Wireless cableco Look Communications seeks buyer or partners

telecom | 11/03/2006 5:00 am EST

The current owners of Look Communications Inc. are preparing to throw in the towel on the struggling wireless cable company as the Milton ON-based firm recently announced that it is seeking a "strategic repositioning" with the help of investment banking firm Greenhill & Company.  Look’s vice-chair and...

Implementing wireless networks in hospitals leads to better patient care

telecom | 11/03/2006 5:00 am EST

The merging of healthcare facilities or building of new facilities opens the door to opportunities for the implementation of a wireless voice and data platform at Canadian hospitals, according to speakers at the 5th Annual Summit on Wireless and Mobile Healthcare Technologies.  Managers of these systems say that...

Per subscriber revenue growth trend for wireless carriers continues

telecom | 11/03/2006 5:00 am EST

Average revenue per user (ARPU) rates among the country’s three national wireless operators continue on a healthy trajectory, with each demonstrating solid sequential growth.  Rogers Communications Inc., Bell Mobility and Telus Mobility all posted ARPU gains of more than $2 in the third quarter of 2006 over Q2...

Canadian wireless inventor helped save WWII troops

telecom | 11/03/2006 5:00 am EST

Among the people inducted into Canada’s Telecommunications Hall of Fame this year is one man whose name you might not recognize, but whose wireless technology invention helped save thousands of lives in World War II. Burnaby BC resident Donald Hings invented the two-way radio – a.k.a. the walkie-talkie.  At a gala presentation in October, the...

ROW Short Takes

telecom | 11/03/2006 5:00 am EST

Birch Hill to buy Atria NetworksThe shareholders of Kitchener ON-based Atria Networks Inc., which includes Cambridge and North Dumfries Energy Plus Inc., Guelph Hydro Inc., Kitchener Power Inc. and Waterloo North Hydro Holding Company, have agreed to sell their interest in the company to Birch Hill Equity Partners.  Founded in 2000, Atria has supplied high-speed local data services through its 1,000-kilometre fibre-optic network spanning the area from Orangeville to the townships southwest of Kitchener. Birch Hill is expected to help Atria reach its full potential by investing in community initiatives including free Wi-Fi in libraries. Birch Hill invests in Canadian middle-market businesses through its $850-million fund.  Psion Teklogix, GlobeRanger deploy RFID solution for DLAMississauga-based Psion Teklogix Inc. and GlobeRanger have deployed GlobeRanger’s iMotion Edgeware to support the Defence Logistics Agency’s newly expanded passive RFID infrastructure. The iMotion system enables operations staff at the Defence...

ROW People

telecom | 11/03/2006 5:00 am EST

The British Columbia Technology Industry Association has appointed 14 new members to its board of directors, representing the technology industry from small to large companies and core service organisations.  Those appointed to the BCTIA board for a two-year term include: David Climie, VP marketing communications, PMC Sierra Inc.; Rod O’Reilly, president and CEO, McKesson; Paul Gorton, VP systems solutions, MDA...

Bell Canada and SaskTel support provisions regarding 3650-3700 MHz

telecom | 11/03/2006 5:00 am EST

Bell Canada and SaskTel have filed a joint submission to DGTP-006-06, supporting many of the proposals put forth by Industry Canada with respect to the wireless broadband services (WBS) spectrum. Below is an edited excerpt of the submission.  Comments are invited on whether point-to-point systems in the band 3650-3700...

ROW Editorial

telecom | 11/03/2006 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.In this space Report on Wireless has bemoaned several times over the last couple of years about the lack of competitive spirit in the Canadian wireless industry, and this week it will be no different.  Over the years, many have pointed to the lack of competition, or at least the lack of competitive...

NL People

telecom | 10/27/2006 4:00 am EDT

Nick Curry, CIO at MTS Allstream Inc., has been named this year’s top CIO by Canadian Business magazine. As CIO, he is responsible for all aspects of the company’s internal IT service operations, system applications and business process transformation functions. Curry has more than 25 years IT experience, and prior to joining MTS Allstream in 2001, he was CIO at the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba and...

Wightman raises concerns about changes to forbearance criteria

telecom | 10/27/2006 4:00 am EDT

Comments from some parties participating in Telecom Public Notice 2006-12 – a proceeding discussing changes to forbearance criteria – have been submitted to the CRTC. Wightman Communications Ltd., whose edited comments are below, has raised concerns about the proposed changes and the local forbearance region (LFR)...

NL Editorial

telecom | 10/27/2006 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.  Verbal jabs from incumbent phone companies about the highly competitive nature of the landline telecommunications market and the detrimental impact it has on their business will continue now that the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology agreed to further...

MPs successful in stalling coming-into-force of proposed policy direction

telecom | 10/27/2006 4:00 am EDT

Opposition members of Parliament on the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology have succeeded in delaying the implementation of the proposed policy direction to the CRTC. At a meeting on October 26, committee members voted seven to four to adopt a motion that would see the committee further...

Fort McMurray is a competitive market and warrants forbearance: Telus

telecom | 10/27/2006 4:00 am EDT

Telus Corp. has asked the CRTC to forbear from regulating its local services in the exchange of Fort McMurray, noting that competitors have captured at least 25% market share.  "This application demonstrates that the provision of residential local exchange services in Fort McMurray is subject to competition...

