************************************************************
TELECOM UPDATE
************************************************************
published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group
http://www.angustel.ca
Number 534: June 16, 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
************************************************************
IN THIS ISSUE:
** Bernier Proposes Policy Direction to CRTC
** MTS Launches IP Trunking
** 10-Digit Dialing Starts in Five Areas
** Is Mobile Wireless Part of Local Service Market?
** Telus Deploys Microsoft Push Email
** Rogers to Offer Secure Email
** Primus Rolls Out ADSL Service
** Bell Rearrangement Goes to Court
** BCE Elix to Offer Click-to-Call
** Telus Expands Alberta High-Speed Wireless
** MTS Extends Prepaid Wireless Coverage
** BCE in Talks to Sell Telesat?
** Rogers Replies to Comwave Complaint
** Nortel--89% of Users on Road to IP Telephony
** Seven Arrested in Directory Scam
** Consultants Seek Speakers for Western Meeting
============================================================
BERNIER PROPOSES POLICY DIRECTION TO CRTC: On June 13, Industry
Minister Maxime Bernier tabled in Parliament a proposed policy
direction to the CRTC, signaling "the government's intention to direct
the CRTC to rely on market forces to the maximum extent feasible under
the Telecommunications Act."
** The document will be subject to public comment and parliamentary
debate before being finalized and sent to the CRTC.
** The text is substantially identical to that proposed in the Telecom
Policy Review report, with some changes: it does not order the
Commission to continuously review markets to determine if market
power exists, and the TPR's proposed restriction of "ex ante"
(before the fact) tariffs is softened to refer only to "tariff
measures that are as minimally intrusive and minimally onerous as
possible."
** Bernier's speech announcing the proposed direction mentioned the
TPR's recommendation for changes to the Telecom Act, but did not
promise any such changes.
http://tinyurl.com/jldzq
http://tinyurl.com/my6y3
MTS LAUNCHES IP TRUNKING: MTS Allstream IP Trunking service enables
businesses to connect PBXs to the public switched telephone network
over IP. MTS says it is the first Canadian carrier to provide such IP
trunks on a national basis.
10-DIGIT DIALING STARTS IN FIVE AREAS: Between June 17 and June 24,
10-digit local dialing will begin in area codes 450, 514, and 819 in
Quebec, and 519 and 613 in Ontario, and for local calls from 418 and
705 to those areas. Until October, callers who dial only seven digits
will hear a recorded announcement advising them to dial 10 digits in
future, but the call will go through.
** The CRTC has instructed all carriers to use a shortened version of
the bilingual announcement, to ensure that alarm dialers do not
time out before the call is completed.
IS MOBILE WIRELESS PART OF LOCAL SERVICE MARKET? CRTC Public Notice
2006-9 invites comments on whether, when considering deregulation of
incumbents' wireline local services, it should include mobile wireless
services as part of the local market -- and if so, how wireless
services should be measured. To participate, register by June 30.
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Notices/2006/pt2006-9.htm
TELUS DEPLOYS MICROSOFT PUSH EMAIL: Telus has deployed Hosted
Messaging and Collaboration (HMC) version 3.5, which enables new
hosted services for business customers, including push e-mail to
mobile devices.
ROGERS TO OFFER SECURE EMAIL: On July 1, Rogers Business Solutions
will begin offering a subscription-based encryption email service
developed by Echoworx and hosted by IBM. Clicking a toolbar icon
encrypts the email: registered recipients can read it by entering a
password, or, in the case of non-subscribers, by answering a
pre-arranged question at a website. Pre-ordering begins July 19: the
service costs $8.95/month for each email address.
PRIMUS ROLLS OUT ADSL SERVICE: Primus Canada says it will be able to
offer ADSL2+ service at up to 22 Mbps to three million households and
businesses by the end of this month. The company is deploying
collocated equipment in the facilities of an unnamed Canadian
competitive carrier.
