a ‘cornerstone’ national policy

Media | 05/13/2010 8:57 pm EDT

OTTAWA—Net neutrality should be a “cornerstone” of Canada’s national digital strategy so that individuals and organizations can reach new audiences, John Levy, chairman and CEO of Score Media Inc., told the Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage Thursday. “We...

Clement gives nod to convergence, but sticks to liberalization for telecom sector only

Media | 05/13/2010 8:05 pm EDT

OTTAWA--Industry Minister Tony Clement said Thursday that the federal government will have to “stick handle” around the challenges posed by convergence as it pursues the liberalization of the foreign ownership restrictions for the telecom sector. “There’s no question...

Assign spectrum licences by auction and trade licences like private property: Report

telecom | 05/12/2010 8:54 pm EDT

The government could improve spectrum efficiency and access if it moved to an open market approach in which spectrum licences are assigned by auction and traded like private property, says a controversial new report by the C.D. Howe Institute. Experts are expressing caution about the recommendations of the The C.D. Howe...

Opinion: Digital strategy consultation must involve all Canadians, not just industry

Media | 05/12/2010 2:54 pm EDT

The formulation of a digital economy strategy for Canada is a task much larger than the creation of industrial policy. It is nothing less than the creation of a foundation for the kind of nation we will build in the 21st century. Digital tools and content are pervasive. The tremendous growth of texting, for example,...

Feds must be ‘very aggressive,’ move quickly on digital strategy: provincial innovation ministers

Media | 05/11/2010 9:56 pm EDT

STRATFORD, Ont.— Ontario Economic Development Minister Sandra Pupatello says the federal government must be “very aggressive” and move fast on its digital economy strategy as Canada faces a plan south of the border that involves massive investment in broadband infrastructure and new spectrum allocations. “We need it now. If you look at our competition, it isn’t within Canada, it’s the world,” Pupatello said at the Canada 3.0 conference, hosted by the Canadian Digital Media Network and the University of Waterloo.  “Ontario is going up against the US federal [Department of the] Treasury. It’s a province versus a country and a...

Subscription model the most viable way to support television content, says Rogers

Media | 05/11/2010 9:32 pm EDT

OTTAWA--The traditional television subscription model remains the most viable way to financially support televised content, Rogers Communications Inc. told the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage Tuesday. The Heritage committee is studying emerging and digital media. At a committee meeting Tuesday,...

Wireless industry must ’embrace’ data monetization, says Bell’s Oosterman

Media | 05/11/2010 3:07 pm EDT

STRATFORD, Ont.—The wireless industry must embrace data monetization as traffic from new mobile devices increases broadband access and congests networks, says Wade Oosterman, president of Bell Mobility and chief brand officer at Bell Canada. Oosterman, who participated in a panel discussion...

Unconnected communities looking forward to broadband services

telecom | 05/10/2010 10:42 pm EDT

Access to high-speed Internet will dramatically help individuals and small businesses in Dave Grixti’s community, he says. “The impact is significant,” he told The Wire Report from Alberta. “We had a customer who used to commute every day from Water Valley to Calgary, about an hour drive, but now...

Clement announces digital strategy consultation, says ‘this will not be done overnight’

Media | 05/10/2010 10:36 pm EDT

STRATFORD, Ont.—The federal government will draw up a digital economy action plan with the collective input of stakeholders and the public, but the plan could take up to 18 months to develop, Industry Minster Tony Clement said at the Canada 3.0 conference Monday.  “This will not be...

Shaw hoping for regulatory approval of Canwest deal by September

Media | 05/07/2010 9:33 pm EDT

Shaw president Peter Bissonnette says he hopes to see the CRTC approve the company’s acquisition of Canwest Global Communications Corp.’s broadcasting assets by September. “Our applications are filed, the commission has those, and we would expect it to be vetted by the beginning of June,” Bissonnette told The Wire Report in an interview.  “We would expect that sometime between the end of July and the end of August there will be a public hearing and we hope there would be a decision before the end of September.” Bissonnette said he expects the CRTC to approve Shaw Communications Inc.'s $2 billion acquisition of Canwest’s broadcasting assets. “I think the CRTC will see this as very positive,” Bissonnette said....

Von Finckenstein calls for expert panel to advise on ‘wholesale legislative reform’

Media | 05/06/2010 9:13 pm EDT

OTTAWA—The federal government should appoint an expert panel to study communications regulatory reform and come up with a roadmap on how to how to proceed on the prickly issue, CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein says. “You need the foundation. Someone has to develop a new concept, a...

