Bell Aliant pay-per-view service approved

The CRTC has approved an application by BCE Inc'.s Bell Aliant for a licence to operate a pay-per-view service, the commission said Tuesday.

It added that “the service will primarily offer live and tape-delayed sports events, as well as event-driven programming.”

BCE adds Gordon Nixon to its board

BCE Inc. has added former Royal Bank of Canada CEO Gordon Nixon to its 13-member board of directors, the company announced Tuesday.

Nixon will serve on the board’s compensation committee and its corporate governance committee, according to a press release. He was president and CEO of RBC from August 2001 to August 2014.

Mary Ann Turcke to head Bell Media sales

BCE Inc.'s Bell Media said Monday that Mary Ann Turcke was appointed group president of its media sales division for local TV and radio.

BCE completes acquisition of Bell Aliant

BCE Inc. said Monday that its acquisition of Bell Aliant Inc. is complete.

It said that on Friday, it gained control through compulsory acquisition of the last 12 million shares of Bell Aliant that had not been tendered.

PIAC awarded costs in two CRTC proceedings

The CRTC has awarded the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) about three-quarters of the costs it had requested for its participation in an ongoing mobile-TV complaint.

Olympic rights deal ‘fiscally responsible,’ CBC says

CBC/Radio-Canada says it will either break even or earn a profit on its acquisition of the broadcasting rights for the 2018 Olympics in South Korea and the 2020 Olympics in Japan.

Canadian mobile carriers rankings vary by city

A look at Canada's three biggest cities by a U.S.-based mobile analytics company found different carriers' dominance fluctuated in the second half of this year, depending on the location.

PIAC gets half its requested costs in helpline case

The CRTC said Friday it is awarding the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) about half of the costs it had requested for its participation in a proceeding about charges for wireless calls to helplines.

Bell installing 4K public advertising in Toronto

Astral Out-of-Home, the BCE Inc. division that provides street furniture and public advertising, announced Thursday that it is installing 40 4K screens at transit shelters in downtown Toronto.

The 84-inch screens will be used for digital advertising, the company said in a news release, adding it is the first to offer advertisers the option to display their campaigns in 4K resolution.

The company said the screens will be fully operational by December, “in time for the holiday season, the advertising community's busiest time of year.”

Rogers ranked fastest Canadian ISP by PCMag.com

For the second year in a row, PCMag.com has named Rogers Communications Inc. the fastest Internet service provider in Canada.

Government ‘disappointed’ with Bell’s email-contract delay

The federal government's email consolidation program, slated to begin earlier this year, has yet to get underway and the government department in charge of the project says it’s because BCE Inc., contracted to undertake the initiative, has been slow to the draw.

“Bell has not yet been able to meet the committed project deadlines,” Shared Service Canada spokesman Ted Francis said in an email to The Hill Times.

“SSC is very disappointed by these unacceptable delays,” he said.

BCE says most Aliant common shares tendered

BCE Inc. and Bell Aliant Inc. said Friday that a vast majority of the common shares of the latter have been tendered to the former, and that the whole deal should be completed on or around the end of this month.

The companies said in joint press release that as of Thursday, which was the deadline for the offer on publicly traded common shares of Bell Aliant not yet owned by BCE, more than 90 per cent of stock sought had been tendered.

Rogers takes aim at Telus, Bell network sharing

GATINEAU, Que. — It's not always a case of the wireless incumbents battling newer entrants; Wednesday's session of the CRTC hearing into the wholesale wireless market featured one of the big three throwing its two closest competitors under the bus.

Bell Media invests in Hubub discussion website

BCE Inc.'s Bell Media said Wednesday it has invested $5 million in cash in Hubub Inc., and made commitments for millions of dollars more, to develop and promote the company's website and application that facilitates online discussions.

Bell Media said in a press release the investment has given it an equity stake in Hubub and the exclusive rights to monetize the company's service in Canada.

Wireless revenue growth slowed last year: CRTC

Revenue from wireless services in Canada was up just less than four per cent in 2013, marking a slowdown from growth that had exceeded six per cent for three straight years, according to data released by the CRTC on Thursday.

First phase of Bell Aliant buyout completed

BCE Inc. said in a press release Monday that it expects to complete, by Sept. 24, the purchase of the Bell Aliant Inc. shares it is acquiring in its buyout of the company.

The company said that “81.2% of Bell Aliant publicly held common shares and 72.7% of Bell Aliant preferred shares [have been] tendered.”

BCE added it expects the acquisition of Bell Aliant to be completed by the end of October.

Carriers mostly complying with wireless code: CRTC

The CRTC issued an "implementation report card" Thursday that showed mobile carriers are complying with the wireless code on most rules.

Out of 28 aspects of the code evaluated, the CRTC found infractions on three parts.

