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TELECOM UPDATE
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published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group
http://www.angustel.ca
Number 461: December 13, 2004
Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial
support from:
** ALLSTREAM: www.allstream.com
** AVAYA: www.avaya.ca/en/
** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca
** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca/
** ERICSSON: www.ericsson.ca
** MITEL NETWORKS: www.mitel.com/
** SPRINT CANADA: www.sprint.ca
** UTC CANADA: www.canada.utc.org/
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IN THIS ISSUE:
** Rogers Plans July Phone Launch
** Do-Not-Call Law Expected
** Bell Canada to Acquire Integrator
** Some Nortel Results This Week?
** EastLink to Sell Rogers Cellphones
** Mixed Views Filed on Bell's Tariff Proposal
** FCM, Calgary, and Vancouver Lose Intervention Bid
** SaskTel DSL Now Provided to CLEC Customers
** Allstream Expands Link with BT
** Remote Working Increases in Canada
** Task Force Lists "Best Practices" to Stop Spam
** Yahoo Hi-Speed Comes to Newfoundland
** Telus Named Top Cellco in North America
** Aliant Buys Fujitsu Consulting Units
** Telus Invests in Internet Software Developer
** Nortel Gets Billion-Dollar Order From Sprint
** Look, UBS Plan Mobile Video
** Peeters Named Chair of Cogeco
** Opening Up Wi-Fi to Guests and Customers
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ROGERS PLANS JULY PHONE LAUNCH: Speaking last week at a Credit Suisse
First Boston conference, Rogers Communications CEO Ted Rogers said his
company will begin testing IP-based local telephone service in April
2005 and launch it commercially on July 1. He described the planned
offering as "a primary-line service with complete back-up power and
number portability," and said they hope to bundle it with wireless
service by 2006.
DO-NOT-CALL LAW EXPECTED: Published reports say that this week the
federal government will table legislation to create a national
do-not-call registry. The Canadian Marketing Association favours such
a registry, but some telemarketing companies are strongly opposed.
BELL CANADA TO ACQUIRE INTEGRATOR: Bell Canada is offering $67 million
for all outstanding shares of Nexxlink Technologies, a Quebec IT
integration firm. Nexxlink's board and holders of 41% of the shares
have endorsed the bid. Nexxlink netted $776,000 on $34 million in
sales in the three months ended October 31.
SOME NORTEL RESULTS THIS WEEK? Nortel Networks, which has missed
several previous deadlines for reporting financial results, now says
that this week it will publish "estimated unaudited results for the
first and second quarters of 2004 and limited estimated unaudited
results for 2001, 2002, 2003, and the third quarter of 2004."
** It expects to begin filing "audited financial statements
for the year 2003 and unaudited financial statements for
the first and second quarters of 2004, and related
periodic reports" on January 10.
EASTLINK TO SELL ROGERS CELLPHONES: EastLink, the cable TV company
that offers local telephone service in several cities in Nova Scotia
and PEI, has begun bundling Rogers Wireless services with its other
offerings. EastLink bundle customers who add a Rogers Wireless Mega
Time or Family Plan to their account will receive a 15% discount on
their airtime charges.
MIXED VIEWS FILED ON BELL TARIFF PROPOSAL: Aliant, SaskTel, the
Coalition for Competitive Telecommunications, and the Public Interest
Advocacy Centre have filed comments supporting Bell Canada's proposal
to speed tariff approvals (see Telecom Update #457). Telus has
proposed an alternative plan. Most competitors oppose the proposal;
Sprint and MTS- Allstream filed particularly detailed critiques.
www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2004/8657/b2_200412627.htm
2005 CONTRIBUTION LEVEL SET: CRTC Telecom Decision 2004-81 finalizes
the 2004 contribution fee paid by all telecommunications service
providers at 1.1%, and sets the 2005 fee at the same percentage on an
interim basis.
www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2004/dt2004-81.htm
FCM, CALGARY, AND VANCOUVER LOSE INTERVENTION BID: CRTC Telecom
Decision 2004-79 denies applications by Edmonton, Vancouver, and the
Federation of Canadian Municipalities to be allowed to participate in
the applications by MTS Allstream to have its contracts with Toronto
and Calgary revised by the commission.
