CRIA objects to SOCAN tariff on ringtones, calls for new hearing in February 2005

telecom | 07/15/2004 4:00 am EDT

The Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) has joined with Bell Mobility, Telus Mobility and the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association in opposing a proposed tariff on ringtones, Tariff 24 (RoW, Oct. 7/03). The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) wants to impose a levy on...

NL Update

telecom | 07/12/2004 4:00 am EDT

Allstream launches VoIP access serviceAllstream announced on July 7 the launch of its Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony service. Dubbed VoIP Access, the service allows service providers to penetrate local residential and small office/home office markets utilizing Allstream’s extensive network infrastructure. Allstream is advertising VoIP Access as the first service in Canada to offer full ancillary services,...

Call-Net calls for stricter enforcement of decisions as TELUS denies wrongdoing

telecom | 07/07/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Call-Net Enterprises Inc. executives are calling a recent CRTC bundling decision against TELUS Corp. a victory in "principle only," claiming that the regulator is failing to enforce its own judgments. The CRTC ruled last month that one of four bundling complaints dating back to November 2002 that were filed...

Building owners pleased with inside wiring decision despite loss at appeals court

telecom | 07/07/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Despite seeing its appeal of CRTC Telecom Decision 2003-45 turned down by the Federal Court of Appeal last month, the Canadian Institute of Public and Private Real Estate Companies (CIPPREC) says there’s a silver lining in the court’s decision. The court, says CIPPREC’s head, has reiterated what the lobby group...

International players call for layered approach to Voice over IP regulation

telecom | 07/07/2004 4:00 am EDT

 International communications players are calling on the CRTC to take a light-handed approach to regulating voice services over the Internet, but also say that the commission should look to regulate more effectively last mile access and interconnection. AT&T Global Services, pulver.com and Vonage Holdings Inc. generally agree in comments to Telecom Public Notice 2004-2 that the CRTC should adopt a layered regulatory approach because its technology neutrality concept doesn’t work in the VoIP environment.  The three companies tell the CRTC that it is inappropriate to treat VoIP services in the same manner as traditional circuit-switched telephony because in an Internet...

Bell Canada refutes anti-competitive nature of managed IP telephony tariff

telecom | 07/07/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Bell Canada says competitive providers’ allegations that its managed IP telephony (MIPT) tariff is anti-competitive are unfounded. The country’s largest telco denies that it is trying to squeeze out competition in the enterprise Voice over IP services market, adding that it is only trying to secure a position in...

Analyst predicts smooth sailing for customers as MTS/BCE relationship evolves

telecom | 07/07/2004 4:00 am EDT

 It’s unlikely customers will see much fallout from the Bell Canada/Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. agreement reached between the two former allies and announced on July 2, says one analyst. Mark Quigley, director of The Yankee Group’s research operations in Canada, says neither side can gain any advantage by using...

NL Short Takes

telecom | 07/07/2004 4:00 am EDT

Mediatrix granted patent for VoIP 911 callingThe Canadian Intellectual Property Office has granted Montreal-based Mediatrix Telecom Inc. a patent for a Voice over IP access device, which allows 911 calling in a VoIP network architecture. The patent (#2303392) allows conventional telephones to make phone calls over IP networks, but in the case of 911 calls they are routed over the legacy circuit-switched telephone network....

NL People

telecom | 07/07/2004 4:00 am EDT

Shaw Communications has appointed Steve Wilson as senior VP and CFO of the company. He most recently served for seven years as VP and CFO of a large global supplier for the plastics industry. Prior to that, he held a senior management position in the telecommunications industry focusing on capital markets and treasury management.  CANARIE Inc. has announced the election of a new board of directors: Ted Dodds,...

Cablecos need to be watched closely, competitive telcos write to CRTC

telecom | 07/07/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Canada’s dominant cable operators have an opportunity to take significant market share in the Voice over IP (VoIP) services market if left unchecked, as is called for under the CRTC’s preliminary views on how to regulate VoIP services. Primus Telecommunications Canada Inc. and Yak Communciations (Canada) Inc....

NL Editorial

telecom | 07/07/2004 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Our friends south of the border are telling the CRTC that in the Internet environment voice is just another application and should be treated with as little regulation as possible. But they are also saying that the commission needs to be more vigilant in facilitating access to ILEC unbundled loops and...

ROW Update

telecom | 07/06/2004 4:00 am EDT

 TELUS Corp. scoops up Spotnik MobileTELUS Corp. has acquired the remaining interest in Spotnik Mobile the company didn’t already own, Report on Wireless has learned. Sources familiar with the deal indicate that last Monday, June 28, the western-based ILEC finalized an agreement to take 100% control of the Toronto-based hotspot operator. With a viable business model still eluding most hotspot operators, it should...

ROW Special Update

telecom | 07/05/2004 4:00 am EDT

TELUS Corp. scoops up Spotnik MobileTELUS Corp. has acquired the remaining interest in Spotnik Mobile the company didn’t already own, Report on Wireless has learned. Sources familiar with the deal indicate that last Monday, June 28, the western-based ILEC finalized an agreement to take 100% control of the Toronto-based hotspot operator.  Representatives from TELUS and Spotnik were unavailable for comment at press...