Another FTTH strategy: let customers own the last mile

telecom | 10/27/2006 4:00 am EDT

Some telcos have already started to undertake the costly endeavour of extending fibre optic cable into customers’ homes (FTTH) to catch up, bandwidth-wise, with the cablecos. But for the carriers who haven’t begun the rollout yet, Canarie Inc., an Ottawa-based Internet development organization, offers an alternative to years of subscription fees as a way of recouping the cost: have the consumers lay the fibre themselves.  "Everybody believes in competition in the private sector, it’s the way we reduce prices and introduce innovation," Canarie’s senior director of advanced networks Bill St. Arnaud said at the Voice 2.0: Beyond Telecom conference in Ottawa last week. "But how do we do that in the last mile? It’s unlikely we’re going to have five companies dig...

Signature of VoIP 2.0 will be specific vertical applications

telecom | 10/27/2006 4:00 am EDT

Now that Voice over IP has become an acceptable replacement to traditional landline telephony in both the enterprise and consumer markets, it’s time to start asking what’s next? Does VoIP have a purpose beyond replicating the circuit switched phone network? A panel of experts gave the 40,000-foot view of the next...

Telnet loses fight to get lower wholesale access rates

telecom | 10/27/2006 4:00 am EDT

Telnet Communications has failed to convince the CRTC to lower rates for facilities provided to it and other digital subscriber line service providers (DSLSPs) by incumbent carriers such as Bell Canada for the provision of high-speed Internet services (Telecom Decision 2006-67).  In 2000, the commission approved rates...

NL Short Takes

telecom | 10/27/2006 4:00 am EDT

SMBs know the value of ICT, but won’t investA new study, Does ICT Matter to SMBs in Canada?, conducted by IDC Canada on behalf of the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) found that while small and medium-sized business owners believe that investment in information and communications technology (ICT) will improve operational efficiency, they plan to make business investments elsewhere. "We set out to...

Access to 700 MHz and 4.9 GHz band key to PS radio interoperability

telecom | 10/20/2006 4:00 am EDT

New public safety spectrum in the 700 MHz and 4.9 GHz bands will play a key role in making public safety radio interoperability a reality, according to one wireless industry manager. Not only will it usher in ubiquitous broadband access, but it will allow applications to work across multiple networks.  Derek Prada, GM...

Rogers looking at options to deploy HSDPA beyond 60% of population

telecom | 10/20/2006 4:00 am EDT

While it’s still early days in Rogers Communications Inc. rollout of high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), the company is already thinking ahead to the day when it might extend the network ut to a greater percentage of the population.  During the CIBC World Markets’ 5th Annual Institutional Investor Conference in Montreal earlier this month, Rogers Wireless president Rob Bruce said it’s likely the company will expand the network beyond the 60% of points of presence (POPs) covered. The media and communications conglomerate announced last February that it would be rolling out HSDPA over the next two years to all the major cities in the country.  "We will re-evaluate...

Palm releases new Treo, latest Windows Mobile powered device

telecom | 10/20/2006 4:00 am EDT

It’s easy to dismiss Palm Inc.’s Treo wx700 smartphone as just another mobile computer. After all, the wireless sector is practically flooded with these devices, and Palm could have some trouble making its latest offering stand out from the crowd.  But an assessment of the mobile market indicates that the 700...

Motorola cutting new phones from RAZR’s cloth

telecom | 10/20/2006 4:00 am EDT

Still high on the success of its MOTORAZR mobile handset, Motorola Inc. is unveiling some new units that the firm hopes will be as popular. But since the RAZR’s launch in 2004, the handset industry has undergone some changes that could upset Motorola’s expectations.  At a Toronto media event in early October, Motorola spelled out the features...

Wireless LAN security development progressing, suited to healthcare

telecom | 10/20/2006 4:00 am EDT

As healthcare facilities begin to make better use of electronic patient records, the networks used to access those databases will be required to have security protocols to prevent unauthorized access. Wireless networks are increasingly being deployed, and they present their own challenges.  Unlike wireless local area...

ROW Short Takes

telecom | 10/20/2006 4:00 am EDT

SMS is king for US mobile subscribers, according to new researchText messaging ruled the roost for US mobile wireless subscribers in the month of July, according to recently released data from M:Metrics. The figures below show that nearly 40% of American wireless subscribers have sent a text message. But the research also notes that a healthy portion of subscribers in the United States are sending picture messages,...

ROW People

telecom | 10/20/2006 4:00 am EDT

TelePlus Wireless Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of TelePlus Enterprises Inc., has named Darrell Gehrt the VP of sales and marketing for its Liberty Wireless brand. Gehrt joins TelePlus from Targus Information Corp. where from 2001 to 2006 he held the positions of national sales director and VP of government solutions.  Prior to that, Gehrt co-founded The Service Source LLC and held various sales and management...