The regulator said Rogers Communications Inc. is still not allowing customers to opt out of notifications for when their device is roaming in another country. The CRTC said Rogers has indicated it is working to have the issue rectified before the end of the year.

Bell top payer, PIAC top recipient of CRTC cost awards so far in 2014

The CRTC this year has ordered telecommunications companies to pay more than $230,000 to various organizations participating in different telecommunications proceedings, of which BCE Inc. and its affiliates have been assigned more than half the costs and for which the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) has been the biggest recipient.

A compilation by The Wire Report, based on information from the CRTC's website, showed that the commission has awarded $233,472.90 in costs so far in 2014.

BCE-Astral obligated sale of MusiquePlus approved

The CRTC said Thursday it has approved the last of the divestments BCE Inc. was obliged to make as part of its 2013 buyout of Astral Media Inc., allowing Groupe V Media Inc. to take control of Quebec Category A music channels MusiquePlus and MusiMax in a $22.9-million deal.

The regulator also approved changes to the licences for the channels, allowing the new owners to add comedy, movies and reality television.  

Local TV needs another revenue stream: Bell

GATINEAU, Que. — BCE Inc. executives asked the CRTC Wednesday to put in place a “local specialty” model for local television stations, which it said are no longer financially sustainable.

“The economics of an advertising-only revenue stream can no longer pay for the costs,” Bell Media president Kevin Crull told the CRTC during the third day of its two-week Let’s Talk TV hearings into the future of television.

No comment from Rogers on OLG reports

Rogers Communications Inc. declined Tuesday to comment on reports that it will bid, along with BCE Inc., for the right to help in the running of Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.

A Toronto Star article published on Monday said Rogers and Bell are expected to bid on the partnership with the provincial lottery organization. According to the article, such involvement could make lottery ticket purchases available from cellphones.

Astral hire Luc Sabbatini leaving Bell Media

BCE Inc. announced Tuesday that Luc Sabbatini, who heads the sales division at the company’s media arm, is leaving the company at the end of the year.

Bell says rural broadband commitment fulfilled

BCE Inc. says it has held up its end of a 2006 deal with the CRTC by hooking up 112 rural communities to broadband Internet by Aug. 29.

“Bell completed broadband service rollouts to all 112 communities in our deferral account-funded broadband program by Aug. 29, as planned,” company spokeswoman Jacqueline Michelis said in an email.

Paper billing issue small potatoes for telecom sector: analysts

Much has been made this week about the practice of levying extra fees for the privilege of getting a physical bill for telecommunications services, and some industry watchers are downplaying the issue's importance.

Bell increases LTE network speeds

BCE Inc. said Tuesday that is has increased speeds on its LTE wireless network up to 45 per cent.

It said in a press release that average download speeds have gone from between 12 and 25 Mbps to between 14 and 36 Mbps, adding that in some areas average speeds will increase to between 18 and 40 Mbps.

CRTC process for establishing video relay delayed

The CRTC is still trying to establish the structure and mandate for an administrator that would oversee its planned video-relay system to help hearing-impaired people make phone calls, with a deadline for a proposal and associated information pushed back more than three months from its initial date.

CRTC awards PIAC costs in paper bill proceeding

The CRTC has ordered 10 different telecommunications companies to pay $22,135.06 in costs incurred by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) during its paper bill proceeding.

Prepaid expiration lawsuit against Bell to proceed

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has decided a class-action lawsuit against BCE Inc. regarding the expiry of prepaid accounts for mobile service can proceed, a law firm involved in the case said Monday.

DiversityCanada granted fraction of costs claimed in CRTC proceeding

Wireless code effects include higher prices, slow customer growth: analysts

More than eight months after its implementation and more than a year after it was announced, effects of CRTC's wireless code include higher prices and slower growth in mobile-service subscribers, say analysts.

"The most obvious overall effect is it's raised consumer prices by $5 per month," Canaccord Genuity telecom analyst Dvai Ghose said in a phone interview.

TSN channel expansion starts Aug. 25

BCE Inc.'s TSN said Monday that it will debut its expanded format of five national broadcast feeds on Aug. 25.

Pay-per-view could stick around or go the way of the VHS

In 1985, a Los Angeles Times article explained that U.S. TV providers were planning to compete with “the burgeoning home-video business” that had “savaged” them by launching national pay-per-view (PPV) networks, which the Times explained was a “relatively new technology” allowing viewers to order programs much in the same way as “they buy movie theater tickets--or as they rent videocassettes.”

Tracey Pearce takes over Bell Media specialty channels

Tracey Pearce is taking over for the recently departed Catherine MacLeod as the senior vice-president of specialty and pay channels at BCE Inc.’s media division, the company announced Thursday.