Public safety communications and access to spectrum tops House committee hearing

telecom | 06/30/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Robert LeGrande, deputy CTO in the District of Columbia’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer, described the District’s implementation of a broadband wireless network supporting interoperable public safety communications to the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. He also urged the subcommittee to speed resolutions regarding the Nextel Communications interference issue, accelerate 700 MHz band clearing and provide an additional 10 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band for public safety applications. The following is an edited excerpt of his testimony.   Today, I will describe the efforts and results of our voice...

ROW Editorial

telecom | 06/30/2004 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. On the heels of the CRTC’s decision to re-open the book on wireless local number portability, new data from Decima Research shows that Canadians believe the general inability to keep their cell phone number when switching cell phone providers is a big reason why they won’t switch (see chart in...

Industry Canada releases five-year action plan for spectrum/telecom program

telecom | 06/30/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Industry Canada has unveiled five strategic priorities that it believes will help shape its Spectrum/Telecom Program over the next five years. The document, titled Strategic Directions Spectrum/Telecom Program Five Year Vision, notes that the department must deal with external drivers such as globalization, rapidly...

MSS industry squares off against FWA stakeholders over changes to 5 GHz band

telecom | 06/30/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Mobile satellite services (MSS) players are worried that a proposed plan to allow sharing of the 5 GHz band with wireless access systems (WAS) and radio local area network (RLAN) devices will cause harmful interference to their satellites. Interference will be increased, they say, because Industry Canada has proposed...

Mipps offers local access for Primus, but company role still evolving: says Chislett

telecom | 06/30/2004 4:00 am EDT

 The head of Primus Telecommunications Canada Inc. says its Mipps Inc. subsidiary will play a key role in the company’s plan to expand into further markets. Primus Canada acquired Mipps, a wireless Internet service provider located in Markham ON, late last year (RoW Update, Dec. 8/03). But the company’s head says...

Telecom Ottawa ready to expand Wi-Fi trial to trendy downtown Ottawa area

telecom | 06/30/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Wi-Fi coverage in Ottawa’s downtown core is about to get wider as the city’s utility telecom is in the process of commissioning another network build. Telecom Ottawa initially launched a Wi-Fi trial at City Hall and at the Nepean Sportsplex in the city’s west end (RoW, Feb. 10/04) that has since been expanded to cover nearly all of Elgin Street, a main thoroughfare in the city’s downtown.  The network will now go through yet another expansion, says Dave Dobbin, COO of Telecom Ottawa, adding the extended network should be up and running within the next month or so. Currently, Wi-Fi coverage is available between City Hall and the police station. That network will be expanded...

Framework only beginning of CRTC’s work on Voice over IP, says Microcell

telecom | 06/30/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Microcell Solutions Inc., Canada’s only wireless CLEC, says establishing the proper framework for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a good start for the CRTC, but the commission needs to go further in ensuring the effective rollout of VoIP services. The Montreal-based provider proposes five guidelines (see box)...

ROW Short Takes

telecom | 06/30/2004 4:00 am EDT

TELUS Mobility files motions to review CIRB decision 108TELE-MOBILE COMPANY, operating under the TELUS Mobility trade name, has filed motions with the Federal Court of Appeal for a stay and judicial review of Canadian Industrial Relations Board Decision 1088 allowing employees in Central Canada to be swept into a single bargaining unit under the Telecommunications Workers Union (RoW, June 11/04).  A June 23 news...

ROW People

telecom | 06/30/2004 4:00 am EDT

Contec Innovations has reappointed three existing directors and named two new ones to its board of directors. Perry Quan, president and CEO of Contec, Roland Schmidt and Don Hay have been reappointed. Laurie Wallace and Will Walls are the new board members.  Wallace has 20 years experience in engineering, sales and management with firms such as Apple, IBM and MPR Teltech. In 1995, he founded Datum Telegraphic and...

NL Update

telecom | 06/28/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Shaw to lease capacity from Bell Canada for VoIP offeringShaw Communications Inc. announced on June 25 that the company has selected Bell Canada as its wholesale supplier of capacity for its initial residential Voice over IP launch and Siemens to provide the softswitch platform. The Calgary-based cable TV and Internet provider announced its intention the same day it released its third quarter financial results. A...

Primus Canada releases new service offerings in bid for more market share

telecom | 06/22/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Primus Telecommunications Canada Inc. is stepping up efforts to win a greater share of the business and residential telephony markets. The Toronto-based company, primarily known for its long distance services, last week launched a business Voice over IP service and a "traditional" residential local telephony...

Telecom Ottawa subsidiary launches trial of Broadband over Powerline in Cornwall

telecom | 06/22/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Broadband over Powerline (BPL) technology works, and in fact works well, says a representative of Telecom Ottawa, highlighting the use of the emerging equipment during the launch of Stephen Harper’s federal election campaign at the hotel in Cornwall ON where a BPL trial is currently underway. Dave Dobbin, COO of the...

Peer 1 launches PIX free colocation peering service to differentiate from competition

telecom | 06/22/2004 4:00 am EDT

 An offer to host other networks to its switch fabric for free is one way Vancouver-based Peer 1 Networks Inc. hopes to differentiate itself from its colocation competition. On June 9, the company announced that it would offer free peering to any and all comers at three of its colocation...

