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TELECOM UPDATE
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published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group
http://www.angustel.ca
Number 486: June 17, 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:
** CRTC Okays Bell VoIP Tariff
** Telcos Apply to Appeal VoIP Winback Rules
** Feds Issue RFI for Dark Fibre
** BT Offers Fusion Phone
** Avaya, Nokia Trial Dual-Mode Handsets
** RIM Faces New Suit
** National Supercomputing Net Launched
** Consumer Guide to Local Phone Competition Posted
** Navigata Names New CEO
** Ericsson, Napster Plan Wireless Music Service
** CRTC Sets Scope of Local Forbearance Proceeding
** Allstream Wins Ruling on Edmonton LRT Lands
** CATA Forms Committee for Telecom Policy Submission
** Broadcasters Challenge Mobile TV Plans
** Research Centre Opened in Saint John
** Videotron, Unions Extend Contracts
** Telus Union Bans Overtime
** Nortel Intros Mobile Security
** Skype Offers Voicemail
** ORION Award Winners Named
CRTC OKAYS BELL VoIP TARIFF: The CRTC has given interim approval to
Bell Canada's proposed tariffs for its IP-based Digital Voice service,
effective June 14. The Commission says it will issue a Public Notice
in the near future to give parties an opportunity to comment on the
tariff (TN 6874).
** Unlimited calling within a province is $35/month;
unlimited calling to Canada and the U.S. is $44/month. The
previously announced Unlimited Canada plan is no longer
available for new installations.
** The tariffs also include columns for "Minimum Rate" and
"Maximum Rate," but the CRTC has allowed those rates to
remain confidential.
** Equal access to competitors' long distance services,
required by CRTC Telecom Decision 2005-28, is not
included. (See Telecom Update #481)
www.crtc.gc.ca/8740/eng/2005/b2.htm
TELCOS APPLY TO APPEAL VoIP WINBACK RULES: On June 13, Bell Canada,
SaskTel, and Telus jointly asked the Federal Court for leave to appeal
the "winback rules" component of the CRTC's recent VoIP decision (see
Telecom Update #481). The telcos say the ban on calls to customers who
switch to other carriers violates their right to freedom of expression
under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
** Rogers, Shaw, Cogeco, EastLink, and the Canadian Cable
Television Association have asked to be added to the
application as respondents, so that they can file opposing
arguments.
** Bell Canada says it plans to appeal the whole decision to
Cabinet but has not announced timing.
FEDS ISSUE RFI FOR DARK FIBRE: The Department of Public Works has
issued a Request for Information "to inform Industry of its intention
to develop Shared Fibre Infrastructure" linking government facilities
in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, and requesting feedback on architecture,
technology, operation, and budgetary costs. The deadline for responses
is July 25. See Solicitation EN716-050001/A at www.merx.com.
BT OFFERS FUSION PHONE: The UK's BT Group has launched BT Fusion, a
wireless phone that automatically switches between the public
cellphone network and a home wireless hub that transmits calls over a
BT broadband (DSL) connection. The Motorola-built phone uses Bluetooth
technology to detect and transmit to the home network hub.
** In a recent interview with Business Communications Review,
the CEO of BT Wholesale, Paul Reynolds, said that BT plans
to be "the first telco to switch off the PSTN," replacing
it with an IP-MPLS backbone connected to all end locations
by DSL.
AVAYA, NOKIA TRIAL DUAL-MODE HANDSETS: Customer trials are under way
for Nokia cellular phones equipped with Avaya software that enables
them to access corporate WLANs and utilize corporate PBX features.
RIM FACES NEW SUIT: A British court has allowed Research In Motion to
fast-track its legal challenge against a patent held by
Luxembourg-based Inpro Licensing Sarl. In December, Inpro filed suit
to halt BlackBerry sales by RIM's major German distributor, claiming
that BlackBerry infringes on Inpro's British patent.
NATIONAL SUPERCOMPUTING NET LAUNCHED: Two of Canada's most powerful
research computing nets are now connected by a dedicated lightpath,
the first step in creating a pan- Canadian High-Performance Computing
facility. The link, operated by CANARIE, connects SHARCNET in Southern
Ontario to WestGrid in B.C. and Alberta.
