RCMP raises two concerns about licensing of 4.9 GHz band for public safety

telecom | 11/16/2005 5:00 am EST

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police generally supports Industry Canada’s proposal regarding the technical and licensing requirements of the 4.9 GHz band for public safety operations. However, the national police agency raises two issues with respect to the proposal. The following is an edited excerpt of the RCMP’s...

ROW Editorial

telecom | 11/16/2005 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.There’s a saying: What’s old is new againThere’s a saying: What’s old is new again. This is certainly true with fashion, but also seems to be the case with respect to technology. This month, Canada’s three national wireless operators announced a plan to bring mobile commerce to the handset (see...

Mobile commerce getting major boost from country’s national wireless operators

telecom | 11/16/2005 5:00 am EST

Canada’s three national wireless carriers have once again joined forces to bring innovative, interoperable mobile services to wireless subscribers. Bell Mobility, Rogers Wireless Inc. and Telus Mobility announced November 7 the creation of Wireless Payment Services (WPS), a three-way joint venture aimed at developing...

PEI and New Brunswick implement new 911 fee collection mechanism

telecom | 11/16/2005 5:00 am EST

The provinces of Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick plan to implement a new 911 emergency services collection mechanism, which has angered at least one wireless operator because it believes it is being forced to be the governments’ new tax collector. Parke Davis, senior regulatory and government affairs advisor at...

Younger Canadians support federally funded broadband rollout

telecom | 11/08/2005 5:00 am EST

 Younger Canadians and low-income households were most likely to support the government pay some of the tab to bring high-speed Internet access to all Canadian residents. In fact, a third of Canadians, in particular those between 18 and 24 years old, are open to the idea of paying an additional $2 in monthly taxes or in cable TV or telephone charges to help fund broadband expansion. These are two key findings from a Decima Research survey conducted for Network Letter last month. Decima asked about 1,000 Canadians a variety of questions on the issue of high-speed Internet access regarding their support for a federal government subsidy program, whether broadband is even required in rural and remote Canada, and whether they would pay out of their own pockets to help fund broadband...

Motorola drops suit against Zafirovski, settlement could be barrier in new role

telecom | 11/08/2005 5:00 am EST

 Motorola Inc. may well have put to rest its lawsuit against Mike Zafirovski, its former chief operating officer that Nortel Networks Corp. hired as CEO, but that’s not to say the situation’s completely settled. The Motorola-Zafirovski deal includes restrictions that could ham-string the executive in his new Nortel...

Union rejects last offer by a sliver, TELUS tries again with new agreement

telecom | 11/08/2005 5:00 am EST

 Thirty votes, give or take a few. That’s 30 out of 9,027. A mere fraction, nearly negligible, but apparently a number big enough to derail a hard-breathing campaign to heal the rift between Burnaby, B.C.-based phone company TELUS Corp. and its unionized workers. On October 30 the Telecommunica-tions Workers...

Vidéotron takes commission to task for approving Bell Canada’s VoIP pricing application

telecom | 11/08/2005 5:00 am EST

 Quebecor Media Inc.’s Vidéotron ltée subsidiary is challenging the CRTC’s decision to allow Bell Canada to price its IP telephony service differently in Ontario and Quebec. The company filed two appeals late last month asking the commission to revoke approval of Bell’s Digital Voice...

NL Short Takes

telecom | 11/08/2005 5:00 am EST

CRTC finalizes streamlined tariff proceduresThe CRTC is satisfied that its six-month trial of streamlined tariff approval procedures have produced the results it was seeking, and has a result implemented the procedures on a final basis. Telecom Circular 2005-9 notes the commission is satisfied the new procedures are appropriate. "With these procedural changes, the commission stated that it expected to reduce its...

NL People

telecom | 11/08/2005 5:00 am EST

Michael Andreola has been appointed VP of enterprise sales to head the consolidated sales group for Toronto Hydro Telecom Inc. and Hydro One Telecom Inc. The announcement was made by the heads of both organizations: Dave Dobbin, president of Toronto Hydro, and John Macdonald, president and CEO of Hydro One. With more than 20 years experience under his belt, Andreola has held positions with Bell Canada and GT...

Consider financial impact of Bell’s Type 2 CSA rule changes application: Justice

telecom | 11/08/2005 5:00 am EST

 The Department of Justice is telling the CRTC that it must consider carefully the financial impact on customers of moving to ex post regulation of customer specific arrangements (CSAs) as suggested by Bell Canada in a recent application to the commission. The following is an edited excerpt of its submission regarding...

NL Editorial

telecom | 11/08/2005 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. One story that didn’t make into this issue of Network Letter was that competition has arrived in the business sector in certain markets across the country.  The news, out of the CRTC, was that competitors have stolen at least 10% and up to 25% market share away from the incumbent telephone...

IP Multimedia Subsystems considered to be the brains for tomorrow’s networks

telecom | 11/01/2005 5:00 am EST

 A lot of talk in wireless and wireline circles lately has centered on the convergence of both networks and services, exploring future opportunities made possible by IP Multimedia Susbsystems (IMS). Ronald Gruia, program leader and senior strategic analyst at Frost & Sullivan, explains what IMS is and what it can...