Department of Public Safety shares views on radio interoperability

telecom | 10/20/2006 4:00 am EDT

A multi-jurisdictional effort is currently being considered to address the issue of public safety radio interoperability, according to the Department of Public Safety (DPS). Below is an edited excerpt of its submission to Industry Canada’s SMSE-005-06.  The Department of Public Safety (DPS) considers the need for...

ROW Editorial

telecom | 10/20/2006 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Growth of wireless data services revenue for the county’s wireless operators remains the long-term driver for increases to their top lines.  Both Palm Inc. and Motorola Inc. recently introduced new devices that offer these types of data capabilities, including picture messaging, music downloading...

NL Editorial

telecom | 10/13/2006 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.  The Standing Committee on Industry has scehduled a single two-hour meeting to hear witnesses and ask questions regarding the proposed policy direction to the CRTC.  The committee considers this to be "studying" the issue. But with all due respect to the esteemed members of...

Industry committee to study proposed policy direction

telecom | 10/13/2006 4:00 am EDT

The House of Commons committee on industry has indicated it will hold a meeting to study the proposed policy direction to the CRTC on Thursday, October 19. The policy direction was tabled in the House on June 12 and was required to sit in Parliament for 40 days before debate could start (NL, June 22/06).  A notice for the meeting was posted on the Industry committe’s website on Friday, October 13. It lists incumbent telephone operators, cable companies, new entrant telecom competitors and consumer groups as witnesses. The committee has divided the witnesses into three panels: incumbent telephone companies, cable television providers, and a final panel consisting of new entrants and consumer groups. Members of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology agreed on...

Overcoming obstacles to electronic health records a must for the future

telecom | 10/13/2006 4:00 am EDT

In an increasingly connected world, hospitals have to jump on the online bandwagon and make better use of Internet-like technologies for such things as electronic health and patient records management.  This was one of the key messages from a session at the 5th Annual Summit on Wireless and Mobile Healthcare...

QoS not available to Cybersurf, door open to review at later date

telecom | 10/13/2006 4:00 am EDT

The CRTC has shut the door on CyberSurf Corp.’s request to get access to quality of service functionality and traffic management services currently employed by cable companies Rogers Communications Inc., Shaw Cablesystems and Vidéotron ltée (Telecom Decision 2006-61). However, in denying the principal application, the...

Debate over policy direction presents nothing new

telecom | 10/13/2006 4:00 am EDT

In a remarkable example of déja vu, the comments received by Industry Canada on the government’s proposed policy directive to the CRTC (NL, June 22/06) have re-ignited the intense difference of opinion between incumbent carriers and competitors on the state of telecommunications competition in Canada today.  The vast majority of parties...

MTS communicates strategy to analysts at recent meeting

telecom | 10/13/2006 4:00 am EDT

Although Telus Corp. recently became the second Canadian telco this year to announce an income-trust transformation plan, it seems MTS Allstream Inc. won’t follow the same path, even if it seemed headed that way a couple years ago.  "It’s not attractive for us," said Pierre Blouin, MTS’s CEO. He was...

NL Short Takes

telecom | 10/13/2006 4:00 am EDT

Bell Canada to become income trustCanada’s largest incumbent telephone company announced on October 11 that it will eliminate the BCE Inc. holding firm and turn Bell Canada into an income trust. In announcing the conversion, Michael Sabia, CEO of BCE, said the move is about focusing on the core communications business of the company and an attempt to "return to our roots and to stay there, to intensify our focus on Bell and to finish the job of repositioning the company as a pure communications business, providing integrated services across the breadth of our platforms to all of our customers." The decision to convert to an income trust is also about minimizing the significant cash tax hit of about $800 million the company would have to take in 2008. Before the decision was made to convert to an income trust Sabia said the trust structure had to meet to crucial tests: "Within a trust could we have the flexibility to invest in growth so that we could continue to build the business and at the same time have the resources to...

NL People

telecom | 10/13/2006 4:00 am EDT

As part of its strategy for national expansion, Calgary-based Shift Networks Inc. has announced several key additions to its senior management team. Keith Bradley has been named VP of sales for the western region. Bradley has worked in the telecommunications industry since 1992. He joins Shift from Telus Mobility where he was most recently director of corporate sales for British Columbia. Prior to that, Bradley was...

Cablecos winning back against telcos for control of the household

telecom | 10/13/2006 4:00 am EDT

A new report from The Convergence Consulting Group, The Battle for the North American Couch Potato: Bundling, Internet, TV Telephone, notes that cable companies are ahead of the telephone companies in terms of controlling the household. The notion holds true both in Canada and the United States.  There are obvious...

As either a long-distance provider or an MVNO, Yak is coming to wireless

telecom | 10/06/2006 4:00 am EDT

On September 21, Toronto-based Globalive Communications Corp. announced it had entered a definitive agreement to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Yak Communications Inc. with the intention of selling Yak’s American operations and concentrating on growing the company in Canada (NL, Sept. 28/06).  While Yak’s...

Combined CSI-SOCAN tariffs could sink mobile music: wireless carriers

telecom | 10/06/2006 4:00 am EDT

With as many as 750,000 song titles available for download between them, it would stand to reason the mobile music services of Canada’s three largest wireless operators would be on the road to financial sustainability. But at a recent hearing at the Copyright Board of Canada, representatives from each testified that...