Increased tax revenues from foreign investment can be invested in Cancon: Expert

Media | 05/06/2010 9:03 pm EDT

OTTAWA—Opening up the Canadian telecommunications sector to more foreign investment would increase tax revenues and create fiscal room to fund more Canadian content, a University of Alberta economics professor told the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, Thursday.  “I...

Tories poised to repeat Bill C-61 copyright legislation, Geist says

Media | 05/05/2010 10:38 pm EDT

The federal government is poised to introduce a new copyright bill within the next six weeks that will include American-inspired anti-circumvention measures and reject flexible fair dealing, Michael Geist says. Geist, a digital rights advocate and the Canada research chair of Internet and e-commerce law at the University...

Writers Guild proposes broad creator levy collected at all digital distribution and storage points

Media | 05/05/2010 6:31 pm EDT

OTTAWA--Canadian content creators should be compensated for the illegal sharing and distribution of digital content through a broad levy collected at all distribution and storage points, including Internet services, storage devices, and mp3 players, the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) is...

Astral chairman calls for department of communications

Media | 05/04/2010 9:23 pm EDT

The Canadian telecom and broadcasting sectors would benefit from a unified ministry of communications, Astral Media Inc. chairman André Bureau told the House industry committee Tuesday. The House Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology is studying the liberalization of Canada’s foreign...

ITU to review telecom regulations in late 2012

telecom | 05/03/2010 8:56 pm EDT

OTTAWA--The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will review its telecommunications regulations in late 2012, Industry Canada special advisor for international organizations, Bruce Gracie, told The Wire Report. The ITU, the United Nations agency that deals with information and communication technology issues, coordinates international radio...

Cloud music services could be win-win for wireless carriers, consumers, rights holders

Media | 05/03/2010 7:52 pm EDT

Carriers are starting to eye the cloud music space. Cloud music services—or those streamed live from the Internet—can be accessed anywhere via smart phones and other devices, and don’t require downloading. Some observers consider them a potential Holy Grail for music...

Canada’s national priority should be next generation broadband for all by 2017, Courtois urges

telecom | 04/30/2010 8:07 pm EDT

OTTAWA--Canada needs to move beyond the discussion of providing 1.5 Mbps broadband access to rural and remote communities and commit to next generation broadband for all Canadians by 2017, Bernard Courtois, president and CEO of the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC), told the Senate...

Experts say merging telecom and broadcasting acts ‘not worth the effort’

Media | 04/29/2010 9:45 pm EDT

Experts say CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein’s calls for a merger of the telecom and broadcasting acts may not be worth the effort.  “I’m not really sure that the act of putting two bills into one really achieves a great deal,” Hank Intven, a lawyer and telecommunications expert with McCarthy Tétrault in Toronto, said in an interview.  Intven said the content side of regulation, under the Broadcasting Act, and the carriage side, under the Telecommunications Act, remain distinct. Even if Canada merged the two acts, they would probably have to be dealt with in separate parts of the same statute.  The comments come as von Finckenstein...

Further study, review, needed on health risks of microwaves, experts say

telecom | 04/27/2010 8:26 pm EDT

OTTAWA—Further study and review is needed of the health risks associated with radiation from wireless devices, Health Canada and wireless industry officials told Commons health committee Tuesday.  The House Standing Committee on Health is holding hearings on the impact of microwaves on human health emitted by...

BCE Inc. to sell assets, possibly real estate, for network investments, say analysts

telecom | 04/23/2010 7:25 pm EDT

Following news that BCE Inc. is considering selling assets and investments to fund network improvements, industry observers suspect the company may look to sell off some real estate—but say its investments in CTVglobemedia Inc. are probably safe. Last week, Bloomberg quoted BCE chief financial officer Siim Vanaselja,...

Spectrum management a top issue as networks increasingly strained by mobile broadband, experts say

telecom | 04/22/2010 12:24 am EDT

OTTAWA--The growth in mobile broadband over the next 10 years is expected to increasingly strain network capacity and place new demands on managing limited amounts spectrum, several panellists said Wednesday at the Radio Advisory Board of Canada’s 2010 Spectrum 20/20 conference....

