Telecom Update #548, September 29, 2006

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TELECOM UPDATE

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published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group

Number 548: September 29, 2006

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

** AVAYA: ** BELL CANADA: ** BIG PIPE: ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: ** ERICSSON: ** MICROSOFT CANADA: ** NEC UNIFIED SOLUTIONS: ** ROGERS TELECOM: ** VONAGE CANADA:

IN THIS ISSUE:

** Number Shortages Loom in B.C., Alberta ** Court to Hear Challenges of Deferral Account Ruling ** RIM Reviewing Stock Options Practices ** Teleglobe Shifts Jobs to India ** City of Ottawa to Help Fund Broadband Access ** Fido Accepts Dialaround LD ** Peterson Steps Down as Avaya Chair ** "Dotmobi" Domain Names Go on Sale ** Primus Opens Vancouver Data Centre ** Mitel Provides Hospitals with Bedside Data Access ** Procedures Set for Price Cap Hearing ** Telus Managers Shift to Shift ** Couch Potato Report Updated ** 9-1-1 Experts Meet in Toronto ** Bell VoIP 9-1-1 Routing to Be Available to All Carriers ** CTCA Readies Western Conference ** Conference to Show Path Through Network Jungle

NUMBER SHORTAGES LOOM IN B.C., ALBERTA: The latest Numbering Resources Utilization survey finds that Area Code 250 (southwestern B.C.) will run out of phone number prefixes (CO Codes) in January 2008, and Area 403 (southern Alberta) will run out in October 2009, both much earlier than previously forecast.

** The Canadian Numbering Administrator will hold industry meetings next week in Nanaimo and Edmonton to discuss plans for introducing new Area Codes. No relief plan is in place for either area.

** The sudden increased demand seems to reflect primarily the additional CO Codes needed to implement wireless number portability in March 2007, and to a lesser extent the cablecos' push into the local phone market.

COURT TO HEAR CHALLENGES OF DEFERRAL ACCOUNT RULING: The Federal Court has agreed to hear two diametrically opposed appeals against the CRTC's ruling on how funds in the telcos' deferral accounts should be spent. (See Telecom Update #517, 522)

** The Consumers Association of Canada and the National Anti-Poverty Organization argue that all of the money in the account should be returned to customers, not just the remainder after broadband spending. ** Bell Canada argues that none of the money should be returned to customers, because the CRTC has previously found the telco's rates to be "just and reasonable." RIM REVIEWING STOCK OPTIONS PRACTICES: Research in Motion has opened a investigation of stock option practices since 1997. RIM predicts that past profits will be written down by up to US$45 million, but present and future results will be unaffected.

** RIM's "preliminary results" showed a higher-than-expected quarterly profit of $141 million, which sparked a 20% increase in its stock price. Revenue of $658.5 million for the three months ended September 2 was up 7.4% on the quarter and 34% on the year.

** RIM has launched BlackBerry in Japan, with English-language input, and plans to add a Japanese-language version next April.

TELEGLOBE SHIFTS JOBS TO INDIA: Teleglobe, once Canada's flagship international carrier, is moving half of its 550 Montreal staff positions to India. Teleglobe was bought by Indian carrier VSNL in February and now uses the brand VSNL International. (See Telecom Update #519)

CITY OF OTTAWA TO HELP FUND BROADBAND ACCESS: Ottawa City Council has agreed to contribute $1-million to a private-public partnership that will extend broadband access to all rural areas of the city by fall

2007. The project is expected to cost $3 million in total.

** About 60% of rural Ottawa has broadband access today, up from 2% in 2003.

FIDO ACCEPTS DIALAROUND LD: Rogers' Fido cellular service now has its first dialaround long distance provider. Montreal-based Buzz Telecom (10-11-555) offers Fido customers Canada-U.S. calls for 4.5 cents/minute.

PETERSON STEPS DOWN AS AVAYA CHAIR: Don Peterson, who resigned as Avaya CEO in July, has now also relinquished the post of Chairman. He is replaced by board member Philip Odeen.

"DOTMOBI" DOMAIN NAMES GO ON SALE: A new ICANN-approved top-level Internet domain, .mobi, is now available for mobile devices and for sites that serve them.

PRIMUS OPENS VANCOUVER DATA CENTRE: Primus Telecommunications Canada has opened an Internet data centre in Vancouver, its third in Canada. The centre supports hosted IT infrastructure and applications.

MITEL PROVIDES HOSPITALS WITH BEDSIDE DATA ACCESS: Mitel Networks' Tele-Call system provides hospitals with bedside touch-screen terminals through which staff can access patient information and patients can order hospital services.

PROCEDURES SET FOR PRICE CAP HEARING: The CRTC has set the agenda and procedures for the oral hearing on Price Caps, which will be held in Gatineau, Quebec, beginning October 10 and ending on or before October

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   TELUS MANAGERS SHIFT TO SHIFT: Three Telus managers have accepted senior positions with Shift Networks, a Calgary-based provider of VoIP services for small and medium businesses. Keith Bradley is now Shift's VP sales; David Kozicz is VP client services; Wes Semeniuk is VP network operations.

COUCH POTATO REPORT UPDATED: The latest edition of Convergence Consulting's report on "The Battle for the North American Couch Potato," dealing with the market for bundled Internet, TV, and telephone services, is now available. The Table of Contents and Introduction are available online at

9-1-1 EXPERTS MEET IN TORONTO: The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) Canada and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) Ontario are hosting a trade show and conference on 9-1-1 services from September 30 to October 4 in Toronto. Delegates are expected from across Canada, as well as the U.S., India, Nepal, the UK, and Australia.

BELL VOIP 9-1-1 ROUTING TO BE AVAILABLE TO ALL CARRIERS: CRTC Telecom Order 2006-254 orders Bell Canada to make its VoiP Call Routing Service available to both VoIP and non-VoIP service providers in order to route end-customer emergency calls to the correct PSAP.

** Bell charges more for VoIP CRS than for its alternative zero-dialed emergency routing service, but with VoIP CRS competitors don't need to maintain their own routing databases or train operators to route emergency calls.

CTCA READIES WESTERN CONFERENCE: The Canadian Telecommunications Consultants Association will hold a one-day conference in Calgary October 17 on "Avoding the Trips and Traps of IP Communications." Telus CTO Ibrahim Gedeon will give the keynote.

CONFERENCE TO SHOW PATH THROUGH NETWORK JUNGLE: The proliferation of wireless networks, devices, and applications can create a management headache and a planning nightmare. At Enterprise Networks 2006, John Riddell will discuss management principles for navigating New Age Wireless.

** Other top industry speakers will include: Gary Audin, Michael Dunn, Greg Macdonald, Deepak Chopra and Henry Dortmans.

** Enterprise Networks 2006 will be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre October 24-25. Register online at

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