M-healthcare to be big factor in dealing with chronic disease management

telecom | 10/06/2006 4:00 am EDT

In the current climate of strained health resources and cost-containment in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and most other Western nations, mobile healthcare (m-healthcare) will offer a solution to ease the burden of care placed on community and teaching hospitals that will inevitably rise with the aging of...

Wireless carriers haven’t cracked the mobile marketing code

telecom | 10/06/2006 4:00 am EDT

Mobile marketing is quickly gaining prominence in the world of advertising. One of the only new channels to arise recently, it has evolved into a way of reaching out to customers to generated brand awareness. Figures representing the potential for mobile marketing are instructive. More than 350 billion text messages...

ROW Short Takes

telecom | 10/06/2006 4:00 am EDT

Indian Railways to employ Nortel wireless solutionWireless communications technology from Nortel Networks Corp. is going to be used by Indian Railways to help improve the safety and efficiency. The Nortel GSM-R network will provide wireless communications along a 751-kilometre, 90-station line connecting Ghaziabad and Mugalsarai in India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh.  As part of the largest signalling and...

ROW People

telecom | 10/06/2006 4:00 am EDT

Multimedia data distribution company International Datacasting Corp. has named Edward DiCarlo as VP of sales and marketing. DiCarlo has more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience in the satellite and telecommunications industry including serving in various positions at Loral Skynet and Loral CyberStar. Prior to that he was the director of marketing for CBS where he was responsible for domestic and international...

Broadband wireless market poised for growth: Maravedis

telecom | 10/06/2006 4:00 am EDT

The broadband wireless access (BWA) market is expected to grow by leaps and bounds over the next several years, according to a new report from Maravedis. The Montreal-based research firm notes in a recent report, WiMAX and Broadband Wireless (Sub-11GHz) Worldwide Market Analysis and Trends 2006-2012, that there will be 87 million BWA subscribers, of which 67 million will subscribe to WiMAX services, by 2012. Below is an excerpt from the report.  The fixed/portable broadband wireless access equipment market (sub-11 GHz) has grown from US$562 million to US$637 million – US$755 million when including point-to-point backhaul applications. Maravedis predicts the fixed broadband wireless market to pass US$1 billion in 2007-2008.The fundamentals for continued growth of broadband wireless...

ROW Editorial

telecom | 10/06/2006 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.The issue of 911 has been thrust to the fore by a group of public safety answering points claiming that some VoIP providers aren’t routing 911 calls properly. While this issue is before the commission, there is a serious 911 issue at hand and little is being done to address it.  Wireless 911 is...

Phase II wireless 911 ongoing, evaluation coming in the near future

telecom | 10/06/2006 4:00 am EDT

The country’s policy makers and industry players need to refocus their attention on the development and widespread deployment of enhanced 911 (E911) for wireless service, according to the lead of the Phase II wireless 911 trial in Toronto.  A significant amount of attention has been paid to the problems of...

Globalive has big plans for the Yak brand in Canada

telecom | 09/28/2006 4:00 am EDT

Three months after Yak Communications Inc. announced it was exploring strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value (NL, July 6/06), Globalive Communications Inc. has agreed to purchase all of the outstanding shares of Yak’s common stock at a premium of approximately 39%.  The transaction is subject to a minimum 80% take-up and customary...

Small CLECs competing in local telephony get regulatory relief from CRTC

telecom | 09/28/2006 4:00 am EDT

The CRTC is providing partial regulatory relief to smaller companies offering local telephony (Telecom Decision 2006-58).  Responding to an application filed by the now-defunct Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association (CCTA; NL, Sept. 16/05 and Feb. 15/06) the commission will no longer require small CLECs offering...

Coyne levels criticism at CRTC during presentation in Toronto

telecom | 09/28/2006 4:00 am EDT

Andrew Coyne, national affairs columnist with the National Post, doesn’t like the CRTC and he isn’t happy that his viewing and listening options are dictated by a government regulator.  This was the theme of his presentation to the 100 or so guests gathered to hear his speech, The End of the CRTC?, at Toronto’s Spoke Club on September 12. Part of the Fraser Institute’s Behind the Spin series, Coyne took aim at some of the rulings made by the telecommunications and broadcast regulator, questioning their motives and portraying the CRTC as a relic of days gone by.  While Coyne’s criticisms were primarily directed at the CRTC’s broadcast decisions, he did take some jabs at the commission’s handing of the telecommunications. "It’s still trying to rig the...

Privacy commissioner concerned about communication legislation

telecom | 09/28/2006 4:00 am EDT

Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart is a proponent of practical technology: that is, digital advancements that aid society but do not trample individual rights. She sat down with Network Letter at the Canadian Marketing Association’s 2006 Regulatory Affairs Conference two weeks ago in Toronto.  During...

Do-not-call list RFP expected in January

telecom | 09/28/2006 4:00 am EDT

The CRTC aims to issue a request for proposal (RFP) for the operation of the telemarketing national do-not-call list (DNCL) in January, according to a commission spokesperson. But the federal agency might not employ the consortium model for the RFP, even though the telecom and broadcast regulator originally thought that would be the best way forward....

