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** AVAYA:** Videotron to Resell Rogers' Cellular
** Industry Minister Wants More Broadband Money ** Local Forbearance Hearing Starts Monday ** Montreal Airport to Go IP ** Infosat Offers Business Broadband ** Telus Sends Service Calls Offshore ** CRTC Extends Comment Period on Bell VoIP Tariff ** Bell Wants Local High-Speed Circuits Deregulated ** Bell Refuses to Collect Alternate Directory Bills ** Sault Utelco, Ontera Join for Networking ** Globalstar Adds Northern Gateway ** Avaya Buys Ottawa Peer-to-Peer Developer ** Cisco Offers Small-Business Bundle ** Virttel Launches Secure VoIP in U.S. ** Mosey Joins Orano Board ** Anguses to Keynote Telemanagement Live============================================================
VIDEOTRON TO RESELL ROGERS' CELLULAR: Videotron plans to offer wireless phone service next year, reselling Rogers Wireless voice and data services. The cableco says it will be the only provider in its service area to offer "true one-stop" TV, Internet, phone, and wireless customer service.
INDUSTRY MINISTER WANTS MORE BROADBAND MONEY: Industry Minister David Emerson said this week that he wants the next federal budget to include increased funding for projects that extend broadband to unserved areas. Speaking to the Empire Club in Toronto, he said: "Without Internet access today, people and communities simply cannot get into the game. They're not able to get into the economic mainstream."
** On September 15, Ottawa's Strategic Infrastructure Fund and the government of Newfoundland and Labrador each donated $5 million to a project that will extend broadband to 68 schools and 103 communities in rural and remote regions of Newfoundland and Labrador.LOCAL FORBEARANCE HEARING STARTS MONDAY: As part of the CRTC proceeding on deregulating the incumbent telephone companies' local phone service, the Commission is holding a public hearing in Gatineau next week. The hearing will be broadcast live on the Web, starting at
9:30 am on Monday, September 26.MONTREAL AIRPORT TO GO IP: Old buzz-phrases never die! In the early eighties, every magazine featured articles hyping the soon-to-arrive "office of the future." This week Bell Canada and Cisco announced the "airport of the future" -- a contract to provide Montreal-Trudeau airport with Wi-Fi, IP telephony, digital signage, information kiosks, and Internet-equipped business centres. The announcement did not say when the future will arrive.
INFOSAT OFFERS BUSINESS BROADBAND: Infosat Communications, a Telesat subsidiary, now offers business-grade Internet access at 1 Mbps anywhere in Canada, using Telesat's new Anik F2 satellite, for $89.95/month.
TELUS SENDS SERVICE CALLS OFFSHORE: On Wednesday, Telus informed the Telecommunications Workers Union that "for the duration of the labour disruption" it will route "some customer care and operator services calls" to its call centre in the Philippines, and that Telus Mobility will route "some client care calls" to a call centre outsourcer in India.
** On Tuesday, Vancouver City Council called on the federal Minister of Labour "to appoint an Industrial Inquiry Commission to look into the causes of the dispute and to make non-binding recommendations to facilitate its resolution."CRTC EXTENDS COMMENT PERIOD ON BELL VoIP TARIFF: The CRTC has given interested parties until September 28 to comment on Bell Canada's application to price its access-dependent "Digital Voice" VoIP service differently in Ontario and Quebec, and has ordered Bell to place its Tariff Notice 6900 on the public record. (See Telecom Update #496)
BELL WANTS LOCAL HIGH-SPEED CIRCUITS DEREGULATED: Bell Canada has re-filed its February 2005 application for deregulation of its high-speed intra-exchange digital services in exchanges where at least one fibre-based competitor is providing high-speed service to at least one customer. Initial comments on this application were due this week.
BELL REFUSES TO COLLECT ALTERNATE DIRECTORY BILLS: At this morning's expedited hearing of a dispute between Bell Canada and YP Corp, an Internet-based directory services provider, Bell told the Commission that it should not be required to provide billing and collection services to YP Corp, even though it does so for its former affiliate, Yellow Pages Group. The Commission will issue a decision by October
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SAULT UTELCO, ONTERA JOIN FOR NETWORKING: PUC Telecom, a utility-based telecom carrier in Sault Ste. Marie, has formed a joint venture with Ontera (formerly O.N.Telcom) to help utilize the utelco's growing municipal fibre network. Ontera will provide back-office and provisioning services.
GLOBALSTAR ADDS NORTHERN GATEWAY: Globalstar LLC, an international satellite phone provider, has begun construction of a new gateway near Anchorage, Alaska, which will extend its coverage in Yukon, North West Territories, and northwest B.C.
AVAYA BUYS OTTAWA PEER-TO-PEER DEVELOPER: Avaya has bought Ottawa-based Nimcat Networks, a developer of small-business peer-to-peer IP telephony software, for $46 million. Nimcat's software operates on the IP phone, eliminating the need for a PBX or key system.
CISCO OFFERS SMALL-BUSINESS BUNDLE: Cisco Systems has introduced a bundled offering of voice and data services for businesses with 20 to
250 employees. Business Communications Solution includes a router equipped with call control and messaging software, plus Cisco's Catalyst Express 500 switch.VIRTTEL LAUNCHES SECURE VoIP IN U.S.: Virttel, an IP services provider based in Smiths Falls, Ontario, has extended its encrypted Internet telephony and data offerings to the U.S. In Canada, Virttel's IP-based local/long distance service costs $26.95 (residential) and $69.95 (business).
MOSEY JOINS ORANO BOARD: Terry Mosey, recently retired Bell Canada EVP, has joined the Board of the Optical Regional Advanced Network of Ontario, the organization that owns and operates ORION, the province's leading-edge research and education telecom network.
ANGUSES TO KEYNOTE TELEMANAGEMENT LIVE: On October 18, Ian and Lis Angus, co-editors of Telecom Update, will present an exclusive keynote report on "Telecom Transformation: Profits, Pitfalls and Payoffs in the Next Wave of Network Change," at the Telemanagement Live conference in Toronto.
** Telecom Update subscribers who register online now will receive a $200 discount on an All Access pass, including all sessions and meals and a ticket to the Telecommunications Hall of Fame Dinner. To qualify, register at============================================================
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