ROW Editorial

telecom | 11/01/2005 5:00 am EST

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. The wireless industry’s plan to implement wireless number portability for all of the country’s wireless subscribers is supposed to benefit all customers at once at the same time. While laudable, this is a significant departure from how WNP was viewed about six or seven years ago. In the late 1990s, WNP was seen as a competitive differentiator – a tool wireless carriers could use to lure subscribers from rivals. Now they and the wireless industry association have all but said WNP has nothing to do with competition; they say instead that it is a social policy objective no different than E911. Microcell Telecommunications (purchased by Rogers Wireless in 2004) was convinced that WNP could be a competitive differentiator against its larger rivals. It spent a great deal of money and time at the commission trying to become a CLEC, so that it could offer WNP. It shouldn’t be forgotten that Clearnet...

Wireless number portability debate continues with carriers slamming Virgin

telecom | 11/01/2005 5:00 am EST

 Major players in the Canadian wireless industry are taking aim at comments made by Virgin Mobile Canada in response to the CRTC’s call for comments (Telecom Public Notice 2005-14) on the implementation of wireless number portability (WNP). The upstart mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) has been highly critical...

Telcos look to solutions provision by mixing connectivity, inventory tracking

telecom | 11/01/2005 5:00 am EST

 The selection of Bell Canada to deploy a wireless technology pilot for the Supply Network Chain (SNC) Project is another example of the ongoing evolution of Canadian telcos into more than just network providers.  Allstream Inc. similarly announced the expansion if its RFID solution portfolio last month, further...

Letter to the Editor

telecom | 11/01/2005 5:00 am EST

 Re: "Virgin Mobile says viable solutions to enable speedier WNP available in the market", October 18, 2005   The PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) plan for the implementation of WNP relies extensively on the use of existing systems and processes, as well as the valuable experience from the implementation of WNP in the U.S. The plan, developed with valuable learnings from the numerous mistakes...

ROW Short Takes

telecom | 11/01/2005 5:00 am EST

Global revenue per user down: TeleGeographyNew data from TeleGeography indicates that wireless operators around the world are garnering less average revenue per user (ARPU) despite increasing subscriber additions and overall revenue (see table below).  The company’s GlobalComms update shows that only North American and Western European wireless carriers have recorded second quarter 2005 ARPU levels near those...

Wireless number portability debate continues with carriers slamming Virgin

telecom | 11/01/2005 5:00 am EST

 Major players in the Canadian wireless industry are taking aim at comments made by Virgin Mobile Canada in response to the CRTC’s call for comments (Telecom Public Notice 2005-14) on the implementation of wireless number portability (WNP).  The upstart mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) has been highly critical of the industry’s WNP implementation plan and that has three national operators as well as the wireless industry association on the defensive. Last month, the MVNO wrote in comments to the commission that WNP could become available much sooner than the September 2007 date proposed by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and supported by the Canadian Wireless...

Telcos look to solutions provision by mixing connectivity, inventory tracking

telecom | 11/01/2005 5:00 am EST

 The selection of Bell Canada to deploy a wireless technology pilot for the Supply Network Chain (SNC) Project is another example of the ongoing evolution of Canadian telcos into more than just network providers.  Allstream Inc. similarly announced the expansion if its RFID solution portfolio last month, further...

Telecom regulators not doing enough to promote competition in wireless: analyst

telecom | 11/01/2005 5:00 am EST

 Two veteran telecommunications analysts sparred over the state of wireless sector competition at a recent conference in Toronto.  Speaking at TeleManagement Live 2005 on October 18, Eamon Hoey, principal of Hoey & Associates, said the government isn’t doing enough to promote real competition in the wireless...

Letter to the Editor

telecom | 11/01/2005 5:00 am EST

 Re: "Virgin Mobile says viable solutions to enable speedier WNP available in the market", October 18, 2005   The PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) plan for the implementation of WNP relies extensively on the use of existing systems and processes, as well as the valuable experience from the implementation of WNP in the U.S. The plan, developed with valuable learnings from the numerous mistakes...

ROW Short Takes

telecom | 11/01/2005 5:00 am EST

Global revenue per user down: TeleGeographyNew data from TeleGeography indicates that wireless operators around the world are garnering less average revenue per user (ARPU) despite increasing subscriber additions and overall revenue (see table below).  The company’s GlobalComms update shows that only North American and Western European wireless carriers have recorded second quarter 2005 ARPU levels near those...

ROW People

telecom | 11/01/2005 5:00 am EST

Keith Findlay has been appointed president and CEO of Mitec Telecom, after temporarily serving in the positions. Stefano Bazzocchi has been named VP finance and CFO. Robert Mitchell has been appointed VP of the sitcom business unit. Rob Harper has been named VP of the telecom business. Jeff Joseph has been appointed VP of business development.  Jason Cohenour was chosen to lead Sierra Wireless Inc. as its new...

CRTC still relevant in transition to competition, says CRTC vice-chair French

telecom | 10/26/2005 4:00 am EDT

 The CRTC still has a critical role to play in the transition to a fully competitive telecommunications market, commission vice-chair of telecommunications Richard French declared at a recent conference. Speaking at the TeleManagement Live 2005 conference in Toronto on October 18, French stated that the evolution to a...