Banning deep packet inspection would have ‘damaging consequences across the Internet,’ says Sandvine

Media | 04/20/2010 9:46 pm EDT

Deep packet inspection (DPI) technology doesn’t threaten people’s privacy. People threaten people’s privacy. Or that’s what Canadian network policy control solutions company Sandvine Inc. suggests in a recent submission to the privacy commissioner.  The Office of the...

New wireless entrants say they intend to serve rural, but need more foreign capital to do it

telecom | 04/20/2010 8:02 pm EDT

OTTAWA—Two of Canada’s newest wireless entrants told the Commons industry committee Tuesday that they are prepared to serve Canadian rural communities but that they need access to more foreign capital to do the job. “We do have spectrum in rural areas,” Andrea Wood, chief legal officer and secretary with Globalive Management Wireless Corp., told the committee.   “It’s in our interest, of course, to ensure that all the assets in our books deliver value to our shareholders, so we would like to find a way to monetize that spectrum.”  Following on the Conservative government’s commitment to open the door to foreign investment in...

New EU-Canada trade leak reveals telecommunications chapter

telecom | 04/20/2010 2:46 am EDT

OTTAWA--As the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) enters its third round of negotiations this week, a new coalition of Canadian public interest groups and unions has released a leaked negotiating text that proposes changes for Canada’s telecommunications sector, including a Canadian proposal...

Shaw says government should invest in satellite broadband to narrow the digital divide

Media | 04/15/2010 10:08 pm EDT

OTTAWA—The government should invest more heavily in next-generation satellite technology to provide broadband Internet access to remote areas, Ken Stein, senior vice-president of corporate and regulatory affairs with Shaw Communications Inc., told the House of Commons Standing Committee on...

Liberals vote in support of iPod levy, but say it’s not a policy position

Media | 04/15/2010 7:47 pm EDT

OTTAWA—Although the Liberal Party voted in favour of a non-binding motion in the Commons Wednesday to create a levy on digital music devices, the party says the vote was not an expression of support for the policy. Liberal MP and party heritage critic Pablo Rodriguez said the party is still consulting on the issue...

Telus to invest $1.7 billion this year, views television as growth area

Media | 04/14/2010 8:21 pm EDT

Facing competition in the West, Telus Corp. is viewing its television services as a growth area as the company invests $1.7 billion across the country this year.  Telus Corp. said Monday it is investing $250 million in Quebec, bringing the company’s announced investments across the country this year to more...

Von Finckenstein calls for single statute to cover broadcasting, telecom

Media | 04/13/2010 10:06 pm EDT

OTTAWA--Canada needs a single piece of legislation to cover telecom, broadcasting and radio communications in a converged technological world, Konrad von Finckenstein, chair of the CRTC, told the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology Tuesday. “The legislative and regulatory structure...

Rogers, Bell Aliant, Barrett Xplore stepping up broadband competition in New Brunswick

telecom | 04/12/2010 11:16 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. is ramping up its broadband capacity in New Brunswick as competitors Bell Aliant and Barrett Xplore Inc. make their marks in the province.  Rogers recently announced that it would boost its Hi-Speed Ultimate broadband service in Fredericton and Saint John from 50...

Cultural groups request to appear in Public Mobile’s Federal Court challenge

Media | 04/12/2010 10:39 pm EDT

A coalition of cultural groups is requesting to intervene in support of Public Mobile’s Federal Court challenge of the government’s decision on Globalive Communications Corp., arguing that the law must be applied fairly and "in a manner that is consistent with the [Telecommunications] Act."  On...

Analysts expect Shaw’s 2011 wireless play to be LTE

telecom | 04/12/2010 10:09 pm EDT

Following Shaw Communications Inc.'s announcement that it will launch an Long Term Evolution (LTE)-capable wireless network in late 2011, analysts predict the company to jump straight to LTE for an advantage on the competition.  “They [Shaw] are not going to get anywhere if they enter the market with what...

Industry experts expect delays in 700 MHz spectrum auction; not before 2012

telecom | 04/09/2010 10:00 pm EDT

Industry experts say foreign ownership questions and delays in the transition to digital television are likely to hold up an auction for “ultra prime” spectrum in the 700 MHz band.  Industry Canada plans to launch consultations this year for auctions in the 2500 MHz and 700 MHz bands to support mobile technologies.  But the 700 MHz band—currently used for analog over-the-air television—cannot be freed up for a wireless auction until the broadcasting industry completes its transition to digital television broadcasting.  Digital television’s more efficient use of spectrum is clearing the way for Industry Canada to set aside leftover spectrum...