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TELECOM UPDATE
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published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group
http://www.angustel.ca
Number 521: March 17, 2006
Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous
financial support from:
** AVAYA: www.avaya.ca/
** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca
** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca/
** ERICSSON: www.ericsson.ca
** MICROSOFT CANADA: www.microsoft.com/canada/telecom/
** MITEL NETWORKS: www.mitel.com/
** NEC UNIFIED SOLUTIONS: www.necunifiedsolutions.com
** ROGERS TELECOM: www.rogers.com/solutions
** VONAGE CANADA: www.vonage.ca
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IN THIS ISSUE:
** Telecom Policy Report Expected Next Week
** Telus Sees Increase in Long Distance Theft
** New Ontario Area Code to Arrive Just in Time
** Erosion of Home Phones Accelerates
** Microsoft Reports Big Jump in IP Voice/Video
** MTS Adds Blouin to Board, Nominates Two Directors
** Bell and Telus Challenge MTS Service
** Some Terms of Nortel Settlement Okayed
** CRTC Reaffirms Order on VoIP Message Relay
** St. John's Developer Offers Push Email Software
** Telus Adds Second-Layer Spam Filtering
** Charges Laid in 500 Payphone Robberies
** Rogers Boosts Download Speed
** SaskTel Adopts Converged Messaging Platform
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TELECOM POLICY REPORT EXPECTED NEXT WEEK: The three-person Telecom
Policy Review panel, appointed last April, is expected to release its
report in Ottawa next week. A report in the Globe & Mail says that the
panel's recommendations will include more flexible regulation of the
incumbent phone companies and incentives to extend broadband into
unserved areas.
TELUS SEES INCREASE IN LONG DISTANCE THEFT: Telus says that hacker
gangs have recently increased efforts to steal overseas long distance
from businesses by hijacking voice mail boxes. Telus's security group
detected almost 200 incidents in 2005, stopping about $1.5 million in
illegal calls.
** The telco is urging business customers to change all
default passwords, eliminate unused mail boxes, and if
possible to disable "through dialing" features that allow
employees to call into their voice mail and then dial out
of the system.
NEW ONTARIO AREA CODE TO ARRIVE JUST IN TIME: Area Code 226 is
scheduled to launch as an overlay in the current 519 area
(southwestern Ontario) on October 21. This is just in time: the latest
Number Resource Usage survey predicts that the last remaining prefixes
in 519 will be in use by January 2007.
** Beginning in the week of June 17, callers in the 519 area
who dial local calls using only seven digits will hear a
recording advising them to dial 10 digits in future.
Mandatory 10-digit local dialing will begin on October 14.
** 10-digit dialing will also be required for callers in four
705 exchanges -- Alliston, Barrie, Collingwood, and
Cookstown -- when they place local calls to the 519 or 226
numbers.
EROSION OF HOME PHONES ACCELERATES: Statistics Canada says that the
number of traditional residential phone lines in Canada fell 3% in the
12 months preceding September 2005, the largest year-over-year drop
since the numbers started falling in 2001. The number of business
lines was virtually unchanged in the same period.
** The report currently sells for $23, but effective April 24
there will be no charge for Statistics Canada's electronic
publications.
http://www.statcan.ca/english/preview/56-002-XIE/P0030556-002-XIE.pdf
MICROSOFT REPORTS BIG JUMP IN IP VOICE/VIDEO: Microsoft says it has
recently seen a sharp jump in customer use of its voice and video
services. January's record volumes included 800 million minutes of voice
conversation on MSN Messenger, 1.1 billion minutes of video conversation,
and 7 billion minutes of stand-alone webcam use. Twenty million users on
average use Microsoft's voice-conversation services monthly.
** The company plans to introduce new IP communications tools
this year, including enabling users to set up PC-to-PC or
PC-to-Phone voice or video calls by clicking on a
contact's name in an email.
MTS ADDS BLOUIN TO BOARD, NOMINATES TWO DIRECTORS: Manitoba Telecom
Services has appointed its CEO, Pierre Blouin, to its Board of
Directors. The telco will propose that James MacDonald, Chairman of
Enterprise Capital Management, and Kishore Kapoor, formerly of the
wealth management firm Loring Ward, be elected to the Board at the May
2 Annual General Meeting.
** In 2004, Enterprise, a hedge fund, spearheaded efforts to
convert MTS into an income trust.
BELL AND TELUS CHALLENGE MTS SERVICE: Bell and Telus have separately
complained to the CRTC that MTS Allstream, which signed a national
contract with Public Works and Government Services Canada in February,
does not have tariff approval for services to be provided under the
contract in its incumbent territory, Manitoba.
** Bell and Telus competed unsuccessfully for the same contract; they
both obtained advance tariff approval from the CRTC for their
bids. They want the Commission to prohibit MTS from providing the
services until it has an approved tariff.
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2006/8622/b2_200602369.htm
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2006/8622/t66_200602640.htm
SOME TERMS OF NORTEL SETTLEMENT OKAYED: Nortel says it has reached
agreement on some issues related to the previously announced US$2.5
billion settlement of a class action lawsuit. (See Telecom Update
#516) The company's insurers have agreed to add $228.5 million toward
the settlement, and Nortel will codify current governance practices,
including the annual election by its directors of a non-executive
chair. Settlement discussions continue.
CRTC REAFFIRMS ORDER ON VoIP MESSAGE RELAY: CRTC Decision 2006-12
reiterates the Commission's direction that all VoIP providers must
provide access to Message Relay Service, which assists
hearing-impaired customers.
** The CISC Network Working Group reported to the CRTC in
December that there are no technical obstacles preventing
VoIP providers from offering MRS.
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/dt2006-12.htm
ST. JOHN'S DEVELOPER OFFERS PUSH EMAIL SOFTWARE: Newfoundland-based
Consilient Technologies has introduced Consilient Push software, which
enables carriers to push email to a wide range of wireless devices.
Consilient says its service can be offered cost effectively for only
$5 a month. (See Telecom Update #354)
TELUS ADDS SECOND-LAYER SPAM FILTERING: Telus is now using software
from Borderware Technologies to provide an additional, initial layer
of filtering to screen out the most obvious spam emails. Telus says
that the volume of emails on its network has increased five-fold in
three years, and 80% of emails today are spam or viruses.
CHARGES LAID IN 500 PAYPHONE ROBBERIES: Two Toronto men have been
charged with breaking into 518 payphones, collecting $21,500 and
destroying $128,500 worth of payphone equipment.
ROGERS BOOSTS DOWNLOAD SPEED: Rogers Cable is increasing the rated
speed of its basic high-speed Internet service to 5 Mbps from 3
Mbps. The cableco says the transition will be complete in a few weeks.
SASKTEL ADOPTS CONVERGED MESSAGING PLATFORM: SaskTel has deployed
software from uReach Technologies that provides a single framework for
wireline, wireless, and VoIP voice messaging services.
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TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further
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e-mail jriddell@angustel.ca.
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Angus TeleManagement Group (jriddell@angustel.ca)