Telecommunications issues need to find champion with clout in government

telecom | 10/26/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Recommendations from the Telecommunications Policy Review Panel to modernize Canada’s telecom regulatory and policy framework could find themselves shelved, analysts fear. Speaking at the TeleManagement Live 2005 conference in Toronto on October 18, the analysts noted that the political will isn’t there on the...

Do Not Call list bill heads to Senate; House accepts newspaper carve-out

telecom | 10/26/2005 4:00 am EDT

 The Canadian Newspaper Association (CNA) has won an important victory this week in getting its members exempted from a national Do Not Call (DNC) telemarketing list. On Monday, October 24, Bill C-37 passed third reading in the House of Commons – the final stage before the bill goes to the Senate – and contained...

Multinational enterprises seek carriers with reach and breadth of offerings

telecom | 10/26/2005 4:00 am EDT

 If communication service providers want to impress Canadian multinational corporations, they should continue to forge strong ties with data- and IP-specific firms, according to industry observers at The Yankee Group. This was the main conclusion of Carrie MacGillivray, a Yankee Group Canada analyst in Ottawa, in a presentation she gave at the TeleManagement Live 2005 conference in Toronto last week.  Companies like Bell Canada, Rogers Telecom Inc. and TELUS Corp. would do well to acquire more technology-specific businesses to compete against the multinationals’ preferred data and IP provider, AT&T Corp. This was the primary highlights of The Yankee Group’s Global Network...

NL Short Takes

telecom | 10/26/2005 4:00 am EDT

Bell differential Digital Voice pricing approvedThe CRTC has approved Bell Canada’s application to institute different pricing of its Digital Voice IP telephony offering in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The company applied to have the right to offer different prices in the two provinces on September 2. MTS Allstream and Primus Telecommunications Canada Inc. objected to the application. MTS stated that Bell’s...

NL People

telecom | 10/26/2005 4:00 am EDT

Samuel Guénette has been appointed GM of M5T, a provider of software for secure, real-time multimedia communications over IP networks. Based in the company’s Montreal headquarters, he will be responsible for driving the management and growth of M5T’s worldwide operations. He will also be in charge of maintaining relationships with the company’s existing customers.  Bell Canada announced on October 19 that...

Battling for ownership of the digital home, cable and telcos continue aggressive fight

telecom | 10/26/2005 4:00 am EDT

 The bundling of telephony, television and Internet services continues to be the primary marketing strategy of cable companies and telephone companies across North America to win over subscribers. While there are fundamental differences between the U.S. and Canadian markets, cablecos and telcos...

NL Editorial

telecom | 10/26/2005 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. It would be a shame if recommendations from the Telecommunications Policy Review Panel found themselves shelved by the very government that called for the examination. If this does happen, voters should demand the federal government’s head on a platter for a colossal waste of the industry’s...

700 MHz band ideal for broadband services, including access and mobile video

telecom | 10/18/2005 4:00 am EDT

 A new report from Maravedis, a Montreal-based telecom market research and analysis firm, suggests that once broadcasters vacate the 700 MHz band, innovative services will be deployed. The following is an edited version of the executive summary of the USA and Canada 700 MHz Regulatory and Market Analysis.  The 700 MHz band includes the UHF TV channels 52 through 69 (698 MHz – 806 MHz). As a result of the 1996 amendments to the Communications Act, this band was re-allocated for use by other communications services including public safety and public commercial use.  Although development of public safety in the 700 MHz band began in 1997, few systems have actually be deployed...

ROW International Briefs

telecom | 10/18/2005 4:00 am EDT

EarthLink to deploy Wi-Fi for PhiladelphiaThe City of Philadelphia has selected EarthLink out of 12 other suitors to deploy a citywide broadband wireless network using Wi-Fi technology. It is expected to be the largest municipal Wi-Fi network in the United States, EarthLink said. Philadelphia, the fifth largest city in the United States, will be blanketed by Wi-Fi by the fourth quarter of 2006. To cover the city of 349...

COMMENTARY:

telecom | 10/18/2005 4:00 am EDT

Wireless industry needs to save face with subscribers, regulators  The Canadian Wireless Telecommu-nications Association (CWTA) seems to have been unsuccessful in convincing analysts that a two-year implementation for wireless number portability (WNP) is required.  After mountains of ink have been spilled decrying the CWTA’s implementation schedule, the association went on the offensive last week and held a...

Virgin Mobile says viable solutions to enable speedier WNP available in the market

telecom | 10/18/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Virgin Mobile Canada, the country’s rebel wireless company, is telling the CRTC that there are viable commercially available solutions that can be used to enable wireless number portability (WNP) sooner than September 2007. That is the date being proposed by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association based...

Mobile phone virus threat coming, carriers should begin preparations to protect customers

telecom | 10/18/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Computer viruses have long been considered the bane of the Internet and soon viruses for the mobile phone will cause similar headaches for consumers unless wireless operators begin preparations now, warns Johan Valentin, GM for the Americas of SmartTrust.  The company is a mobile device...

