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TELECOM UPDATE
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published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group
http://www.angustel.ca
Number 491: August 5, 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/
** ROGERS TELECOM: www.rogers.com/solutions
** UTC CANADA: www.canada.utc.org/
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IN THIS ISSUE:
** BCE Revenues Up 4%
** Telus Revenues Rise 8.2%
** RIM Gets Mixed News from U.S. Court
** Union Says Telus May Be Ready to Talk
** Ottawa Seeks Comment on Power-Line Broadband
** Bell Buys Montreal Cableco Assets
** Nortel Postpones Quarterly Results
** Industry Canada Supports Rural Digital Roaming
** FCC Creates VoIP E911 Task Force
** Dobbin Moves to Toronto Hydro Telecom
** Quick Approval for Telus Bundle
** CRTC Limits Cost of Bell Service Improvement
** Wireless Age Buys Networking Company
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BCE REVENUES UP 4%: BCE's second quarter revenues of $5.0 billion were
up 4.2% from a year ago. Net income rose 2% to $563 million. Wireless
sales rose 10.5% to $771 million, making up 15% of total
revenues. Changes in other product-line sales: Long distance down
9.4%; local/access down 2.4%; data up 11%.
** Growth in subscriber base: wireless 146,000; video 63,000; high-
speed Internet 92,000.
** Telesat led BCE subsidiaries with a revenue gain of 61%, to $137
million, due in large part to income from the new Anik F2 satellite.
** BCE declared it had reached its goal of "significantly more
competitive labour agreements."
TELUS REVENUES RISE 8.2%: Second quarter revenues at Telus rose 8.2%
over the same quarter last year, to $2.02 billion. Net income
increased 10% to $190 million. Wireless sales increased 19% to $802
million, making up 40% of total Telus revenue. Changes in revenue in
other categories: long distance no change; local down 0.2%; data up
9.9%.
** Growth in subscriber base: wireless 131,100; high-speed Internet
17,100.
** Regarding the current labour conflict, Telus said that 70% of its
total work force continues to work, including all employees east of
Alberta.
RIM GETS MIXED NEWS FROM U.S. COURT: A U.S. appeals court has delayed
implementation of a lower court order to halt sales of BlackBerry
devices in the U.S. However, the same ruling confirmed most of the
earlier ruling against RIM on the substance of its patent dispute with
NTP Inc.
UNION SAYS TELUS MAY BE READY TO TALK: The Telecommunications Workers
Union says it has established "channels of communication with [Telus]
upper levels" and expects contract negotiations to resume in two to
four weeks. (See Telecom Update #490)
OTTAWA SEEKS COMMENT ON POWER-LINE BROADBAND: Industry Canada is
asking for public and industry comment on the deployment and
regulation of systems that deliver high-speed Internet and broadband
services over power lines. A consultation paper is now available
online; the deadline for comments is November 28.
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/insmt-gst.nsf/vwapj/bpl-e.pdf/$FILE/bpl-e.pdf
BELL BUYS MONTREAL CABLECO ASSETS: Bell Canada has bought the
residential assets of Cable VDN, a Gaz Metropolitain subsidiary that
provides service to 13,500 TV and 3,000 Internet subscribers in
Montreal apartment buildings.
NORTEL POSTPONES QUARTERLY RESULTS: On the day before it was to
announce second quarter results, Nortel Networks postponed the release
five days to August 8, to align with the date of U.S. regulatory
filings.
INDUSTRY CANADA SUPPORTS RURAL DIGITAL ROAMING: Under current policy,
wireless carriers are required to provide only analog roaming service
to other carriers; this will disadvantage small rural carriers as
analog is phased out. Industry Canada has announced a new policy that
"encourages" national wireless carriers to voluntarily provide digital
roaming to non-competing rural wireless carriers. The policy includes
no legal obligation, and no penalty for not complying.
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/insmt-gst.nsf/en/sf06317e.html
FCC CREATES VOIP E911 TASK FORCE: The U.S. Federal Communications
Commission has created a joint federal-state task force "to facilitate
the timely and effective enforcement of the Commission's VoIP E911
rules." In May the FCC ordered providers of telephone service over the
Internet to provide Enhanced E911 to all customers by the beginning of
November. (See Telecom Update #482)
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-260150A1.pdf
DOBBIN MOVES TO TORONTO HYDRO TELECOM: Telecom Ottawa COO Dave Dobbin
is leaving the utility telco to become President of Toronto Hydro
Telecom, effective August 15. Telecom Ottawa's owner, Hydro Ottawa,
has congratulated Dobbin on the move and will work with him to "ensure
an orderly transition."
QUICK APPROVAL FOR TELUS BUNDLE: The CRTC took only nine business days
to issue Telecom Order 2005-285, which approves a new Telus
residential bundle that offers discounts up to 30% to customers who
subscribe to Telus residential service and six calling features.
www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Orders/2005/o2005-285.htm
CRTC LIMITS COST OF BELL SERVICE IMPROVEMENT: Six years ago, CRTC
Telecom Decision 99-16, which dealt with service in high-cost areas,
ordered the incumbent telcos to upgrade all localities to a newly
defined basic service that included touch-tone, access to 911, 411,
and voice relay, and access to long distance. Telecom Decision
2005-43, released this week, limits that requirement to localities
where the capital cost would not exceed $62,500 for each customer who
opts to obtain the upgrade.
** Bell says that 69 localities will be excluded from service
improvement programs under the new rule: in those locations only 5%
of customers, on average, want the upgrades.
www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/1999/DT99-16.htm
www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2005/dt2005-43.htm
WIRELESS AGE BUYS NETWORKING COMPANY: Mississauga-based Wireless Age
Communications, a cellular retailer and phone card distributor, has
bought Wireless Works, which provides broadband wireless and Land
Mobile Radio services in the Niagara region. (See Telecom Update #447)
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The information and data included has been obtained from sources which
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Angus TeleManagement Group (jriddell@angustel.ca)