Pearce will oversee Bell Media’s English-language specialty channels and pay services, the company said in a news release.

BCE posts higher profits, blames wireless code for drop in sub growth

BCE Inc. reported higher profits and strong revenue growth at its wireless division in its second quarter report, released Thursday, but blamed the CRTC’s wireless code for a slowdown in wireless subscriber additions.

The company reported $606 million in net earnings attributable to shareholders in the second quarter of 2014, up 6.1 per cent from the same period last year.

CRTC asking new questions on mobile-TV and wireless data throttling

The CRTC has issued new interrogatories in its proceeding looking at an undue preference complaint about mobile-TV services, asking BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc. and Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron about their throttling of customers’ wireless service.

CRTC releases figures on wireless wholesale caps

On Wednesday the CRTC released average domestic retail prices for wireless carriers as part of its ongoing examination of the wholesale wireless market in Canada.

Analysts, carrier question policy on AWS-3 set-asides

Analysts are split on the wisdom of Industry Canada’s rules for the upcoming AWS-3 auction, which appear to put valuable spectrum in two provinces out of reach for any carrier.

Bell Aliant posts higher profits after buyout deal

Bell Aliant Inc. on Friday reported profits in the second quarter of 2014 that were slightly higher than the previous quarter, days after the company said it had reached a deal to become a wholly owned part of BCE Inc.

Catherine MacLeod leaving Bell Media

Catherine MacLeod, the senior vice-president of specialty channels and Bell Media production, has resigned from BCE Inc.’s media subsidiary, according to an internal note to staff.

MacLeod’s departure, which the note said was for family reasons, is effective immediately.

One year later, could the wireless wars re-ignite?

Last summer, a conflict between the federal government and Canada’s three biggest wireless carriers, centering over rules around the 700 MHz spectrum auction and the prospect of a large U.S. carrier entering the Canadian market, reached a fever pitch.

American private equity firm reportedly interested in Wind Mobile

Providence Equity Partners Inc., an American private equity firm, is interested in a stake in Wind Mobile, according to a Tuesday report from Bloomberg based on unnamed sources.

TV providers divided on set-top ratings system

Canada’s biggest television providers are divided over the future of audience measurement via the next generation of set-top boxes.

As part of their submissions in the CRTC’s ongoing Let’s Talk TV consultation, BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., Telus Corp., Quebecor Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. all weighed in on the creation of a new audience measurement system based on set-top box (STB) data.

Savings, simplification cited in BCE takeover of Bell Aliant

Saving money, simplifying operations and creating a stronger telecom competitor in Atlantic Canada were among the reasons cited for why BCE Inc. is seeking ownership of all parts of Bell Aliant Inc. it does not already own.

André Bérard leaves Bell’s board

André Bérard has retired from the board of directors of BCE Inc. and Bell Canada, the company said in a press release Thursday.

The release said that Bérard has been a director on the board since January 2003.

Bell asks for confidentiality in wholesale review

BCE Inc. has asked that some of its responses to questions about business arrangements with other carriers be kept confidential as part of the CRTC's review of the wholesale wireless market.

Corus reports loss, TV earnings up

Television and radio production house Corus Entertainment Inc. on Thursday reported a loss of $30 million in the third quarter of its fiscal year, although revenues were buoyed by its recent TV acquisitions including Teletoon.

The company reported revenues of $214 million, up from $187 million in the same period a year earlier, but wrote down $75 million on a goodwill impairment charge and radio broadcast licences.

Viewer’s Choice pay-per-view service shutting down

BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. are shutting down their jointly-owned pay-per-view service, Viewer’s Choice Canada.

Bell Media spokeswoman Amy Doary said in an email Monday that the service would cease operations by Sept. 30 of this year.

Andra Shaffer stepping down from Bell Fund

Andra Sheffer has stepped down as the head of the Bell Fund, which directs money contributed from BCE Inc.’s operations to independent Canadian media producers, according to a Thursday press release.

Sheffer has been executive director of the non-profit Bell Fund since its inception in 1997, during which time the fund has distributed more than $140 million, the press release said.

Sheffer is moving to CEO of the Independent Production Fund, which administers both the Bell Fund and the Cogeco Fund.

Bell Media cuts 120 Toronto TV jobs

BCE Inc.'s media division will cut 120 staff from its Toronto television operations, according to an internal memo from Bell Media president Kevin Crull, obtained by The Wire Report on Monday.

Crull said the cuts represent a “reduction of approximately 5% of our Toronto area workforce and 1.8% of the national team.”

The cuts came as Bell faces “financial pressure related to advertising and subscription challenges across our TV services,” Crull said, adding that specific positions have yet to be identified.

CIBC payment app available for Bell wireless customers

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and BCE Inc. on Wednesday said that CIBC's mobile payment app will be available in the coming weeks for certain mobile phones on the Bell network.