Wireless and broadcasting interests continue battle over NMEO and mobile TV

telecom | 10/18/2005 4:00 am EDT

 The wireless and broadcasting industries continue to battle over whether the New Media Exemption Order applies to the mobile TV to cell phone services being offered by the country’s three national wireless operators.  In a second round of comments to Broadcasting Public Notice 2005-82, the Canadian Wireless...

Wireless, telecom firms make up more than 25% of Deloitte’s Fast 50

telecom | 10/18/2005 4:00 am EDT

 This year’s Deloitte’s Fast 50 Canadian technology companies list features a healthy roster of wireless and telecommunications companies with Ontario companies such as Pickering’s AirIQ Inc. and Mississauga’s Redknee Inc. as well as Burnaby BC’s Unity Wireless Corp. making the top 20 (see box for full list...

ROW Short Takes

telecom | 10/18/2005 4:00 am EDT

Bell lights up Starbucks with Wi-Fi serviceBell Canada and Starbucks Coffee Canada announced that Wi-Fi service will become available in more than 400 locations across Canada over the next year.  Rollout has already started in Ontario where 140 locations will get the service. "As a company, we offer our customers a comfortable place to connect over great coffee. Whether it’s discovering great new music or...

Wholesale access to ILEC facilities comes up during forbearance testimony

telecom | 10/12/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Yak Communications Inc. and Cybersurf Corp. told the CRTC during testimony that it needs to focus on wholesale access as part of the local exchange service forbearance proceeding. Much of the CRTC’s hearings into local exchange service forbearance focused on defining the appropriate product and geographic markets,...

Canadian telecom laureates to be inducted in Hall of Fame on October 17

telecom | 10/12/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Canada’s Telecommunications Hall of Fame will induct its first nine members on October 17 at the 2005 Telecom Laureate Awards gala dinner in Toronto. The Hall of Fame, announced earlier this year at the Telecom Summit (NL, June 23/05), was created by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP lawyer Lorne Abugov to recognize leadership and contributions to the Canadian telecommunications industry over the past 160 years.  Bell Canada celebrates its 125th anniversary this year and it seems fitting that the Canadian telecommunications industry recognizes its visionaries and innovators that have helped shape the industry. Among the list of inductees are those considered to be fathers of...

Bell and Wesley Clover join forces to make ‘tangible’ IP apps for SMBs

telecom | 10/12/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Bell Canada and Terry Matthews’ Wesley Clover companies are putting their heads together to form a new technology innovations centre in Ottawa. Its mandate: come up with novel broadband-based applications for small- and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). According to one official with the federal government, the...

Giving Bell VoIP pricing flexibility would hurt competitor development: Primus

telecom | 10/12/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Telephony service providers, Primus Telecommunications Canada Inc. and MTS Allstream Inc., took advantage of the CRTC’s revised timeline to comment more thoroughly on Bell Canada’s application to price its VoIP service differently in each of Ontario and Quebec.  The competitors unanimously urged the...

Meriton acquisition of Mahi enhances product and expands geographic reach

telecom | 10/12/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Meriton Networks Inc. is looking to more aggressively target a broader market, something the Ottawa firm can do now following its acquisition of Mahi Networks Inc. While the optical network provider preaches the necessity of a "future-proof" infrastructure for its telecom service provider customers, Meriton...

NL Short Takes

telecom | 10/12/2005 4:00 am EDT

TELUS and TWU settle long-standing labour disputeTELUS Corp. and the Telecommunications Workers Union have come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement, ending a four-and-a-half year-old labour dispute. The announcement October 10 followed TELUS CEO Darren Entwhistle recent decision to get personally involved in renewed negotiations. The five-year agreement has now been turned over to the union’s members for...

NL People

telecom | 10/12/2005 4:00 am EDT

Brian Groh has resigned as president, CEO and a director of Xplore Technologies Corp. He will continue provide advisory services to the executive committee of the company. Xplore has yet to name a successor for Groh, but his responsibilities have to spread among the executive management team of Mark Holleran, senior VP global sales; Michael Rapisand, CFO; Richard Perley, senior VP of marketing; Philip Sassower, chair of the board; and Andrea Goren.  Cimtek, a maker of electronic device test and design products, has appointed Stan Smith to the position of president and CEO. He has an extensive background in product lifecycle management and manufacturing automation, most recently serving as president and CEO of Open Ratings. Prior to that, Smith was VP of worldwide field operations with Agile Systems, where he managed sales, business development, implementations and professional services. Samuel Guénette has been appointed GM of M5T, a provider of software for real-time multimedia communications over IP networks. He will be based...

NL Editorial

telecom | 10/12/2005 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 CRTC has a lot to consider in its deliberations regarding local service forbearance. But based on questioning from commissioners during four days of testimony, it is likely to spend a lot of time on defining the appropriate product and geographic markets. Choosing the right level of market...

Holistic regulation: the way to go, says the CWTA to Telecom Policy Review Panel

telecom | 10/05/2005 4:00 am EDT

The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association has told the Telecommunications Policy Review Panel that a holistic or smart approach to regulation is preferred over the current practice of regulation by multiple bodies. The following is an excerpt from the CWTA’s September 15 second-round comments to the...