Allstream to resell managed IP platform from Mitel to new and existing customers

telecom | 06/22/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Proving a return on investment will be critical to Allstream Corp.’s success in reselling a managed IP telephony offering based on gear from Mitel Networks. On June 9, Allstream announced that it has signed a VAR agreement with Mitel to resell its enterprise VoIP and other communications platform.  Allstream is...

NL Short Takes

telecom | 06/22/2004 4:00 am EDT

Nortel agrees to partnership for directory servicesNortel Networks Corp. will contribute certain assets and liabilities of its directory and operator services business to VoltDelta as part of a partnership between the two companies. In return, Nortel will receive a minority equity interest in VoltDelta, a subsidiary of Volt Information Sciences Inc. About 160 Nortel employees in North America and Mexico will join VoltDelta once the transactions closes, expected in the third quarter of 2004. Nortel has decided to retain its traffic operator position system business, which is based in Research Triangle Park NC.   MTS’ Fraser unveils ‘bold, but pragmatic’ visionManitoba Telecom Services Inc. (MTS) CEO Bill Fraser told shareholders at the its annual general meeting (AGM) last week that the company has embarked on a new path to prosperity. "We are poised to take MTS into a bold but very pragmatic future with a national focus, a future, we believe that will secure our destiny," he said at the June 15 AGM. Fraser also...

NL People

telecom | 06/22/2004 4:00 am EDT

MTS has named its senior team in the wake of its acquisition of Allstream. Bill Fraser will retain overall responsibility for the entire organization as CEO of Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. Two presidents will report directly to him: Cheryl Barker, president of MTS, and John MacDonald, president of Allstream. Other appointments include: Wayne Demkey as executive VP finance and CFO; Kelvin Shepherd, CTO; Nick Curry, CIO...

Challenges of an increasingly competitive marketplace

telecom | 06/22/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Darren Entwistle, president and CEO of TELUS Communications Inc., spoke at the 2004 Canadian Telecom Summit about the need to make the CRTC function more efficiently. Following is an excerpt of his speech, edited for length.Timeliness of decisionsThe pace of technological change creates a heightened urgency for having tariff decisions as soon as...

NL Editorial

telecom | 06/22/2004 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Telecommunications industry observers have long talked about the death of per minute long distance, and for years it was just that, talk. Sure, the industry has seen inexpensive long distance plans from a variety of competitive providers and even the incumbent telcos introduced competitive...

Incumbents and competitors face off over nature of Voice over IP services

telecom | 06/22/2004 4:00 am EDT

 A key split has emerged between incumbent telcos and their competitors on whether Voice over IP (VoIP) services are a form of local calling, or just another Internet service, for the purposes of forbearance. In submissions filed Friday, June 18 to Public Notice 2004-2 examining VoIP, incumbents are calling for the...

ROW Update

telecom | 06/21/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Downtown Ottawa getting massive wireless networkA trendy portion of Ottawa’s downtown core close to the Rideau Canal will soon be blanketed by a wireless network, allowing residents in the quarter, dubbed the Golden Triangle, to access the Internet from anywhere within network coverage. Dave Dobbin, COO of Telecom Ottawa, tells Report on Wireless in an interview that this network broadens wireless coverage that already extends from Ottawa’s police station to City Hall. RoW will have more on this in its next issue. Proposed changes to 5 GHz band supported, mild concern expressedRespondents to Industry Canada’s DGTP-005-04 proposing changes to its 5 GHz spectrum policy generally agree with the department’s position, but some have expressed concern about potential interference issues. Satellite industry stakeholders are worried that the department hasn’t paid enough attention to potential interference from unlicensed systems on licensed satellite operations. Telesat Canada writes: “Telesat’s concern relates primarily to...

NL Update

telecom | 06/14/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Bell buys Infostream TechnologiesBell Canada has purchased, for an undisclosed price, Richmond Hill ON-based Infostream Technologies Inc. Infostream provides Bell with systems and storage design capabilities, and turnkey and customer specific networking products for VoIP, storage area networks and network management for enterprise customers. “The proliferation of global IP standards is creating increased...

Ottawa start-up heading into smart antenna trials with three WSPs next year

telecom | 06/11/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Three North American wireless operators will get to taste firsthand the benefits of intelligent antenna technology from two-year old Ottawa start-up TenXc Wireless next year. Rogers Wireless Inc., Microcell Telecommunications Inc. and T-Mobile USA have all agreed to undertake live testing of TenXc’s active antenna...

WaveRider expands business through development agreement with Wavesat

telecom | 06/11/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Toronto-based WaveRider Communications Inc. is expanding its broadband wireless equipment product line through an agreement with chipmaker Wavesat Wireless Inc. A representative for WaveRider says that not only does the agreement allow the company to expand the breadth of its gear, but it also opens the door to the...

Mobile satellite terrestrial in-fill network approved for use in Canada

telecom | 06/11/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Proponents of terrestrial in-fill networks for mobile satellite services (MSS) have scored a major victory as Industry Canada approved their use late last month. The approval comes almost three years after Mobile Satellite Ventures Canada Inc., formerly known as TMI Communications, filed an application with the...

