| 29 July, 2010 | Last updated 16 hours 16 minutes ago |
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Having Trouble Logging In?Report on WirelessNew wireless entrants look to U.S. carrier for AWS-compatible iPhone 4Canada’s new wireless entrants could offer the popular iPhone 4 if American carrier T-Mobile can convince Apple Inc. to create a version of the device that functions on their networks--but analysts say new entrants won’t necessarily want to carry the handset. The iPhone 4 will be Apple’s first smart phone to be immediately available with Canada’s three incumbent wireless carriers, Rogers Communications Inc., Telus Corp. and Bell Canada, when it is launched Friday. “I don’t think there’s a competitive advantage between Bell, Telus and Rogers when it comes to the iPhone,” Dvai Ghose, a telecom analyst with Canaccord Genuity, told The Wire Report. CTV says profits from spectrum auctions should help finance digital transitionOTTAWA—A portion of the revenues from the upcoming 700 and 2500 MHz spectrum auctions should go to assisting broadcasters in the digital transition, CTVglobemedia says. In a submission to the federal government’s consultation on the digital economy, CTV said that the government's demands on broadcasters--through the transition from analogue to digital television broadcasting and the freeing up of spectrum for mobile broadband use in the 700 and 2500 MHz bands--is coming at a great cost to broadcasters. “Consequently, given that the Government is supporting the expansion of broadband throughout Canada, it would also be appropriate for the Government to support broadcasters’ conversion of their transmitters,” CTV wrote in its submission. Digital strategy needs focal point at cabinet table, say experts, industryOTTAWA—Industry Canada's portfolio is too broad and the government needs a focal point in cabinet to lead its digital economy strategy, say industry insiders and experts. “The starting point for any digital economy strategy is leadership. Canada needs digital leaders, including a chief technology officer and cabinet-level attention to the issue,” Michael Geist, Canada research chair of Internet and e-commerce law at the University of Ottawa, wrote in a submission to the government’s consultation on the digital economy. “The not-so-secret reality of the Industry Minister portfolio is that it is simply far too large to give all the issues under its mandate the necessary attention. Manufacturing, automotive, telecom, foreign investment, competition, consumer affairs, Statistics Canada, intellectual property, scientific research and dozens of other issues all fall under the same umbrella.” New governor general Johnston could be 'spokesperson' for digital issues, say colleaguesDavid Johnston, Canada’s next governor general, could make digital issues one of his top priorities, his colleagues say—but it’s unlikely he’ll take positions on controversial issues like copyright. “We’ll have a very eloquent governor general who can really highlight a lot of issues related to both digital [issues] and education ... That bodes very well for both those areas, simply because they have a spokesperson who knows them in such great detail,” Tom Jenkins, executive chairman and chief strategy officer of Open Text Corp. and Johnston’s friend, told The Wire Report in an interview. Jenkins has collaborated with Johnston for more than a decade through partnerships between his company and the University of Waterloo, where Johnston has been president and vice-chancellor since 1999. Johnston also served on OpenText’s board of directors from 2002 to 2004. Bell, Telus expected to launch competitive discount plans: UBSBell Canada and Telus Corp. are expected to launch mobile plans to match Rogers Communications’ Inc.’s upcoming Chatr wireless brand, says a new research note by UBS Investment Research. Bell operates secondary wireless brands Virgin Mobile and Solo Mobile, and Telus offers Koodo Mobile. Rogers offers Fido and has plans to launch a discount brand, Chatr, this summer. Bell and Rogers could offer new discount plans through their secondary brands, but so far the companies are mum on any potential business plans to compete with Chatr. Cablecos should devote 10 per cent of revenues to Canadian programming: Broadcasting watchdogOTTAWA--Canada’s four biggest cable companies should contribute 10 per cent of their total revenues—including phone and Internet—to the Canada Media Fund (CMF) and other federally sponsored cultural funds, the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting says in a submission for Industry Canada’s digital economy consultation. “The Canada Media Fund, and other federally-sponsored funds can be augmented substantially by tapping into the huge profits of the four big cable monopolies, whose profit before interest and taxes in 2009 exceeded 25%,” the Friends, an independent watchdog group, wrote in its submission. “FRIENDS recommends a 10% levy on revenues, and preventing these monopolies from recouping the contribution from their subscribers.” Google says government should follow U.S. lead on unlicensed, 'white space' spectrumCanada’s transition from analogue to digital television broadcasting next year will open up so-called “white space” spectrum that the U.S. has defined as unlicensed and, if Canada follows suit, could lead to innovations in wireless broadband, Jacob Glick, Google's Canadian policy counsel, told The Wire Report. “We think that there will be a lot of innovation in wireless broadband in the white spaces,” Glick said. In the United States, Google has been a proponent of opening up white spaces—unused “buffer zone” frequencies between channels that were allocated for analog broadcasting—for unregulated wireless broadband use. Shaw's $100-million wireless network investment only the 'tip of the iceberg' July 14, 2010 - 4:30pm — Elizabeth Howell
Shaw Communications Inc.'s $100 million deal with Nokia Siemens Networks is only the “tip of the iceberg” in the cableco's network build out, which is expected move quickly to compete against wireless players in Western Canada, Greg MacDonald, a telecommunications service and media analyst with National Bank Financial, said in an interview. “Certainly a big part of the network build is the network equipment, but there's also the labour involved in setting up the network, getting access to rooftops, and building towers where they need to build a wired connection between the site and the other network,” MacDonald told The Wire Report. He added that Shaw has not yet accounted for customer service, call-center capacity and other human-resource costs, and that he expects to see much more than $100 million invested. Incumbent telcos urge better spectrum coordination with U.S., spectrum tradingOTTAWA--Incumbent telecom companies Telus Corp. and Bell Canada are urging the federal government to follow the U.S. example and free up spectrum for mobile use. Facing a growing need for mobile spectrum, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Plan called for 500 MHz of spectrum to be freed up in the next 10 years, allocating at least 300 MHz of it within the next five years to mobile broadband use. In its consultation document on the digital economy, released in May, the Canadian government said it intends to auction spectrum in the 700 MHz and 2500 MHz bands. Government intended competition like Rogers' Chatr brand: AddyA former head of the Competition Bureau says he is scratching his head at reports that new wireless entrant Mobilicity plans to challenge Rogers Communications Inc.’s new Chatr brand before the Competition Bureau. “What’s happening in the marketplace now is exactly what the government intended when they auctioned this spectrum off and invited new entrants into the business,” George Addy, a senior partner with Davis, Ward, Phillips & Vineberg and former head of the Competition Bureau, told The Wire Report. “What they wanted to do is stimulate more competition in the market and that’s exactly what’s happening.” |
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