** Future plans call for optical connections to academic
networks in Eastern Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada.
CONSUMER GUIDE TO LOCAL PHONE COMPETITION POSTED: The CRTC website now
provides a consumer guide to competition in the residential telephone
market. The guide does not deal with VoIP or with business phone
service.
www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/INFO_SHT/t1023.htm
NAVIGATA NAMES NEW CEO: James Pitt, formerly a VP for Group Telecom
and Shaw, has been named CEO of Navigata, a SaskTel subsidiary that
provides business telecom services in British Columbia, Alberta,
Ontario, and Quebec.
ERICSSON, NAPSTER PLAN WIRELESS MUSIC SERVICE: Ericsson and Napster
have formed a global alliance to offer "the first complete, fully
integrated digital music service" for cellular carriers. The service,
compatible with current handset models, is to be launched in Europe by
mid-2006.
CRTC SETS SCOPE OF LOCAL FORBEARANCE PROCEEDING: In Telecom Decision
2005-35, the CRTC announces which services offered by the incumbent
telcos will be included in the proceeding on local phone service
forbearance (see Telecom Update #479).
www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2005/dt2005-35.htm
ALLSTREAM WINS RULING ON EDMONTON LRT LANDS: Resolving a 2003 dispute,
CRTC Telecom Decision 2005-36 rules that Edmonton's light rail transit
lands are an "other public place" under the Telecom Act, and directs
the City and Allstream to negotiate a cost-based fee for Allstream's
continued use of conduit in LRT tunnels.(see Telecom Update #393)
www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2005/dt2005-36.htm
CATA FORMS COMMITTEE FOR TELECOM POLICY SUBMISSION: The Canadian
Advanced Technology Alliance has formed a TelecomACT Working Group to
develop a telecom industry submission to the Telecom Policy Review
(see Telecom Update #485).
www.cata.ca/Media_and_Events/Press_Releases/cata_pr06130501.html
BROADCASTERS CHALLENGE MOBILE TV PLANS: The Canadian Association of
Broadcasters has asked the CRTC to regulate mobile TV offerings by
Rogers, Bell, and Look under the Broadcasting Act. Rogers, which plans
to launch mobile TV within weeks, claims the service is exempt from
regulation under the New Media Exemption Act, adopted in 1999.
RESEARCH CENTRE OPENED IN SAINT JOHN: The Bell-Aliant SMB Innovation
Centre in Saint John, N.B., was launched June 13. The centre will
develop IP-based applications for small and medium businesses.
VIDEOTRON, UNIONS EXTEND CONTRACTS: Videotron's unionized employees
have accepted an agreement to extend existing contracts to 2009, 2010,
and 2011, with 2.5%/year salary increases in the last three years.
TELUS UNION BANS OVERTIME: On June 16, the Telecommunications Workers
Union banned overtime by its members at Telus as a protest against the
telco's failure to engage in "real bargaining." (See Telecom Update
#480)
** The following day, Telus made several improvements to its
offer of settlement, including increased pension plan and
wage payments, creation of a Common Interest Forum for
dialogue with union leaders, and a promise to reinvest
savings from outsourcing.
NORTEL INTROS MOBILE SECURITY: Nortel Networks says its new Secure
Information Access and Secure Multimedia enables enterprises to
protect information and communications regardless of whether users are
outside or inside their offices.
SKYPE OFFERS VOICEMAIL: Skype, which provides free worldwide Internet
telephony, now offers a voicemail service for $23/year. The service
can also send voice messages to any Skype user.
ORION AWARD WINNERS NAMED: The Ontario Research and Innovation Optical
Network announced its first awards honouring research and education
network pioneers. The ORION
Award recipients were:
** Dr. Ross H. Paul, President of the University of Windsor
and founding Chair of ORION.
** Andy Bjerring, President CANARIE.
** Robert Chambers and Eugene Siciunas of the University of
Toronto, John Drake of McMaster University, and Roger Watt
of the University of Waterloo.
** Joan McCalla, the Government of Ontario's Corporate Chief
Strategist.
** Warren C. Jackson, retired advanced networking leader.
** Roger Taylor former executive director of ORION's
predecessor, ONet Networking.
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