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TELECOM UPDATE
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published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group
http://www.angustel.ca
Number 532: June 2, 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:
** Three Telcos Reduce Local Rates
** OnStar Partners With Bell Mobility
** Aliant Expands High-Speed Wireless
** CRTC Modifies Interconnection Rules
** Cogeco to Buy Portuguese Cableco
** Bell Cellphones Join Missing Child Program
** Inukshuk Seeks Internet Learning Proposals
** Persona Third-Party Tariff Approved
** Telecom Regulatory Fees Increase
** Minacs Names New Chair
** SaskTel Upgrading Network for TV
** SR Telecom Names New CFO
** Telecom Summit Opens June 12
** Hall of Fame Dinner Planned
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THREE TELCOS REDUCE LOCAL RATES: CRTC Telecom Order 2006-134 approves
residential rate reductions by Bell Canada, MTS Allstream, and
SaskTel, effective June 1. The rate cuts eliminate most or all
recurring inflows to their deferral accounts. (See Telecom Update
#517)
** Bell's individual, two-, and four-line residential rates
are down $.65/mo. Other reductions affect rates for Call
Waiting, Visual Call Waiting, and the Mini Messaging Pack.
** MTS's residential rates in Bands A, B, and C are reduced
to $23.85. Call Display is cut $.90.
** SaskTel's residential rates in Regina, Saskatoon, Estevan,
Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Prince Albert, Swift Current,
Weyburn, and Yorkton are reduced by $.46/month.
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Orders/2006/o2006-134.htm
ONSTAR PARTNERS WITH BELL MOBILITY: Owners of equipped General Motors
vehicles can now use their OnStar hardware as a Bell Mobility
cellphone; and Bell Mobility customers can use their cellphones to get
OnStar emergency response service, even if they don't drive GM cars.
** "Bell Minute Sharing with OnStar" costs $18/month in
addition to regular cellphone and OnStar charges. Usage
charges appear on the cellphone bill under the customers'
existing calling plan.
ALIANT EXPANDS HIGH-SPEED WIRELESS: Aliant has extended its EV-DO
high-speed wireless service to Saint John, Moncton, and Fredericton,
NB; Charlottetown, PEI; and St. John's, NL. The service was launched
in Halifax in February. (See Telecom Update #518)
CRTC MODIFIES INTERCONNECTION RULES: CRTC Telecom Decision 2006-35
further simplifies the interconnection arrangements between local
carriers, reducing the number of Local Interconnection Regions in
Canada from 337 to 182 (see Telecom Update #442).
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/dt2006-35.htm
COGECO TO BUY PORTUGUESE CABLECO: Cogeco Cable has agreed to buy
Cabovisao, Portugal's second-largest cableco, for 465 million euros
(about $650 million). Cabovisao has 264,000 TV and 217,000 telephony
subscribers.
BELL CELLPHONES JOIN MISSING CHILD PROGRAM: Bell Mobility customers in
Ontario can now register to receive AMBER Alerts from the Ontario
Provincial Police by text messaging and email. To register for the
emergency missing child announcements, go to www.bell.ca/amberalert.
INUKSHUK SEEKS INTERNET LEARNING PROPOSALS: Inukshuk Wireless has
called for proposals that focus on enhancing content or connectivity
related to learning and the Internet. The company says $3 million in
funding is available: for information, visit www.inukshuk.ca.
PERSONA THIRD-PARTY TARIFF APPROVED: CRTC Telecom Decision 2006-36
gives interim approval to the third-party Internet access tariff filed
by cableco Persona Communications in January (see Telecom Update
#516). Provisions are temporarily suspended for ISPs who are already
connected to Persona's network, pending resolution of some remaining
issues.
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/dt2006-36.htm
TELECOM REGULATORY FEES INCREASE: The CRTC's cost of regulating
telecom in 2005-6 was $25.2 million, $1.2 million of which was not
recovered from fees paid by carriers. The shortfall will be added to
the coming year's fees, bringing the 2006-7 total to $26.6 million.
MINACS NAMES NEW CHAIR: Minacs Worldwide has named former New
Brunswick finance minister Norman Betts as Chair of the Board. Andrea
Minacs, daughter of the company's founder, the late Elaine Minacs, has
joined the board to provide "continued representation of Minacs'
largest shareholder." (See Telecom Update #530)
SASKTEL UPGRADING NETWORK FOR TV: As part of its Next Generation
Access Infrastructure initiative, SaskTel will pay Alcatel $35 million
for routers, Ethernet switches, fiber-to-the-node technology, and
system management to support high definition TV at speeds of up to 40
Mbps.
SR TELECOM NAMES NEW CFO: SR Telecom has appointed Marc Girard,
formerly with Aeroplan, Quebecor, and BCE, as Senior VP and CFO,
effective August 15. He replaces interim CFO Peter Campbell.
** SR will hold its annual meeting in Laval on Tuesday,
June 8.
TELECOM SUMMIT OPENS JUNE 12: The Canadian Telecom Summit will take
place in Toronto June 12-14. Speakers include Minister of Industry
Maxime Bernier, CRTC Chair Charles Dalfen, and the CEOs of Avaya, BCE,
MTS Allstream, Telus, and Videotron.
http://www.gstconferences.com
HALL OF FAME DINNER PLANNED: Canada's Telecommunications Hall of Fame
will hold its second Telecom Laureate Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner
on Monday, October 16, at The Carlu in Toronto. The 2006 Laureates
will be announced at a press conference in Montreal in September.
** This year's Hall of Fame Selections Committee is chaired
by David Colville, past Vice-Chair of the CRTC. Other
members include Francoise Bertrand, past Chair of the
CRTC, Carol Stephenson, Dean of the Ivey School of
Business, and Lis Angus, co-editor of Telecom Update.
http://www.telecomhall.ca
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TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information,
including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail
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Opinions expressed are based on interpretation of available
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Angus TeleManagement Group (jriddell@angustel.ca)