Telecom Hall of Fame Announces 2006 Laureates

telecom | 09/28/2006 4:00 am EDT

Public advocates, entrepreneurs and pioneers complete this year’s list of laureates inducted into Canada’s Telecommunications Hall of Fame. The industry will celebrate them in October.  Ted Rogers: As CEO of Rogers Communications, he is heralded for his competitive spirit. The executive helped change the telecom landscape when he unveiled...

NL Short Takes

telecom | 09/28/2006 4:00 am EDT

CRTC approves plan for VoIP E911, battle rages on interim processesThe CRTC has approved a plan to deploy VoIP E911 capability across Canada. On September 21, the commission agreed with a report from the CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee Emergency Services Working Group (ESWG) regarding nomadic VoIP technical and operating impediments to delivering 911 and E911. The ESWG now has six months to develop and file with...

Time to push coordinated ICT strategy: BCE’s Sabia to Canadian Club

telecom | 09/28/2006 4:00 am EDT

Michael Sabia, president and CEO of BCE Inc., told a group at the Canadian Club of Montreal that it’s time for the establishment of a coordinated national policy promoting the adoption of information and communications technologies (ICT) by small and medium businesses. Below is edited excerpt of his September 18...

NL Editorial

telecom | 09/28/2006 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.  Just over three months ago Gary Clifford, the chair of an independent committee established by Yak Communications Inc., told Network Letter that the flagging telecommunications company’s "Canadian assets produce very significant cash flows."  At the time, the independent...

Parents both like and dislike cell phones for kids

telecom | 09/21/2006 4:00 am EDT

When Marina McDonnell considered buying her daughter a cell phone, the mother was of two minds about it: on one hand, she liked the idea of Lindsay, 12, being able to call Mom at any time, in case of trouble. But on the other hand, McDonnell didn’t want to spoil the child with a high-tech gift.  "There are so many toys and gadgets on the...

US spectrum auction ends, nets government nearly US$14 billion

telecom | 09/21/2006 4:00 am EDT

The US federal government is now nearly US$14 billion richer after the Federal Communications Commission’s advanced wireless services (AWS) spectrum auction closed on September 18 with 104 bidders securing the rights to 1,087 licences. A total of 1,122 licences in the 1710-1755 MHz and 2110-2155 MHz bands were up for...

ROW Short Takes

telecom | 09/21/2006 4:00 am EDT

More than 400 million cell phone TV viewers by 2011: IMSMarket research and consulting firm IMS Research forecasts that 446 million people worldwide will be watching TV on their cell phones by the end of 2011. The IMS study also reported that mobile digital TV will experience 50% year-on-year growth through 2010. "Given the right conditions, mobile TV has the potential to spread from one customer to the next like few technologies before it," said Stephen Froelich, one of the authors of the IMS report. "If providers effectively supply compelling content, quality reception, and affordable, attractive phones, then every new mobile TV subscriber can become a mobile TV evangelist." While cellular data networks should experience strong growth in the mobile TV market, they will be overtaken by digital broadcast services as the network of choice for subscribers by early 2010.  Canadian wireless provider launches Internet services in GreeceCraig Wireless Systems Ltd. is launching VoIP, videoconferencing and interactive...

ROW People

telecom | 09/21/2006 4:00 am EDT

Norsat International Inc. has promoted Aimee Chan to president and CEO from her previous post as VP of operations. She takes over from Bill Coyne.  Randy Witten, who had served as VP of the Americas, will now become VP of sales, succeeding Bill Comeford. Chan is credited with turning around Norsat’s microwave business. Witten has more than 30 years of experience in the telecommunications and satellite...

Former RABC head comments on public safety radio interoperability

telecom | 09/21/2006 4:00 am EDT

Ted Campbell, the former GM of the Radio Advisory Board of Canada, told Industry Canada that there is a definition of public safety radio interoperability and the Canadian government has already agreed to it. His comments, an edited excerpt from which appear below, come as part of proceeding (SMSE-005-06) to determine...

ROW Editorial

telecom | 09/21/2006 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.The cell phone has long been considered the single device people will want and need to carry with them wherever they go. Handsets now offer features and functionality that bring the PC and entertainment together with telephony.  Users can send and receive text messages and email, create a contact...

Korean handset maker Pantech launches branded device with Telus

telecom | 09/21/2006 4:00 am EDT

Pantech Wireless Inc., the US subsidiary of a Korea-based handset maker, is expanding beyond its original device manufacturing (ODM) business and coming to market with its own brand-name devices.  While the company is already offering handsets south of the border, it recently announced that Telus Mobility is now...

BCE selling off portion of Telesat, hopes to raise $400 million in IPO

telecom | 09/21/2006 4:00 am EDT

BCE Inc. wants to raise $400 million from the initial public offering (IPO) of Telesat Canada. But it appears the communications and media conglomerate is not willing to give up any control of Canada’s former monopoly satellite provider to do so.  A preliminary prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the US and the securities commissions in Canada on September 18 indicates that only Class B non-voting shares are up for grabs, and that BCE will continue to own all Class A common shares following the IPO. "As a result, BCE will continue to control and influence the outcome of virtually all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders," reads...