Wi-LAN buys 17 patents from defunct U.S. firm, strives for industry WiMAX system

telecom | 06/11/2004 4:00 am EDT

  Wi-LAN Inc., a Calgary-based provider of broadband wireless communications equipment announced May 21 the acquisition of 17 U.S. patents and patent applications from Ensemble Communications, a now defunct wireless company.  This strategic acquisition, according to Wi-LAN officials, brings them closer to the...

Telus Mobility to appeal labour board ruling on firm’s single employer status

telecom | 06/11/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Telus Mobility plans to appeal a recent Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ruling allowing the Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU) to put both the company’s unionized and non-unionized employees in Ontario and Quebec into a single bargaining unit. A Telus Mobility spokesperson says the decision will rob...

ROW Short Takes

telecom | 06/11/2004 4:00 am EDT

SR Telecom completes reorganization in FranceMontreal-based SR Telecom Inc. has finalized previously announced restructuring activities at its France-based operations. The details of the plans have been confirmed, take effect immediately and include the closing of its research and development facility in Lannion before the end of June. According to the company, the cost of the plan is within its expectations.  SR...

ROW People

telecom | 06/11/2004 4:00 am EDT

Rogers Wireless Inc. has announced that Darryl Levy has accepted the expanded role of president, western region. He was previously president of the midwest region, covering Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Northwestern Ontario, but now takes on the added responsibility of representing British Columbia and Alberta. Levy first joined Rogers Wireless in 1994 as VP and GM for the Midwest region.  Gerald McGoey and Louis...

Broadband access helping to connect rural communities to information highway

telecom | 06/11/2004 4:00 am EDT

 On June 10, BCE Inc. president and CEO Michael Sabia gave a speech to Contact North/Contact Nord. The following is an edited excerpt of that speech on the importance of broadband access in rural Canada.  Communities often find themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide. Unable to attract the people and jobs they need to rejuvenate themselves. Unable to offer their native-born daughters and sons the same richness of opportunity that other Canadians accept as a given. Yes, there are challenges. But there’s a lot happening, too. The first new medical school in Ontario in more than 30 years. Campuses at Laurentian and Lakehead. Connected with technology to enable...

ROW Editorial

telecom | 06/11/2004 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. Federal Conservative party leader Stephen Harper says that if he is elected, he will put an end to "corporate welfare" and instead reduce corporate taxes. While this may not be one of Harper’s more important policy initiatives, its impact will be felt by those, both businesses and citizens,...

ROW Update

telecom | 06/11/2004 4:00 am EDT

Decima Publishing is now Decima Reports  Canada’s preeminent trade newsletter publisher for the communications industries has re-branded itself as Decima Reports. Our new name better reflects the widened scope of publications, reports, digests and special events coverage Decima Reports’ team of knowledgeable editors has undertaken dating to its merger with Decima Inc. in 2000. Decima Reports continues to...

NL Update

telecom | 06/11/2004 4:00 am EDT

Decima Publishing is now Decima Reports  Canada’s preeminent trade newsletter publisher for the communications industries has re-branded itself as Decima Reports. Our new name better reflects the widened scope of publications, reports, digests and special events coverage Decima Reports’ team of knowledgeable editors has undertaken dating to its merger with Decima Inc. in 2000. Decima Reports continues to publish...

Do we still need to regulate telephone services? Yes, says Rogers Communications

telecom | 06/08/2004 4:00 am EDT

 The following is an article submitted by Ken Engelhart and David Watt of Rogers Communications Inc. in response to the lead article in the May 26 issue of Network Letter. They take aim at the Montreal Economic Institute’s May 13 economic note on the need to regulate telephone service.  Last month a group called...

NL Editorial

telecom | 06/08/2004 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 it time for an overhaul of telecommunications policy in Canada? BCE Inc. would have us think that technological advancements are rapidly changing the face of the country's competitive telecommunications landscape. The country's largest telephone company even says that this new universe might require a change to both the Telecommunications Act and the Broadcasting Act. There can be little doubt that new and innovative service offerings are emerging at a feverish pace. Voice over IP (VoIP) is now being offered, or will soon be offered, by a number of companies both Canadian and non-Canadian owned. And soon, office workers will not only be able to walk around the office with Wi-Fi-enabled PDAs connected to the IP PBX, they will be able to go to a coffee shop 3,000 kms away and appear to be in their Toronto office. But does that mean the CRTC needs to change the way it regulates telecommunications? BCE makes...

Bell denies acquisition of 360networks’ Canadian operations is anti-competitive

telecom | 06/08/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Top Bell Canada officials say there’s no reason for the CRTC to consider its recent proposed 360networks Corp. acquisition as an anti-competitive move. BCE Inc. head Michael Sabia has been vocal recently about the need for the telecom regulator to back off its restrictions on Bell’s business, but industry eyebrows...

Now is the time to conduct policy review, says BCE

telecom | 06/08/2004 4:00 am EDT

 The CRTC needs to change its "default setting" on regulating telecommunications services, says BCE Inc. At a recent media briefing in Montreal, executive VP Lawson Hunter told journalists that the current regulatory model is broken, and that Canada should look to examples elsewhere for systems that hold the line on regulation when it...