ROW Editorial

telecom | 10/05/2005 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 federal government is sending mixed messages to communications service providers about whether it should impose regulations to enable broadband everywhere or whether this goal should be driven by the private sector. Spectrum auctions are the ultimate tool in letting market sector forces, rather...

Upstart wireless ISP YourLink could get major network expansion following parent’s IPO

telecom | 10/05/2005 4:00 am EDT

 YourLink Inc., an up-and-coming wireless Internet service provider, could begin a major network expansion in the coming months following its parent company’s decision to float common shares in an initial public offering (IPO).  VCom Inc., a broadband wireless and cable network...

Department aligns RFID spectrum specifications with those in the United States

telecom | 10/05/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Industry Canada’s recent amendment to RFID system specifications (RSS 210) is a welcome move and is being well received by those in the industry.  The department harmonized the way it deals with RFID systems using spectrum in the 13.11-14.01 MHz and 433.5-434.5 MHz bands, allowed for greater power levels and...

Mitec goes ‘flat’ with management to bring customers closer to plans

telecom | 10/05/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Mitec Telecom Inc. is changing its executive line-up - again. It’s only the latest in a long list of such announcements from the Montreal-based communication equipment provider.  But judging from the words of one company rep, this time the moves are less about filling holes in the C-suite, and more about...

Local access under the microscope at Access Forum in Whitehorse last month

telecom | 10/05/2005 4:00 am EDT

 A telecommunications industry veteran says there are viable and affordable wireless local access solutions that can work in rural and remote parts of the country.  Nick Kauser of NR Communications, a broadband wireless equipment company with ties to Craig McCaw’s Clearwire, stated during a session on local...

ROW Short Takes

telecom | 10/05/2005 4:00 am EDT

Nortel Networks changes management team, againNortel Networks Corp.’s shuffling of its executive ranks, announced on September 30, is aimed at improving its responsiveness to the rapidly evolving telecommunications markets and meeting the needs of its global enterprise and carrier customers.  A key change is the decrease from four major divisions to two: enterprise solutions and packet networks, and mobility and...

ROW People

telecom | 10/05/2005 4:00 am EDT

Nortel Networks Corp. is shaking up its executive ranks slightly more than a year after a similar reorganization last August 2004. In a September 30 news release, the company announced that it would restructure from four to two groups.  Steve Slattery will head up the enterprise solutions and packet networks. The mobility and converged core networks division will be headed up by Richard Lowe. In order to improve its customer support and services, Nortel has formed four region-based organizations. Steve Pusey will lead efforts in Eurasia as executive VP and president of the region.  Dion Joannou is president of North America, Robert Mao is president and CEO of Greater China; and Martha Bejar is president of the Caribbean, Latin America and emerging markets strategy. Sue Spradley, president of global services and operations, will continue in her current position. Malcolm Collins, president of enterprise networks, will be leaving the company, Nortel announced.   Michael Hortie is taking over as president of Motorola Canada...

Aliant Telecom faces stiff questioning during CRTC local forbearance hearings

telecom | 09/29/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Fireworks erupted during the first day of testimony at the CRTC’s local service forbearance proceeding in Gatineau QC this week, with Aliant Telecom Inc. harshly criticized by commissioner Stuart Langford for pinning its competitive hopes on achieving forbearance. During a lengthy interrogatory period, Langford...

Commission strong arms Vancouver to negotiate with MTS Allstream and Shaw

telecom | 09/29/2005 4:00 am EDT

 The CRTC is telling the City of Vancouver in no uncertain terms that it must negotiate long-term municipal access arrangements (MAAs) with MTS Allstream Inc. and Shaw Cablesystems Ltd. that are amenable to all parties. The consequence of not getting deals done, says the commission, is that it will impose settlements....

Final arguments give CRTC much to ponder in local forbearance proceeding

telecom | 09/29/2005 4:00 am EDT

 The CRTC has to wade through complex arguments presented by incumbents telcos, competitors and industry associations to arrive at, what will undoubtedly be a seminal decision on the rules regarding the forbearance of local exchange services. As could be expected, the competing local exchange carriers recommend a...

Bell VoIP pricing petition bigger than request for differential provincial pricing

telecom | 09/29/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Canadian telecommunications competitors are expectedly divided in their opinions of whether incumbent local exchange carrier, Bell Canada, should be able to price its Voice over Internet Protocol services differently in Ontario and Quebec.  This division helps illustrate the potential complexity of the decision...

NL Short Takes

telecom | 09/29/2005 4:00 am EDT

TWU and TELUS head back to bargaining tableLabour strife in Alberta and British Columbia as a result of a two-month strike of TELUS Corp. unionized employees appears to be less dire as the company and the Telecommunications Workers Union have gone back to the bargaining table. In a September 26 news release, the two sides announced that small negotiating teams would start discussions the next day. "The parties have agreed to a communications embargo related to these talks. Further communications related to this latest attempt to reach a negotiated settlement will be forthcoming as appropriate," reads the news release.  CUPE in British Columbia cuts ties with TELUSThe British Columbia division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees is getting prepared to hang up on TELUS Corp. as its service provider. The union has announced that it has started negotiations with other telecommunications service providers to replace the office’s Internet and mobile phone services. The move, admits the union, is a result of the labour...