Privacy commissioner concerned about communication legislation

telecom | 09/15/2006 4:00 am EDT

Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart is a proponent of practical technology: that is, digital advancements that aid society but do not trample individual rights. She sat down with Network Letter at the Canadian Marketing Association’s 2006 Regulatory Affairs Conference this week in Toronto.  During the...

Struggle continues to develop 911 system for VoIP calls

telecom | 09/15/2006 4:00 am EDT

With emergency calling from VoIP subscribers a major concern for the country’s public safety answering points (PSAPs), telecom industry stakeholders are forging ahead to develop new solutions that will not only mimic existing enhanced 911 systems, but also offer new functionality.  The problem is that VoIP providers...

Economic growth, ICT adoption slow in regions of Quebec

telecom | 09/15/2006 4:00 am EDT

Earlier this month Canada’s new government unveiled two measures that will make more than $50 million in funding available for business start-ups and business succession in Quebec regions experiencing slow economic growth.  "Anything that will help entrepreneurs start up their business, like supplying the proper...

MTS Allstream takes Bell to task over changes to wholesale access tariff

telecom | 09/15/2006 4:00 am EDT

MTS Allstream Inc. is telling the CRTC that it should reject changes Bell Canada has proposed for its wholesale ADSL access service, Gateway Access Service (GAS). Bell has countered that none of the issues raised should preclude the commission from approving the tariff.  Manitoba’s incumbent telephone company states...

New pricing focus for Bell apparent in Optimax strategy: Cope

telecom | 09/15/2006 4:00 am EDT

Bell Canada’s decision to launch its Optimax fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) high-speed Internet service with metered pricing is a sign of things to come from the incumbent telephone company, says George Cope, president and COO. He made the comments at the BMO Capital Markets Media and Telecom conference on September 12....

Cable companies capturing majority of ILECs local telephone customers

telecom | 09/15/2006 4:00 am EDT

New data from Statistics Canada indicates that cable operators have been the main beneficiaries of competition on the local telephony market. Government figures show that between the end of the first quarter of 2005 and Q1 2006 incumbent telephone companies have lost 5.3% of their total local access lines or approximately...

NL Short Takes

telecom | 09/15/2006 4:00 am EDT

Telus announces major investment in broadband networkTelus Corp. has announced that it will be investing $600 million to enhance its broadband network in British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec by the end of 2009. The telco will be installing advanced Internet equipment in more than 7,000 sites across its network as well as running fibre-optic cable closer to homes to drive Internet access speeds of 15 to 30 Mbps and beyond....

NL People

telecom | 09/15/2006 4:00 am EDT

Telesat Canada, a subsidiary of BCE Inc., has announced that its president and CEO Larry Boisvert has decided to retire after 13 years in the position and nearly 34 years with the Ottawa-based company. He will remain a senior advisor to the satellite operator. Daniel Goldberg, a former president and CEO with SES New Skies, has been tapped to replace Boisvert. Goldberg has been working in the communications sector for...

Telecom reform required as quickly as possible: CCT

telecom | 09/15/2006 4:00 am EDT

The Coalition for Competitive Telecommunications notes in its comments on the proposed Policy Direction to the CRTC that there is ample evidence to support less regulation of incumbent telephone companies. It suggests that the Policy Direction should be adopted by Parliament as it’s written as quickly as possible. Below is an edited excerpt of the CCT’s comments.  The draft policy direction is the result of substantial analysis and significant consultation. The Gazette Notice states that the government consulted with the provinces, territories and the CRTC before its draft policy direction was tabled in Parliament.  Given the urgency to begin the reform process, which has been acknowledged by both the Telecommunications Policy Review Panel and Minister Maxime Bernier, the...

NL Editorial

telecom | 09/15/2006 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. In the last issue of Network Letter, this space was devoted to chastising VoIP providers for putting their customers in serious danger by not following current 911 rules and not routing 911 calls through the proper channels. We’re not pointing fingers at all VoIP providers, just those that...

ROW Short Takes

telecom | 09/08/2006 4:00 am EDT

Nokia buys gate5 for mapping, navigation servicesNokia has signed an agreement to acquire gate5, a supplier of navigation software in Europe. The purchase will allow Nokia to offer maps, routing, navigation and other location-based applications on its mobile devices. "Maps and navigation are natural elements to be offered in mobile devices but this area hasn’t developed as fast as expected by the market," said...

ROW People

telecom | 09/08/2006 4:00 am EDT

Telus Québec has appointed four new VPs. Serge Leclerc has been named VP of business communications and community affairs. He was a partner at a large public relations firm and is now responsible for internal communication strategies, public relations and community investments. Christian Proulx joins the company as VP of human resources. He previously held numerous positions responsible for human resources in the fields...

Rogers requests change to local number routing system

telecom | 09/08/2006 4:00 am EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. has asked the CRTC to change the local number routing (LNR) system. The company says this will better align practices that apply to wireless CLECs with those of wireless service providers (WSPs) in the local interconnection region (LIR) regime. Below is an edited excerpt of the August 30 Part VII.  Rogers notes that the...

