Telecom Update #512, January 13, 2006

************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group Number 512: January 13, 2006

Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from:

** AVAYA: ** BELL CANADA: ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: ** ERICSSON: ** MICROSOFT CANADA: ** MITEL NETWORKS: ** NEC UNIFIED SOLUTIONS: ** ROGERS TELECOM: ** VONAGE CANADA:

************************************************************

IN THIS ISSUE:

** Big Gains for Cable Telephony ** RBC Shifts to Managed IP Telephony ** Rogers Reorganizes Telephony Holdings ** Consumer Groups Say Telecom Regulation Still Needed ** Telus Prepares TV Launch ** Bell 3-1-1 Tariff Approved with Amendments ** Execulink Joins Bidding for People's ** Cogeco, Shaw Post Profit Gains ** Northwestel to Pay Excess Revenue to Central Fund ** Another GE Exec Moves to Nortel ** Mitel Adds to Marketing Team ** Consultants to Hold Vancouver Meeting ** Website Honours Angus Mentor

============================================================

BIG GAINS FOR CABLE TELEPHONY: Shaw Communications began offering local phone service in Vancouver and surrounding areas this week, the latest move in a growing cablecos-vs-telcos battle for the residential telephone market.

** Cogeco launched cable phone service in June. Subscribers on November 30: 6,900.

** Rogers launched cable phone service in July. Subscribers on December 31: 47,900.

** Shaw launched cable phone service in February. Subscribers on November 30: 90,651.

** Videotron launched cable phone service in January 2005. Subscribers on December 31: 163,000.

RBC SHIFTS TO MANAGED IP TELEPHONY: The Royal Bank of Canada will switch 8,400 of its Toronto-area Centrex lines to Bell Canada's Managed IP Telephony service between February and November this year. The hardware and software comes from Cisco; Bell and IBM will provide IP Telephony support, network monitoring, and infrastructure management.

ROGERS REORGANIZES TELEPHONY HOLDINGS: Rogers Communications has transferred its residential phone service and its wholesale Third Party Internet Access service from Rogers Cable to a newly named subsidiary, Rogers Home Phone Inc. (formerly Call-Net Communications Inc). RHPI is headed by VP Phil Hartling, who reports to Edward Rogers.

CONSUMER GROUPS SAY TELECOM REGULATION STILL NEEDED: The Public Interest Advocacy Centre and 32 other national organizations have submitted a joint declaration to the CRTC, to Industry Minister Emerson, and to the Telecom Policy Review panel. They call on the federal government to defend and promote Telecommunications Act principles, including consumer protection and improved access for rural communities and persons with disabilities.

TELUS PREPARES TV LAUNCH: Telus is building a $15 million satellite reception and distribution centre near Vancouver. When launched this summer, it is to provide more than 200 TV channels. Telus now provides TV service in Calgary and Edmonton, and plans to launch in the Vancouver area sometime this year.

** Telus has signed a long-term deal with Twentieth Century Fox to offer its films as video on demand.

BELL 3-1-1 TARIFF APPROVED WITH AMENDMENTS: The CRTC has given final approval to Bell's tariff for 3-1-1 service, which allows municipalities to provide a central number for non-emergency government services (see Telecom Update #456, 483). Fees apply when municipal boundaries do not line up with exchange boundaries, but the Commission ordered Bell to charge per-call routing fees only for calls that originate in exchanges shared by more than one municipality.

EXECULINK JOINS BIDDING FOR PEOPLE'S: Execulink Group of Thedford, Ontario, an independent telco providing about 6,000 phone lines in the province's rural southwest, is the second bidder for People's Communications of Forest, Ontario. Execulink's January 12 bid of $57 a share topped a $56 bid by Amtelecom two days earlier. (See Telecom Update #511)

COGECO, SHAW POST PROFIT GAINS: For the quarter ended November 30:

** Cogeco Cable reports net income of $9.0 million, up from $3.8 million a year earlier. Revenue increased 5.6% to $143 million. The number of basic service customers rose 1.3% in the quarter.

** Shaw Communications reports net income of $75.7 million, up from $44.7 million a year earlier. Revenue increased 9.8% to $589.5 million. The number of basic service customers rose 1.4% in the quarter.

NORTHWESTEL TO PAY EXCESS REVENUE TO CENTRAL FUND: The CRTC has directed Northwestel to pay $150,000 to the Central Fund from which it receives a subsidy to support affordable services in the North. This is the amount by which the northern telco exceeded its forecast long distance revenue in 2004.

ANOTHER GE EXEC MOVES TO NORTEL: Nortel Networks has hired a former General Electric vice-president, Don McKenna, as its new Vice-President of Global Manufacturing Services. Last month, Nortel hired another GE veteran, Joel Hackney, as Vice-President of Global Supply Chain and Quality.

** Mike Zafirovski, named CEO of Nortel in October, held various senior executive posts at General Electric between 1975 and 2000.

MITEL ADDS TO MARKETING TEAM: Mitel has named Doug Michaelides, formerly with Allstream and Nortel, as Global Vice-President of Marketing. Mitel veteran Gilles Rousso is now Regional Vice-President for Mexico, the Caribbean, and Latin America.

CONSULTANTS TO HOLD VANCOUVER MEETING: The Canadian Telecommunications Consultants Association will hold a one-day educational event on IP telephony in Vancouver, February 24. The meeting is open to consultants, equipment and service providers, and end users from western Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest. For more information, or to register, go to

WEBSITE HONOURS ANGUS MENTOR: Ian Angus, co-editor of Telecom Update, is editor and webmaster of a new website devoted to the writings of Lee Goeller, one of North America's most-respected independent experts on business telecommunications. LeeGoeller.com is jointly sponsored by Angus TeleManagement Group and Business Communications Review.

** Ian says: "In my entire career, no one taught me more about how business telecom systems work -- and, more important, how they ought to work -- than Lee Goeller. It's been an honour to know and work with him for 25 years, and I'm very pleased to play a role in making his works available on the net."

============================================================

HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE

E-mail snipped-for-privacy@angustel.ca and snipped-for-privacy@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
   formatting link
2. The e-mail edition is distributed free of charge. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: join-telecom snipped-for-privacy@nova.sparklist.com To stop receiving the e-mail edition, send an e-mail message to: leave-telecom snipped-for-privacy@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

===========================================================

COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2005 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail snipped-for-privacy@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.

============================================================