NL People

telecom | 09/29/2005 4:00 am EDT

Bill Fraser will retire as CEO of Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. next year, the company has announced. After more than 10 years in the top job at MTS, Fraser has decided to spend more time with his family. During his tenure, he helped transform the provincial incumbent telephone company into the third largest telco in the country behind only BCE Inc. and TELUS Corp. One of his major accomplishments was the $1.7 billion...

NL International Briefs

telecom | 09/29/2005 4:00 am EDT

Cable modem service higher than DSL in the USA new survey from SG Cowen says that the price gap between cable modem and DSL services has reached an all-time high. SG Cowen says that broadband over cable modem was nearly 76% more expensive than DSL during the month of August, up from 53.3% in July. The firm suggests that while telcos cut phone rates and DSL prices, cable companies raised the price of broadband. Comcast...

Innovation key to getting Canada to the next level: Industry minister Emerson

telecom | 09/29/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Minister of Industry David Emerson recently spoke at the Empire Club in Toronto, noting that innovation is key to making sure Canada stays competitive in the future. The following is an edited excerpt of his speaking notes.  Innovation means finding smarter, better, more creative ways of doing things. Innovation...

NL Editorial

telecom | 09/29/2005 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 CRTC’s contentious Ledcor decision (Decision 2001-23) was supposed to help end the ever-present municipal access war. But the principle-setting document’s prime legacy is confusion and major municipal access arrangement disputes continue to this day.  Ledcor, according to the CRTC,...

ROW Editorial

telecom | 09/23/2005 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Industry Canada minister David Emerson boldly stated during a recent speech in Toronto that it is "absolutely essential" to push broadband access further into rural Canada. While some will see this as a renewed commitment from the feds, most will say, ‘Tell me something I didn’t know.’...

Bell and Rogers set aside differences,join forces on Inukshuk Internet network rollout

telecom | 09/23/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Inukshuk Internet Inc. is finally a go. After a couple of false starts over the past five years since it was licensed (RoW, April 3/00), a plan by Bell Canada and Rogers Wireless Inc. to revive the broadband wireless access provider and roll out its network could bring what many in rural and...

Wireless carriers enlist help in fighting broadcasters over mobile TV services

telecom | 09/23/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Broadcasters may well think TV on mobile handsets should have to follow certain broadcast regulations, but wireless operators say otherwise, and now the latter group has another fighter in its corner. The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association enlisted the help of wireless telecom consultancy...

Critics pan wireless industry’s plan to implement wireless number portability in 2007

telecom | 09/23/2005 4:00 am EDT

 The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) is taking heat for going slow on number portability (WNP), but according to a CWTA representative, the initiative is more complicated than some might think. "From a consumer point of view, it seems easy," says Marc...

Modifications to spectrum management framework generally well-received

telecom | 09/23/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Wireless industry stakeholders are generally applauding Industry Canada for the proposed changes to the way it manages spectrum resources it has made in DGTP-001-05. The department is also receiving praise for plans to modify its spectrum management program over the next five to seven years. Many parties lauded the government for proposing to implement secondary market trading, transferability and divisibility of spectrum as a way to more effectively and efficiently manage wireless bandwidth. Mobilexchange Spectrum Inc. was particularly vocal in its comments that the government has to implement this type of policy. "[T]he current process of transferability and...

ROW Short Takes

telecom | 09/23/2005 4:00 am EDT

Bell, Cisco bring public Wi-Fi to Montreal AirportBell Canada and Cisco Systems have teamed up to provide public Wi-Fi at the Montreal-Trudeau Airport. The wireless local area networking system is part of an end-to-end communications system that will not only offer public Wi-Fi to airline companies, travelers and Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) employees, but also IP telephony, digital signage and other related...

ROW People

telecom | 09/23/2005 4:00 am EDT

Nortel Networks Corp.’s chief legal officer Nicholas DeRoma has retired from the company. He joined the company is 1997 and became part of the executive ranks in 2000. His responsibilities are being taken over by Gordon Davis and Bill LaSalle. DeRoma was instrumental is dealing with all of Nortel’s legal problems over the last number of years including class action suits, following the company’s accounting...

“Absolutely essential” broadband access needs to be extended to more rural areas: Emerson

telecom | 09/23/2005 4:00 am EDT

 David Emerson, minister of Industry Canada, said in a recent speech in Toronto that Canada has to do better job at bringing broadband Internet access to rural, remote and isolated Canadian communities. He stopped short, however, of calling for broadband to become an essential service. The...

Debate on broadband access in rural and remote Canada begins in Whitehorse

telecom | 09/16/2005 4:00 am EDT

 The debate on providing rural and remote Canadians with broadband should not be focused on transport and access, but rather on services. That was one of the key messages delivered during the opening session of the Telecommunications Policy Review Panel’s Access Forum in Whitehorse on September 9.  Offering a...