ROW Editorial

telecom | 09/08/2006 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.  Is the wireless industry more competitive today than it was a mere two weeks ago before a flurry of announcements from Rogers Wireless, Vidéotron ltée and Telus Mobility? And will the growth rate of wireless penetration increase because of these initiatives?  Report on Wireless put that question to two industry analysts: Jeff Fan from UBS Securities Canada and Brian Sharwood of the SeaBoard Group. Both came to a similar conclusion. When a new brand enters the market, as Vidéotron and Amp’d Mobile have done, there is always slightly greater activity from a consumer perspective that could lead to a minor uptick in the penetration rate growth, but overall not much will change.  This editor agrees with the evaluation put forward by Fan and Sharwood. There will be a short-term positive impact from these initiatives, but at the end of the day growth in the penetration rate isn’t going to be higher over...

More services, packages and rates hit Canadian wireless market

telecom | 09/08/2006 4:00 am EDT

There was a flurry of activity on the wireless pricing front in the early part of August with new pricing plans, new entertainment services and even a new competitor entering the market. But will this recent activity affect competition and penetration rate growth?  According to two industry analysts, the simple answer...

Mobile social networking and user-created content increasingly important

telecom | 09/08/2006 4:00 am EDT

Mobile wireless operators around the world should pay closer attention to the growing significance of mobile social networking and user-created content, and leverage their presence with the youth market to generate additional revenue. This is one of the messages from UK market research firm visiongain in its recent report...

Voice-only devices preferred by corporate buyers: Indaba

telecom | 09/08/2006 4:00 am EDT

Cameras, MP3 players and Internet connectivity may be popular cell phone features for many handset buyers, but a portion of shoppers want less glitter and cool - they seek basic, voice-only devices. This is the conclusion from Indaba, a division of London ON-based IT consultancy Info-Tech Research Group.  In a survey...

Nortel unloads portion of wireless business to Alcatel

telecom | 09/08/2006 4:00 am EDT

Nortel Networks Corp. is following through on a previously announced strategy to divest itself of product lines from which it won’t capture 20% market share. The one-time venerable wireless equipment company announced this month that it was selling its UMTS access business to Alcatel SA for US$320 million....

CRTC stands ground on VoIP regime

telecom | 09/01/2006 4:00 am EDT

The CRTC is sticking to its guns with respect to the regulatory regime for VoIP services, saying these services should continue to be regulated in a manner similar to circuit-switched local exchange services (Telecom Decision 2006-53).  The commission has, however, recognized that the competitive landscape is changing and has therefore commenced a...

Canada’s two big ILECs fighting back against NAS line erosion

telecom | 09/01/2006 4:00 am EDT

Bell Canada and Telus Corp. continue to lose local landline subscribers, but according to executives at the country’s two largest incumbent telephone companies’, their strategies are beginning to pay off.  Bell lost 169,000 residential landlines in the second quarter of 2006 compared to churn results from the first...

VoIP providers using administrative lines for 911, allege PSAPs

telecom | 09/01/2006 4:00 am EDT

The country’s public safety answering points (PSAPs) and 911 systems operators are alleging that some VoIP providers or third-party call centres are routing nomadic and non-native VoIP 911 calls over the PSAPs’ administrative lines. In an application filed with the CRTC on August 17, the group asks the commission to...

Small providers push back on proposed revision to wholesale access regime

telecom | 09/01/2006 4:00 am EDT

Small, independent communications service providers are telling Industry Canada Minister Maxime Bernier that proposed revisions to the wholesale access regime as laid out in the June Policy Direction to the CRTC will only thwart the development of competition. The message comes as comments on the proposed Policy Direction...

ICT should be higher on government agenda: business groups

telecom | 09/01/2006 4:00 am EDT

Three prominent business and industry groups have told the federal government that the adoption of information and communications technologies (ICTs) should be a higher priority. The message came in response to Industry Canada’s proposed Policy Direction to the CRTC, which calls for increased reliance on market forces in the telecommunications industry.  The Canadian Chamber of Commerce notes in its comments that ICT makes a significant contribution to improving Canada’s economic productivity, and that the government’s directive to the CRTC to rely on market forces shows it is committed to helping keep the country competitive, both domestically and internationally.  "It is imperative for the government to support ICT in Canada by focusing on fostering a better business...

Ottawa company ramps up production for overseas FTTH rollout

telecom | 09/01/2006 4:00 am EDT

Fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) modem developer Enablence Technologies Inc. has entered into a contract manufacturing agreement with Advantech Advanced Manufacturing Services to allow Enablence to move from prototypes to an initial low-volume assembly line. The company has its sights on building a high-volume production capability...

NL Short Takes

telecom | 09/01/2006 4:00 am EDT

ATB Financial contracts Telus for IP-based networkAlberta Treasury Branches Financial has signed a three-year, $8.3-million contract to deploy Telus Corp.’s Internet Protocol-based voice and data network services, as well as upgrade a 200-seat ATB Financial contact centre. The contract includes wide area network and local area network services, local access, long distance, high-speed Internet and data support services,...