Call-Net reducing cost of providing service through wireless and 360networks deal

telecom | 06/08/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Call-Net Enterprises Inc. is looking to bolster its business case by substantially reducing the cost of providing services to both its residential and business segments. On the residential access side, the company’s Sprint Canada Inc. subsidiary has turned to wireless local loop technology from the Inukshuk Internet...

SIP to revolutionize VoIP market with cheaper, more feature-rich deployments

telecom | 06/08/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Session initiation protocol (SIP) could have the same effect on Voice over IP as HTTP had on the world wide web, says the head of Ottawa startup SIPquest. CEO Alain Mouttham tells Network Letter that his 18-month-old firm will play a key role in ubiquitously implementing the "disruptive" technology...

CRTC receives price floor replies

telecom | 06/08/2004 4:00 am EDT

The CRTC appears to be struggling with the price floor safeguards for retail tariffed services based on the interrogatories recently replied to by parties. The commission poses questions, a number of which raise possibilities outside that found in Public Notice 2003-10.New entrants have complained that the incumbents can bundle the various services that...

NL Short Takes

telecom | 06/08/2004 4:00 am EDT

Bell enhances business services in Eastern QuebecBell Canada is adding local telephone and high-speed Internet services to its suite of offerings for businesses in Eastern Quebec. Starting in January 2005, Bell business customers will have the new service available to them. Bell will invest $10 million over three years to build, deploy and operate the necessary infrastructure. The new services will be available to...

NL People

telecom | 06/08/2004 4:00 am EDT

George Horhota has been named to the board of directors of Wi-Lan Inc. Horhota is co-founder, executive VP and CFO of Suiteworks Inc. He fills a vacancy left by the departure of Robert Schulz in March 2004, and he will sit on the audit committee. Horhota is a well-known figure in Canadian telecommunications, having served in the Royal Bank of Canada's information technology and media portfolio group before moving on...

ROW Update

telecom | 06/07/2004 4:00 am EDT

 CRTC releases three-year working planThe CRTC has indicated in its recently released three-year working plan that it will finalize rules for interconnection and digital network access this year. The commission has also decided that it is time to revisit wireless number portability, an issue it put to rest four years ago (RoW, Sept. 20/99). David Colville, vice-chair of telecommunications for the CRTC, said during a...

Microcell and RipNET call for independent manager of deferral account money

telecom | 06/01/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Microcell Telecommunications Inc. and RipNET Ltd. are calling on Canada’s telecommunications regulator to create an independent body to manage and disperse money in the incumbent telcos’ deferral accounts. The two companies made the suggestion following the CRTC’s call for proposals on how the money - collected from Canadians on local telephone bills as a result of overpayments in the wake of the commission’s price cap ruling - could be put to better use (Telecom Public Notice 2004-1).  Microcell suggests that the funds could be put into a "competitively neutral national subsidy program" to expand the deployment of broadband Internet access into unserved and...

Sprint Canada looks to Inukshuk joint venture for cheaper access technology

telecom | 06/01/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Sprint Canada Inc. is testing broadband wireless local loop technology from the Inukshuk Internet Inc., Allstream Inc. and NR Communications joint venture to determine whether the emerging wireless service can be a cost-effective alternative to traditional hard-wired last mile access. The company isn’t talking about...

Security and roaming key to success of Wi-Fi, conference heard

telecom | 06/01/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Security tools for Wi-Fi networks are sufficiently robust to ensure the platform’s success, a recent conference in Toronto was told. In a breakout session on Wi-Fi: Strategies for Success at EXPO COMM Canada 2004 last month, panelists explained that current security standards can be an integral component to a...

Money to be made in wireless entertainment, conference hears

telecom | 06/01/2004 4:00 am EDT

 North American wireless operators need to emulate their European and Asian counterparts’ wireless entertainment and gaming strategies if they are to make any money, a conference in Toronto last month was told. During a session on Entertainment: The International Experience, panelists outlined some aspects of a...

ROW Short Takes

telecom | 06/01/2004 4:00 am EDT

Look Communications updating strategic plansLook Communications Inc. is establishing and updating its strategic plans, following the appointment of Gerald McGoey as its CEO (see people on the move on page 7). While it is unclear what the strategic plans are, it likely revolves around Industry Canada’s decision to offer wireless cablecos greater flexibility in how they use their spectrum resources (RoW, May 19/04)....

ROW People

telecom | 06/01/2004 4:00 am EDT

Gerald McGoey has taken over as CEO of Look Communications Inc., replacing long-time chair of the board of directors Michael Cytrynbaum. McGoey is currently CEO of Unique Broadband Systems Inc., the majority shareholder in Look.  Telecommunications industry veteran George Horhota, executive VP and CFO of Suiteworks Inc. has been appointed to Wi-LAN Inc.’s board of directors. Horhota fills the vacancy left by Robert Schulz, who resigned from the board in March. Horhota will serve on the board’s audit committee.  Bridgewater Systems has appointed Ed Ogonek as its president and CEO. He replaces Derek Smith, who left the company in January for personal reasons. Ogonek was previously president and CEO of Akara Corp., which was acquired by Ciena Corp. last August.  Digital Dispatch Systems Inc. has announced the nomination of Daniel Daviau as director on the board of directors. He was most recently head of CIBC World Markets’ technology investment banking group in Canada. Daviau has been with CIBC since 1992.  Pat...

