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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.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.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.
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 snipped-for-privacy@ctca.ca.
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