CCTA wants CLEC rules changes for small cablecos entering telephony market

telecom | 09/16/2005 4:00 am EDT

 The Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association (CCTA) is asking the CRTC to "refrain from applying some of the CLEC obligations" on small cable operators looking to enter the telephony market. The cable association says in a Part VII application filed on September 9, "Without concessions, these companies will effectively be barred from local telephone markets and customers will be denied access to these competing services."  Under rules set out in the landmark Voice over IP decision (Telecom Decision 2005-28), all cable companies wanting to offer VoIP services have to become CLECs. This means that among other obligations, they are required to provide equal...

Peer 1 continues to beef up presence in U.S. with second acquisition in a year

telecom | 09/16/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Canadian Internet infrastructure firm Peer 1 Network Enterprises Inc. has snapped up its second U.S. acquisition in less than a year, buying Atlanta’s Interland Inc., a provider of online solutions for small and mid-sized businesses, for US$14 million. "We wanted to be in a position to offer our customers...

Allstream secures three-year deal with VIA Rail, more national deals on the way

telecom | 09/16/2005 4:00 am EDT

 A recently struck three-year telecommunications services contract between VIA Rail Canada Inc. and Allstream Inc., while only a connectivity deal initially, leaves the opportunity to migrate services and applications to an IP environment, explains Howard Bowles, Allstream’s VP of solutions. The agreement, announced on...

Number porting dispute between MTS and Shaw Telecom comes to an end

telecom | 09/16/2005 4:00 am EDT

 MTS Allstream and Shaw Telecom Inc. have resolved their dispute on number porting. Shaw filed an application last month with the CRTC asking it to intervene and require MTS by September 7 "to immediately honour all bona fide telephone number porting requests." In a September 2 letter, Shaw noted a...

NL Short Takes

telecom | 09/16/2005 4:00 am EDT

Bell Canada launches IP telephony serviceCanada’s largest incumbent telephone company has introduced its consumer Voice over IP (VoIP) service Bell Digital Voice to the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton areas. Bell Canada plans to roll out the service across Ontario and Quebec progressively. The company has also renamed its existing VoIP service, introduced in March in Quebec City, Trois-Rivières and Sherbrooke, Bell...

NL People

telecom | 09/16/2005 4:00 am EDT

George Cooney has joined BCE Capital as a venture advisor. He will be based in Boston, responsible for expanding the venture capital firm’s Northeast operations by partnering and investing in companies in that region. BCE Capital has already invested in Bridgeport Networks, Ellacoya and Millennial Net – three companies located in the Boston technology corridor. Prior to joining the company Cooney co-founded...

CRTC VoIP ruling under fire from CEP for asymmetrical economic regulation

telecom | 09/16/2005 4:00 am EDT

 This summer the major incumbent telephone companies and a coalition representing the country’s largest users of telecommunications services appealed to Cabinet the CRTC’s landmark ruling on Voice over IP services. The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada also appealed the decision. The following...

NL Editorial

telecom | 09/16/2005 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 rural and remote broadband access discussions kicked off last week during a one-day conference in Whitehorse. Talk during the first session centered around community involvement, lack of transport networks and services. In Network Letter’s opinion, transport is the key issue the...

Student population shaping up to be next battleground among VoIP providers

telecom | 09/16/2005 4:00 am EDT

 The beginning of every school year presents an opportunity for telecom providers to target a new segment of the market, a large portion of which is paying for phone service for the first time in their lives. In recent years, this period has seen increased marketing activity by wireless operators trying to grab college...

ROW Update

telecom | 09/13/2005 4:00 am EDT

WNP two years awayImplementation of wireless number portability has been set for September 2007, the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) has announced. The time frame, still subject to a number of outstanding issues, was recommended by PricewaterhouseCoopers after the CWTA contracted the company to come up with a timeline for WNP implementation. A pilot trial is scheduled for mid-2007. "The implementation timeline we are announcing today is aggressive given the complexities of introducing WNP, but Canada’s wireless industry is confident in its ability to deliver this new service to Canadians," CWTA president and CEO Peter Barnes said in a news release. Report on Wireless will have more on this important announcement in an upcoming issue.  Comments regarding spectrum policy framework consultation publishedMobilexchange Spectrum Inc. is recommending that Industry Canada grant greater spectrum leasing flexibility to licensees in its comments to DGTP-001-05, Consultation on a Renewed Spectrum Policy...

Three to four more private label-branded wireless services coming to Canada: analysts say

telecom | 09/08/2005 4:00 am EDT

 The recent launch of President’s Choice Mobile from Loblaw Cos. Ltd. marks the entry of the grocery chain into the Canadian private label wireless services market, and some analysts say this is the beginning of what will be a continuing trend, but consumers shouldn’t expect an explosion of...

Telus Mobility enters mobile TV game, price undercuts rival offerings from Bell, Rogers

telecom | 09/08/2005 4:00 am EDT

Telus Mobility is taking aim at its competitors’ mobile TV services by undercutting their prices. The country’s number three wireless operator debuted its MobiTV service late last month, pricing it at $15 per month "for unlimited viewing" compared to the $25 per month, including...

Waiting on WiMAX: what will the carriers do?

telecom | 09/08/2005 4:00 am EDT

 Now that WiMAX is on carriers’ radar screens, it’s up to the likes of Bell Canada and Rogers Communications Inc. to figure out how to use the technology – no small feat, according to industry observers. "All the carriers are still at the point of figuring out what need it addresses," says Brian Sharwood, a communications...