ROW International News Briefs

telecom | 06/01/2004 4:00 am EDT

Wi-Fi Alliance announces new branding effortsThe Wi-Fi Alliance has announced new enhancements to its Wi-Fi CERTIFIED branding programmed aimed at assisting consumers with their wireless local area network purchasing decisions and to help them confirm that their products are certified for interoperability. The two new elements are a colour-coded Wi-Fi...

ROW Editorial

telecom | 06/01/2004 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. With Ciel Satellite Group’s expression of interest to develop the 129, 118.7 and 109.2 degrees west orbital locations, Industry Canada is again presented with an opportunity to open the domestic satellite carrier market to facilities-based competition. While it appears as though the CRTC has had an...

SIPquest to announce new voice over Wi-Fi roaming product at Supercomm

telecom | 06/01/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Ottawa-based start-up SIPquest is set to announce a new Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) software application that significantly improves voice over Wi-Fi services at a major industry conference this month. Described as an industry first and to be unveiled at Supercomm, running from June 20 to 24 in Chicago, the...

Industry Canada receives two applications for 129 degrees west orbital location

telecom | 06/01/2004 4:00 am EDT

 New entrant Ciel Satellite Group says this is the last opportunity for Industry Canada to open up the domestic skies to facilities-based satellite services competition. The company, with the backing of some satellite industry heavyweights, has applied to develop the 129 degrees west orbital slot, a location for which...

NL Update

telecom | 05/31/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Bell Canada to acquire 360networks, spin off operations to Call-NetCanada’s largest incumbent telco Bell Canada will soon get bigger with a proposed acquisition of 360networks Corp.’s Canadian operations, announced on May 26. Bell will hive off most of the eastern Canadian activities to rival Call-Net Enterprises Inc., while holding onto the western Canadian facilities. Bell will pay US$205 million for...

Competition in telephony market makes CRTC obsolete: Montreal Economic Institute

telecom | 05/26/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Competition within the telecommunications industry sparked by new technologies has rendered CRTC intervention in the field obsolete, according to an economic note published by the Montreal Economic Institute. The note, Do we still need to regulate telephone service?, concludes that, "The market itself is better...

Cablecos and ILECs at odds over use of deferral accounts

telecom | 05/26/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Incumbent telcos and the Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) have proposed significantly different ways to use hundreds of millions of dollars sitting in the deferral account created by the 2002 price cap decision (NL, March 31/04). In a filing with the CRTC as part of the regulator’s process to determine...

CMA disappointed with CRTC’s decision not to mandate national do-not-call list

telecom | 05/26/2004 4:00 am EDT

 The Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) wasted no time in decrying the CRTC’s new rules for telemarketing in Canada. In the immediate wake of the commission releasing Telecom Decision 2004-35, the CMA distributed a media advisory expressing its disappointment that the CRTC didn’t mandate a national do-not-call...

IMCAIP scores minor victory on third-party access to Internet Lite

telecom | 05/26/2004 4:00 am EDT

 The cable industry regards a recent CRTC ruling on third-party access to Lite Internet as an endorsement of its position that competition is healthy in the sector. It hopes the decision will allow Internet providers to move on with their business, unencumbered by excessive regulation. "The way the Internet works today, the innovation is really happening at the user end and there’s been complete freedom in that area," Michael Hennessy, acting president of the Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) tells Network Letter. "So we were happy that once again what we've been saying about competition working in that market was reaffirmed by the...

WorldCom Canada seeks interim CDNA rates from Bell Canada

telecom | 05/26/2004 4:00 am EDT

 WorldCom Canada Ltd. (MCI Canada) has filed a Part VII complaint against Bell Canada, alleging that the phone giant refuses to give it CRTC-sanctioned interim competitor digital network access (CDNA) service rates. The regulator notified both parties on May 17 that it will handle the complaint on an expedited basis,...

Telco portals increasingly important for enterprise customers: report

telecom | 05/26/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Many telcos are missing the opportunity to boost the top line while managing SME relationships with their customer-facing portals, according to a new SeaBoard Group report. Telco enterprise customers are increasingly looking to portals to automate such functionality as procurement, inventory, network maintenance,...

NL Short Takes

telecom | 05/26/2004 4:00 am EDT

Bell seeks injunction against MTS acquisitionBell Canada has filed an action in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to prevent Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. (MTS) from acquiring Allstream Inc. in a deal announced last March (NL, March. 31/04). The suit asserts that the acquisition would tread on several commercial and ownership rights between Bell and Allstream, including agreements with respect to using common...

Constraints on consumer choice

telecom | 05/26/2004 4:00 am EDT

 At the May 18 Voice over the Net conference in Toronto, BCE Inc. executive VP Lawson Hunter drove home the company’s message that the current regulatory framework is too confining. In this excerpt from his speech, Hunter examines the theoretical implications of the CRTC’s proposed new rules for VoIP.…For example, if the CRTC were to follow...

