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TELECOM UPDATE
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published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group
http://www.angustel.ca
Number 483: May 27, 2005
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 Combines Cable and Wireless
** Carriers Intro Wi-Fi Hotspot Roaming
** Telesat Launches Two-Way Satellite Broadband
** Cities Challenge Bell 3-1-1 Tariff
** Shaw to Offer Phone Service in Manitoba
** 40,000 Use MTS TV
** Satellite Net Links Nunavut Communities
** Videotron Phones Come to West Island
** ITU Completes VDSL2 Standard
** Call-Net Gets OK for Vote on Rogers Deal
** Telus Offers Managed Wireless Data
** Quebec ISPs Oppose Naked DSL Surcharge
** Canadian Firm Offers VoIP E911
** Aliant Adds Features to Prepaid Wireless
** Terry Mosey Retires
** Statscan Profiles Canadian Call Centres
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ROGERS COMBINES CABLE AND WIRELESS: Rogers Communications Inc. has
combined its cable and wireless companies into a new Communications
division, to be headed by former Wireless President Nadir
Mohamed. Edward Rogers will continue as President of Rogers Cable, and
Robert Bruce has been promoted from EVP to President of Rogers
Wireless.
** Mohamed, who is considered by some to be a candidate for
the CEO position when Ted Rogers retires, has been named
to the company's Board of Directors.
CARRIERS INTRO WI-FI HOTSPOT ROAMING: Canada's major cellcos have
launched inter-carrier roaming between 500 (soon to be 1,000) Wi-Fi
hotspots across Canada. Subscribers can be invoiced on their cellphone
bill. Any Wi-Fi provider can join the roaming alliance. (See Telecom
Update #423)
TELESAT LAUNCHES TWO-WAY SATELLITE BROADBAND: Telesat has begun
offering two-way satellite broadband service on the Ka-band using the
Anik F2 satellite. The service, available through various
distributors, provides download speeds up to 2 Mbps and uploads up to
500 Kbps.
CITIES CHALLENGE BELL 3-1-1 TARIFF: CRTC Telecom Order 2005-177 gave
interim approval to Bell's tariff for 3-1-1 service to municipalities
(see Telecom Update #456) and laid out a schedule for further
discussion of the terms and rates.
** In a joint submission, Toronto, Calgary, Halifax,
Montreal, Gatineau, and Halton say Bell's charges are so
high as to "effectively prevent many municipalities from
providing this service." They want Bell to reveal its
costs for the service, but Bell says that, as long as its
rates cover costs, "there is no required dependency
between cost levels and either the rate structure or the
rate levels."
www.crtc.gc.ca/8740/eng/2005/b2_6866.htm
SHAW TO OFFER PHONE SERVICE IN MANITOBA: CEO Jim Shaw says Shaw
Communications will offer IP-based local phone service in Winnipeg
within a few weeks.
40,000 USE MTS TV: Manitoba Tel says it now has 40,000 customers for
its digital television distribution service, MTS TV, and will soon add
a Video on Demand option.
SATELLITE NET LINKS NUNAVUT COMMUNITIES: The Nunavut Broadband
Development Corporation this week launched what it calls the "largest,
coolest hotspot" in the world. Qiniq, a satellite-based backbone
network, provides broadband connectivity to the 30,000 people living
in Nunavut's 25 communities, spread over two million square miles,
one-fifth of Canada's land mass.
** This is the first project to receive federal funding under
the National Satellite Initiative (see Telecom Update
#402). NSI is providing $7.8 million over eight years, and
the Broadband for Rural and Northern Development (BRAND)
program is providing $3.9 million.
VIDEOTRON PHONES COME TO WEST ISLAND: Videotron's cable telephone
service, introduced earlier this year on Montreal's south shore and
Laval, will be rolled out in 12 communities on West Island, beginning
Monday, May 30. (See Telecom Update #466)
ITU COMPLETES VDSL2 STANDARD: The International Telecommunication
Union says it has finalized technical specifications for VDSL2, a
standard that supports data speeds up to 100 Mbps, both up and
downstream, over standard copper telephone cable.
CALL-NET GETS OK FOR VOTE ON ROGERS DEAL: Call-Net Enterprises has
received an interim court order permitting a special meeting of
shareholders to vote on its proposed acquisition by Rogers
Communications. The meeting will be held June 29. (See Telecom Update
#481)
TELUS OFFERS MANAGED WIRELESS DATA: Telus says its Multi- Network Data
Access Solution allows users to roam across PCS, Mike, Wi-Fi, and
other wireless networks with full security and without dropped
connections, using IBM WebSphere Everyplace technology.
** Another new Telus product, End Point Enforcement, uses
Telus's Angel technology to provide anti-virus security
for laptops and other workstations before they log on to
corporate networks.
QUEBEC ISPs OPPOSE NAKED DSL SURCHARGE: A group of 15 Quebec- based
Internet Service providers objects to Bell imposing a $10/month
surcharge on Sympatico DSL Lite customers who cancel their local phone
service.
** The group says the CRTC should encourage telcos and
cablecos to wholesale their services "in a manner and at
a rate that allow resellers to remain competitive," and
should regulate cablecos in the same way as it regulates
telcos.
CANADIAN FIRM OFFERS VoIP E911: Sudbury-based Northern Communications
says it can provide E911 for providers of fixed, nomadic, and foreign
exchange VoIP telephone service that meets or exceeds the CRTC's
recently announced regulations.
www.northern911.com/
ALIANT ADDS FEATURES TO PREPAID WIRELESS: Aliant has moved its prepaid
cellular service to a new platform from Alcatel, which provides an
enhanced set of features and roaming outside of Atlantic
Canada. Aliant now offers prepaid nights/evenings airtime at five
cents/minute.
TERRY MOSEY RETIRES: Bell Executive Vice President Terry Mosey is
retiring, effective May 31. During his 33 years with the company he
held many positions, including serving as president of Bell Ontario
from 2000 to 2003. Among his many accomplishments was the extension of
single-line phone service and Internet access to rural and remote
areas of the province.
STATSCAN PROFILES CANADIAN CALL CENTRES: A Statscan report, released
May 25, reveals that employees in the business support services
sector, most of whom work in call centres, are well-educated, young,
mostly women, and receive considerably less than average wages.
** In 2004, workers in the industry earned an average of
$12.45 an hour, about two-thirds of the average in the
service sector and the economy as a whole.
www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/050525/d050525c.htm
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