Wireless carriers satisfied with Industry Canada ruling on digital roaming agreements

telecom | 09/08/2005 4:00 am EDT

 A decision by Industry Canada to not mandate digital roaming for rural wireless operators with national or larger regional carriers is good for the industry, national players tell Report on Wireless. The decision (DGTP-006-05) promotes digital roaming in rural parts of the country by giving...

ROW Short Takes

telecom | 09/08/2005 4:00 am EDT

CWTA unveils new safe driving web siteThe Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) has introduced a new interactive web site for its responsible driver education program. The web site is designed to "raise awareness of the role of driver distraction in road safety." The new Focus on Driving web site features an interactive quiz aimed at, both experienced and novice, "identify the risks associated with driver distraction." The web site unveiling comes as a recent University of Illinois study revealed that using a cell phone while driving represents a major cause of driver distraction.  Additionally, the study found that the use of hands-free devices didn’t reduce driver distraction.  Financial executives can’t live without cell phones: surveyA new survey from Robert Half Management Resources says that approximately one-third of CFOs list the cell phone as their "most indispensable portable technology device." Laptop computers came in at second place as 29% of CFOs cited portable...

ROW People

telecom | 09/08/2005 4:00 am EDT

BCE Inc. is making changes to its executive ranks following the resignation of Pierre Blouin, group president of consumer markets. He is leaving BCE to pursue other career opportunities. Robert Odendaal has been appointed president of Bell Mobility and Bell Distribution Inc. Robert Crull has been named president of residential services. Alek Krstajic has been appointed to the Office of the CEO "to assume a new senior...

ROW International Briefs

telecom | 09/08/2005 4:00 am EDT

Nokia, Motorola to handset sales in Q2New figures from Gartner Inc. indicate that Nokia and Motorola accounted for nearly half of all handset sales in the second quarter of 2005. According to the research firm, there were 190.5 million units sold in Q2, a 21.6% increase from the second quarter in 2004. Nokia now holds 31.9% share of the market, while Motorola has a 17.9% share (see table on page 1 for market share...

ROW Editorial

telecom | 09/08/2005 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 rise of private label wireless or mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) should be considered a blessing for the Canadian wireless market as it struggles to add new subscribers from non-user segments.  Survey results from TNS Canadian Facts indicate that two-thirds of Canadian...

NL Update

telecom | 09/06/2005 4:00 am EDT

Big changes in BCE’s executive suiteA decision to remove the wireless unit from the purview of long-time BCE Inc. and Bell Canada executive Pierre Blouin could be the reason he has left the company to pursue "other career opportunities," according to media reports. BCE announced that Blouin had decided to leave his position as group president of consumer market late last week.  Kevin Crull has been named...

NL People

telecom | 09/01/2005 4:00 am EDT

Dave Dobbin has left his position as COO of Telecom Ottawa to take over as president of Toronto Hydro Telecom. He has been replaced by Jacques Taillefer, VP of sales at Telecom Ottawa since 2002. Dobbin oversaw the completing of the company’s all-optical fibre network that has grown to become one of the largest, metropolitan-wide 10-Gigabit Ethernet networks in North America. Changes are afoot in the executive...

TELUS Corp. feeling little effect from strike of TWU workers in Alberta and BC

telecom | 09/01/2005 4:00 am EDT

 TELUS Corp. chief executive Darren Entwhistle says customer service levels are at the same or better than they were before the strike, and following the implementation of the company’s emergency operating procedures. This is due in part to the company’s operations being highly automated with approximately 80% of...

TELUS not telling whole story in labour dispute with TWU, charges union boss

telecom | 09/01/2005 4:00 am EDT

 The Telecommunications Workers Union says comments made by TELUS Corp. chief executive Darren Entwhistle during the company’s second quarter conference call on August 5 don’t tell the whole story of the four and-a-half-year dispute. In an interview with Network Letter, TWU president Bruce Bell cites cases where...

NL International Briefs

telecom | 09/01/2005 4:00 am EDT

Successful VoIP adds value to broadband: ABIA new study from ABI Research notes that despite a low number of Voice over IP subscribers worldwide by 2010, VoIP will continue to show dynamic market growth. The research firm adds "the most successful business model for VoIP services uses its strength to add value to existing broadband subscriptions." Broadband technologies principal analyst Michael Arden says,...

NL Editorial

telecom | 09/01/2005 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 may well remove foreign ownership restrictions on telcos, but it’s too little, too late: the country should have done this much sooner. There may be those that disagree with this assessment, but one only needs to look at the telecom landscape littered with failed ventures. Defunct companies such as Cannect and C1 should serve as evidence to recognize that foreign ownership restrictions should have been eliminated a long time ago.  Some people blame the telecom bubble bursting after 2000 and the associated over-investment in network builds for the demise of service providers. But those supposed over-investments – meant to provide facilities-based competition to the incumbent telephone companies – could have easily been put to good use had foreign ownership restrictions not been in place. Additional financing from foreign sources would have allowed them to weather the telecom storm. While...