NL Editorials

telecom | 05/26/2004 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 Canadian Cable Television Association’s (CCTA) proposal for using the hundreds of millions of dollars sitting idle in the deferral account is at once both attractive and clearly problematic. In reading the cable industry association’s submission (see story on page 3), the CRTC will see its principles and words thrown back at it in a powerful way, but that raises a host of issues related to competition and universality that are sure to be pounced upon by the incumbent telcos. In the end, the commission will likely have little choice but to set the CCTA’s proposal aside as unworkable and counter to free enterprise tenets.   Acting CCTA president Michael Hennessy is correct to point out that the money doesn’t belong to the ILECs, but to the significant number of Canadians who have been overpaying their phone company since the price cap decision. It’s a quibble to point out that not all Canadians...

ROW Update

telecom | 05/25/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Industry Canada approves ATC for MSVIndustry Canada has approved the use of an ancillary terrestrial component (ATC), commonly referred to as a terrestrial in-fill network, by Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) Canada. In DGTP-006-04, the department concluded that it would be in the public interest to allow mobile satellite service (MSS) operators to use an ATC to improve the coverage of their satellite systems in...

ROW People

telecom | 05/19/2004 4:00 am EDT

Art Johns, principal and chair of Morrison Hershfield Ltd., has received the Gold Medal, considered the highest achievement in Canada’s engineering profession. He was presented with the award by the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers at a ceremony in Charlottetown PE on May 15. Virgin Mobile Canada has appointed Andrew Black as president and CEO. He brings a wealth of experience to the company having served at...

ROW International News Briefs

telecom | 05/19/2004 4:00 am EDT

Nextel Communications keeps jostling with industry, FCCNextel Communications continues to joust with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other wireless operators over its plan to swap some of its 800 MHz spectrum for a comparable amount in the 1.9 GHz range. Verizon Wireless has been most the outspoken opponent to Nextel’s plan saying that...

ROW Editorial

telecom | 05/19/2004 4:00 am EDT

The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports. TELUS Corp.’s $1.1-billion unsolicited bid for Microcell Telecommunications Inc. raises the bar on consolidation in the Canadian telecommunications market. First Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. launched a bid for Allstream Inc., a purchase valued at $1.7 billion. While that agreement strengthens two...

Industry Canada proposes greater flexibility for MDS spectrum use

telecom | 05/19/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Industry Canada’s proposal to allow wireless cable operators greater flexibility in using scarce spectrum resources is welcome news to operators, but a move that has been a long time coming. Michael Cytrynbaum, chair, president and CEO of Look Communications Inc., tells Report on Wireless that he is happy the...

Craig Wireless suit against UBS and Look dismissed with prejudice

telecom | 05/19/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Craig Wireless International Inc.’s legal injunction against Unique Broadband Systems Inc. (UBS) and Look Communications Inc., which sought to stop UBS from voting its shares in Look or from converting its debentures into common shares as part of a rights offering, was dismissed with prejudice, Report on Wireless...

MMS interoperability gets closer as Rogers Wireless inks deal with Lightsurf

telecom | 05/19/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Rogers Wireless Inc. has signed an agreement with Lightsurf Technologies Inc. that will allow the wireless operator to offer its subscribers phone-to-phone picture messaging. The deal follows on the heels of an inter-carrier picture messaging service agreement that Bell Mobility and Sprint PCS inked earlier this year,...

Montreal company capitalizing on DAB infrastructure for application deployment

telecom | 05/19/2004 4:00 am EDT

Société Radio Numérique (SRN), a Montreal applications platform developer, hopes to help Canadian broadcasters capitalize on their digital audio broadcast (DAB) infrastructure to deliver innovative and compelling content to Canadians. SRN has developed a platform, dubbed Servo, that will allow broadcasters to use their...

Fatport changes chief executive, vision remains the same

telecom | 05/19/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Hotspot operator Fatport Corp. will remain on course keeping the same vision, despite changes at the helm of the Vancouver-based company. Sean O’Mahony, the company’s former chief executive, stepped down from the position at the end April to take on the same position with Excilan.  Excilan is a technology provider that allows users to accept Wi-Fi charges on their cell phones through voice commands. With O’Mahony’s experience in the hotspot game, he is ideally suited in his new job.  Industry observers say British expatriate O’Mahony was probably more than happy to return to Europe, but they also say this signals a slight change at Fatport. By placing the company’s current COO in charge, it telegraphs that Ignition Point Technologies Corp. is more focused on...

ROW Short Takes

telecom | 05/19/2004 4:00 am EDT

TELUS launches $1.1-billion bid for MicrocellTELUS Corp. has launched an unsolicited $1.1 billion all cash offer for Microcell Telecommunications Inc., marking another step in the consolidation of the Canadian telecommunications market. The wave of mergers and acquisitions began earlier this year when Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. offered $1.7 billion for Allstream Inc. Speculation is ripe that there could be other...

NL Update

telecom | 05/17/2004 4:00 am EDT

Vidéotron adds 27,000 Internet access subscribers in first quarterQuebecor Media Inc. increased the number of subscribers to its Vidéotron ltée cable Internet access service by 27,000 in the fiscal quarter ended March 31, according to the company’s financial results released May 6. That brought the number of Internet access subscribers to a total of 433,000 at March 31. Chicago 311 system focus of international...