** Allstream is to file renewed submissions by early January.
www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2004/dt2004-79.htm
SASKTEL DSL NOW PROVIDED TO CLEC CUSTOMERS: Complying with a CRTC
order in May (see Telecom Update #434), SaskTel now permits customers
who obtain their local phone service from a CLEC using a SaskTel
unbundled loop to obtain or keep the telco's retail DSL Internet
service.
** The CRTC did not order SaskTel to provide DSL over "dry
copper," saying this question will be addressed in the
Maskatel/FCI Broadband application filed in March (see
Telecom Update #427).
www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Orders/2004/o2004-413.htm
ALLSTREAM EXPANDS LINK WITH BT: Allstream says it has now expanded the
reach of its MPLS network globally through BT's network. Allstream is
BT's preferred supplier of data services in Canada.
REMOTE WORKING INCREASES IN CANADA: In a survey sponsored by AT&T,
two-thirds of Canadian executives interviewed said that at least some
of their staff work from home regularly, a substantial increase from a
year earlier. Eighty percent said remote working is a key focus when
setting technology strategies, and 74% said at least half of their
employees have broadband access at home.
www.business.att.com/emea/english/whitepaper/
TASK FORCE LISTS "BEST PRACTICES" TO STOP SPAM: The federal Task Force
on Spam (see Telecom Update #433) has identified nine "best practices"
that ISPs should adopt to reduce spam, including blocking e-mail file
attachments with specific extensions known to carry infections, and
filtering e-mail file attachments based on content properties. The
Task Force will submit its final report in the spring.
http://e-com.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/inecic-ceac.nsf/en/gv00267e.html
YAHOO HI-SPEED COMES TO NEWFOUNDLAND: Rogers Cable has begun
converting its Internet customers in parts of Newfoundland to the
Rogers Yahoo Hi-Speed Internet service it launched earlier this year
in Ontario and New Brunswick. The company says customers will not have
to change their e-mail addresses and can register online in about two
minutes.
TELUS NAMED TOP CELLCO IN NORTH AMERICA: N. Moore Capital, a
U.S. financial analysis company, has named Telus Mobility the top
performing wireless carrier in North America, based on average revenue
per subscriber, churn, free cash flow per subscriber, and cost of
acquisition.
ALIANT BUYS FUJITSU CONSULTING UNITS: Xwave, a subsidiary of Aliant,
has acquired the operations of Fujitsu Consulting Inc. in Halifax,
Saint John, and Fredericton, including 90 employees and existing
projects. Fujitsu's Consulting Business Services and Atlantic Delivery
Center are not included in the deal.
TELUS INVESTS IN INTERNET SOFTWARE DEVELOPER: Telus Ventures has
become a shareholder in Vision Critical Communications, a Vancouver
software company specializing in Internet and new media applications
for the market research and polling industry. The amount of Telus's
investment was not released.
NORTEL GETS BILLION-DOLLAR ORDER FROM SPRINT: Nortel Networks says
that Sprint U.S. has agreed to buy wireless network equipment and
services worth about US$1 billion over the next three years.
LOOK, UBS PLAN MOBILE VIDEO: Look Communications and Unique Broadband
Systems say they will jointly launch mobile video services in Toronto
and Montreal early in 2006. The service will broadcast 80 video
channels and 100 digital audio channels to handheld PDA-sized devices.
PEETERS NAMED CHAIR OF COGECO: Jan Peeters, who headed early
long-distance competitor Fonorola until it was acquired by Call-Net in
1998, has been named Chairman of the Board of Cogeco Cable.
OPENING UP WI-FI TO GUESTS AND CUSTOMERS: The current issue of
Telemanagement analyzes initiatives by Canadian organizations to make
their Wi-Fi networks available to non- employees with no loss of
security. Also in this issue:
** Reinventing Telecom Management--Again
** Avaya and Mitel: Two Strategies for IP Success
** IP Shakes Up Health Care Network
These reports are available to Telemanagement subscribers only. To
subscribe today, call 1-800-263-4415 ext 500 or go to
www.angustel.ca/teleman/tm-sub-online.html.
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