NL People

telecom | 09/01/2006 4:00 am EDT

Warner Andrews has been named VP of strategic marketing and business development at Zarlink Semiconductor. Andrews brings over 20 years of technical marketing, product management and sales expertise in the telecommunications and optical electronics industries to the position. He most recently owned and operated 290 Ventures, a consulting firm that advised clients on business formation, strategy, product management and...

Rebating urban consumers from deferral accounts too expensive and complicated: Telus

telecom | 09/01/2006 4:00 am EDT

Telus Corp. has intervened in Barrett Xplore Inc.’s Part VII requesting the commission overturn its decision regarding the use of deferral account money for broadband network expansion by the ILECs. The western-based incumbent telephone company says a rebate program would be too costly and complex.  Below is an...

NL Editorial

telecom | 09/01/2006 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.  Some Voice over IP providers appear to be playing with fire, and it may only be a matter of time before they get burnt, or worse, one of their subscribers does.  According to a group of public safety answering points (PSAPs), some VoIP providers are still routing VoIP 911 calls over PSAP administrative lines, putting consumers at great risk of not receiving quick response times, or a response at all, from police, fire or ambulance services (see article on page 3).  The PSAPs filed an application with the CRTC on August 17 asking the commission to intervene by reminding VoIP providers of the current rules. They also want the CRTC to lean on carriers that provide VoIP companies the services they require to offer service.  Rules have been in place for months, says Peter Glen, staff sergeant with the London Police Department. The PSAPs are simply telling the VoIP providers to abide by the rules....

The cart before the horse: giving vendors too much control

telecom | 08/25/2006 4:00 am EDT

Ayn Rand’s "Rational Selfishness" suggests that customers should act in their own self-interest to arrive at optimal outcomes, and Adam Smith and Leon Walras argue that in so doing, customers can also contribute to the greater good. This, largely, becomes the justification for capitalism.  Why then, would...

ROW Editorial

telecom | 08/25/2006 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.Canada’s wireless industry appears to be headed for some significant changes in the near future as the impact of Vidéotron ltée’s entry into the market and the hiring of Wade Oosterman to head Bell Mobility reverberate across the sector.  Normally, the entry of a wireless reseller and the...

Rogers Wireless and Telus Mobility outperform Bell Mobility in second quarter

telecom | 08/25/2006 4:00 am EDT

Canada’s three national wireless carriers reported solid subscriber results with overall industry subscriber growth topping 11% for the second quarter of 2006 compared to results from last year’s second quarter, but Rogers Wireless and Telus Mobility continue to outpace rival Bell Mobility. There are now more than 17...

More broadband spectrum available

telecom | 08/25/2006 4:00 am EDT

Industry Canada has kicked off a consultation to license more spectrum that can be used to provide broadband services. This new bandwidth would add to existing spectrum licensed in 2004 and 2005.  The department seeks comment in DGTP-006-06 on the licensing and technical requirements for using the 3650-3700 MHz band. Industry Canada also wants to...

Veteran wireless executive to take charge of struggling Bell Mobility

telecom | 08/25/2006 4:00 am EDT

Wade Oosterman, the new president of Bell Mobility and Bell Distribution Inc., has a tough task ahead of him: return the struggling wireless operator to its former venerable self. He also been given the position of chief brand officer of Bell Canada, which is also in recognition of the struggles the incumbent telephone...

Ruling on Tariff 24 should amount to millions for SOCAN

telecom | 08/25/2006 4:00 am EDT

Much to the dismay of Canada’s wireless carriers, the Copyright Board of Canada ruled on August 18 that the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) will receive a royalty rate of 6% on revenue from ringtone downloads, for which a SOCAN licence is required, between 2003 and 2005....

Voice-enabled technology makes sense in car, home and workplace

telecom | 08/25/2006 4:00 am EDT

With the launch of its hands-free, in-car email solution iLane last month (RoW, July 27/06), Waterloo ON-based Intelligent Mechatronic Systems Inc. (IMS) rolled out one of the first voice-activated wireless devices on the market. Almost immediately after iLane’s release, future uses for this technology and how it could be...

Significant growth in wireless data services, CRTC figures reveal

telecom | 08/25/2006 4:00 am EDT

Results from the CRTC’s annual report on the telecommunications industry reveal that revenue from wireless data services such as email, text messaging and ringtones is contributing significantly to the wireless industry’s overall revenue growth. This growth also took into account roaming and interconnection charges....

ROW Short Takes

telecom | 08/25/2006 4:00 am EDT

Nokia introduces new Bluetooth handset in CanadaNokia is giving Canadian business users a new powerful handset to improve their work environment. The 2855i has integrated Bluetooth, a handsfree speaker phone, memo recorder and phonebook. "The Nokia 2855i phone is a business tool that enables optimum efficiency for completing business activities when mobile," reads a news release. "For example, users will benefit from the Nokia 2855i easy user interface and integrated Bluetooth functionality, especially when required to link with a remote printer or laptop to print or download messages, files or images." Nokia’s CDMA sales director adds, "With Nokia’s unsurpassed quality, long product life and the new wireless essential – Bluetooth technology, the affordable Nokia 2855i device will be a favourite among managers and employees alike."  Xplornet expands into the US with WildBlue partnershipXplornet Internet Services is expanding into the United States through a partnership with WildBlue Enterprise...