BELL REARRANGEMENT GOES TO COURT: On June 22 the Superior Court of
Quebec will hear BCE's application to create the Bell Aliant Regional
Communications Income Fund. BCE's shareholders approved the proposed
spinoff at the company's annual meeting on June 7.
BCE ELIX TO OFFER CLICK-TO-CALL: Bell Canada's contact centre integration
group, BCE Elix, has added Click-to-Call technology developed by
Virginia-based eStara Inc. to its product line.
TELUS EXPANDS ALBERTA HIGH-SPEED WIRELESS: Telus has expanded its
EV-DO Wireless High Speed service, which offers data downloads at up
to 2 Mbps, to Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, and Red Deer, Alberta.
MTS EXTENDS PREPAID WIRELESS COVERAGE: Customers of MTS Mobility's
Evolve prepaid wireless plans can now make calls in the Atlantic
provinces, most of Ontario and Quebec, Saskatchewan, Calgary,
Edmonton, Vancouver, and Victoria.
BCE IN TALKS TO SELL TELESAT? The Globe and Mail says that BCE is
negotiating with the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan and other potential
buyers to sell Telesat for about $3 billion. Earlier, BCE had said it
would sell part of its stake in Telesat but retain a majority of the
satellite operator. (See Telecom Update #515)
ROGERS REPLIES TO COMWAVE COMPLAINT: Rogers Communications has told
the CRTC that Comwave's complaint about delays in porting numbers (see
Telecom Update #529) is "a waste of the Commission's resources and
... an abuse of process." Rogers says that Comwave's problems arose
because its original order misrepresented its requirements, and that
the CRTC should not be asked to change the terms of a contract between
a customer and a non-dominant carrier.
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2006/8622/c144_200605545.htm
NORTEL--89% OF USERS ON ROAD TO IP TELEPHONY: Nortel Networks says
that a survey of 750 of its enterprise customers found that 89% have
begun to deploy IP telephony or plan to do so within five years. Of
those who have begun the migration, 83% have switched less than a
quarter of their voice traffic to IP.
SEVEN ARRESTED IN DIRECTORY SCAM: A Competition Bureau investigation
into Calgary-based Ambus Registry Inc. has led to charges against
seven Alberta residents for allegedly scamming 7,000 U.S. businesses
for listings in non-existent directories.
CONSULTANTS SEEK SPEAKERS FOR WESTERN MEETING: The Canadian
Telecommunications Consultants Association will hold a one-day Western
Conference on "Avoiding the Trips and Traps of IP Communications for
Your Business" in Calgary, October 17. Proposals for presentations
must be received by June 30; email western.events@ctca.ca.
http://www.ctca.ca/EventDetails.asp?R=5&EV=64
============================================================
HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE
E-mail ianangus@angustel.ca and jriddell@angustel.ca
===========================================================
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE (OR UNSUBSCRIBE)
TELECOM UPDATE is provided in electronic form only. There
are two formats available:
1. The fully-formatted edition is posted on the
World Wide Web late Friday afternoon each week
at http://www.angustel.ca
2. The e-mail edition is distributed free of charge.
To subscribe, send an e-mail message to:
join-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com
To stop receiving the e-mail edition, send
an e-mail message to:
leave-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com
Sending e-mail to these addresses will automatically add
or remove the sender's e-mail address from the list. Leave
subject line and message area blank.
We do not give Telecom Update subscribers' e-mail
addresses to any third party. For more information,
see http://www.angustel.ca/update/privacy.html.
===========================================================
COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2006 Angus
TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further
information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please
e-mail jriddell@angustel.ca.
The information and data included has been obtained from sources which
we believe to be reliable, but Angus TeleManagement makes no
warranties or representations whatsoever regarding accuracy,
completeness, or adequacy. Opinions expressed are based on
interpretation of available information, and are subject to change. If
expert advice on the subject matter is required, the services of a
competent professional should be obtained.
Angus TeleManagement Group (jriddell@angustel.ca)