ILECs and competitors embroiled in process dispute over new CRTC interrogatories

telecom | 05/11/2004 4:00 am EDT

 The CRTC process over price floor safeguards for retail tariffed services is threatening to become bogged down in a "procedural morass" as the incumbent telcos object to supplemental questions recently sent to various parties by the commission.  On April 30, ILECs including Bell Canada and TELUS...

Panelists debate forbearance and competition at industry conference

telecom | 05/11/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Forbearing from regulation the provision of local telephone services is top-of-mind for Canada’s telecommunications community following Aliant Telecom Inc.’s April 7 application to the CRTC, and it was a key topic of discussion during a regulatory panel session at EXPO COMM Canada 2004 earlier this month....

CRTC examining further ways to expedite telecom decisions: Colville

telecom | 05/11/2004 4:00 am EDT

 The CRTC vice-chair of telecommunications says the regulator is looking actively at ways to expedite the release of telecommunications decisions. "Just over the past few months our senior management team - which includes the chair and the two vice-chairs and the executive directors of telecom and broadcasting - have been looking at a number of different ways to help improve the process," David Colville tells Network Letter. "The expedite was the first one where we saw a number of applications in front of us we could deal with more quickly because they didn’t raise policy issues. We’re now working on a number of others, but we haven’t gotten them fleshed out yet....

MTS/Allstream not as strong as previously thought, searching for more partners

telecom | 05/11/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Manitoba Telecom Services Inc.’s purchase of Allstream Inc. will provide greater competition in the telecommunications marketplace Iain Grant, managing director of The SeaBoard Group, told Network Letter earlier this year (NL, March 31/04), but now the analyst says in a report that the merged entity may face an...

Broadband over Powerline coming, but still too expensive for wide-scale deployment

telecom | 05/11/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Broadband over Powerline (BPL) communications technologies, touted as the next generation of powerline communications, could be the spark necessary to break the broadband communications services duopoly, said Dave Dobbin, COO of Telecom Ottawa, during a presentation at the Smart City Summit in Ottawa last month....

Independent telecoms: bringing communications services to rural areas

telecom | 05/11/2004 4:00 am EDT

 In the age of oversized telecom corporations swallowing a major part of the market, it seems there is nothing left for the small, independent telecom companies. However, some of them have been serving their customers for a century now providing telecommunications services to the scarcely populated regions in Canada....

NL Short Takes

telecom | 05/11/2004 4:00 am EDT

UTC Canada association formedCanadian utility companies have announced the creation of UTC Canada affiliated with the United Telecom Council in the U.S. The association will open an office in Ottawa, and has retained Laurence Dunbar, a partner at Johnston & Buchan, to serve as its general counsel. The new association will have three committees: the Internal Systems Reliability Committee, chaired by Manitoba Hydro’s...

NL People

telecom | 05/11/2004 4:00 am EDT

BCE president and CEO Michael Sabia will step down as chair of the board of BCE Emergis and will resign as director of the board prior to June 16. On that date, Emergis shareholders will vote on whether to approve the sale of BCE Inc.’s stake in the company.  Allan Adler has been appointed to the board of directors of Burnaby BC-based Info Touch. Currently, Adler is an engagement partner with Crimson Consulting...

NL Editorial

telecom | 05/11/2004 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 it time to start thinking about forbearing from regulating local telephone service? That was one of the key topics of discussion during a regulatory panel session at last week’s EXPO COMM Canada 2004 conference in Toronto and it shouldn’t come as a surprise where the lines were drawn....

ROW Update

telecom | 05/10/2004 4:00 am EDT

Industry Canada proposes changes to MCS and MDS bandsIndustry Canada has proposed several changes to the 2500-2690 MHz frequency range that would harmonize Canada’s rules in this band with other international jurisdictions. Further, the department seeks comment on what to do with currently unused multipoint distribution system (MDS) spectrum and has proposed to allow MDS operators to use more of their spectrum for...

UBS takes Microcell to court over alleged agreement with Inukshuk subsidiary

telecom | 05/04/2004 4:00 am EDT

A company controlled by Unique Broadband Systems Inc. has taken Allstream Corp., Microcell Telecommunications Inc. and its two subsidiaries, Microcell Solutions Inc. and Inukshuk Internet Inc., to court for allegedly breaching conditions of an agreement that would have seen the three companies work together to provide...

Nokia Canada shifting marketing dollars to grassroots events, targeting youth

telecom | 05/04/2004 4:00 am EDT

 Nokia’s Canadian operation will shift its marketing focus from sponsorship of high profile events to grassroots happenings that better reach young Canadians. The head of the company says that one of the keys to driving higher wireless penetration rates in Canada is through the youth market segment. Nathalie LeProhon, GM of Nokia Products Ltd., tells Report on Wireless about the new plan in an interview following her keynote presentation at the Smart City Summit in Ottawa on April 28.  LeProhon concedes that the industry is still struggling to bring greater access to advanced wireless communications to many rural and remote Canadians, but says the infrastructure and technology...