In a joint press release, the companies said the app will be available for Samsung Electronics Co.’s Galaxy S4, Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II, HTC Corp.'s One (M7), and BlackBerry Ltd.'s Q10, Z10 and Bold 9900.

Teenager arrested for hacking Bell accounts

The RCMP on Friday said it has arrested and charged a minor in Quebec for hacking into a supplier of BCE Inc. and posting personal information from its small-business clients online.

The police said in a press release that the supplier's IT system was hacked and as a result 22,421 users names and passwords and five valid credit card numbers of Bell's customers were posted online.

BlackBerry to support financial transactions for wireless incumbents

BlackBerry Ltd. said Thursday it has reached a three-year deal with a consortium comprised of Canada's three incumbent wireless providers to support financial transactions conducted through smartphones.

BlackBerry and EnStream LP, which is a joint venture run by BCE Inc., Telus Corp. and Rogers Communications Inc., did not disclose financial details of the agreement.

Telecom Act allows retroactive code application, says government

The Telecommunications Act gives the CRTC the authority to apply its wireless code in such a way that it nullifies existing customer contracts, the federal government said in a new court filing defending parts of the code against a challenge by wireless carriers.

CRTC warns companies as rural broadband deadline looms

This week the CRTC warned three companies — Telus Corp., BCE Inc. and Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. — about missing a late-August deadline for expanding broadband service to rural communities.

The deadline is part of a 2006 agreement on the use of money set aside from the companies’ telephone operations as independent local exchange carriers (ILECs) between 2002 and 2006 at the behest of the CRTC.

U.K. regulator seeks lower wholesale wireless costs

As the CRTC continues its review of the wholesale wireless market in Canada, U.K. regulator Ofcom is proposing a new rate control to lower the price British wireless carriers can charge one another for completing calls to a different network.

In a Wednesday news release announcing a consultation on the new rules, Ofcom said so-called mobile termination rates have fallen about 80 per cent since it brought in rate controls in 2011 following a review of the wholesale wireless market.

Bell reduces roaming charges for South Korea

BCE Inc. on Tuesday said it has reduced the cost of wireless roaming in South Korea for voice, text and data plans.

Bell said in a press release it is now charging $30 for 60 minutes of voice time in the Asian country, compared to its previous rate of $40 for 50 minutes.

A new talk-and-text package is available for $45 that allows 60 minutes of talk, 200 sent texts and unlimited incoming texts. The company said this package previously went for $60 and provided 50 minutes of voice with the same number of texts.

Capping wholesale roaming rates at retail level not enough: study

While the federal government’s current plan for limiting wholesale roaming rates charged within the wireless industry is a “step in the right direction,” a new study from the SeaBoard Group said the move does not go far enough.

BCE earnings up as wireless, media divisions boost revenue

BCE Inc. improved its bottom line in this year’s first quarter as wireless data revenue surged and last year’s purchase of Astral Media contributed to its overall revenue.

Revenue was up 3.7 per cent from a year earlier to $5.1 billion, the company said in a press release. Net earnings rose to $615 million from $566 million in last year’s first quarter.

Telecoms don’t give out customer info ‘willy-nilly’: Bell ombudsman

OTTAWA — Telecommunications companies don’t voluntarily give out confidential customer information to the government, said William Abbott, senior counsel and privacy ombudsman at BCE Inc.

“I do not know a single TSP [telecommunication service provider] that makes voluntary disclosures of confidential customer information to the government,” Abbott said, adding that the use of the word “warrantless” is misleading because companies provide that information to a lawful authority.

Verizon Wireless tracking users’ home Internet usage for ads

Verizon Communications Inc.’s so-called relevant mobile advertising program is being expanded to use information about wireless customers’ home Internet habits in order to help its marketing partners target ads to individual users.

The U.S. telecom firm’s mobile arm, Verizon Wireless, has a notice on its website about an “enhancement” of that program that will “help marketers reach you with messages that may be more interesting to you. “

Rogers gets going on 700 MHz deployment

Rogers Communications Inc. said Thursday it has deployed its new 700 MHz spectrum in parts of Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.

Rogers said the launch of the spectrum means customers in these locations will have an easier time accessing the Internet and streaming video in spots that have typically had bad reception, such as elevators, basements and buildings with thick concrete walls.

Bell, CBC denied relief on local-programming quotas

The CRTC on Wednesday said it had denied requests by both BCE Inc.’s Bell Media division and CBC/Radio-Canada to calculate local-programing hours for their conventional TV stations differently.

Both are generally required to have 14 hours a week of local programing in metropolitan areas, and seven hours a week in smaller communities, in English-language markets, the CRTC notice said.

Bell reduces costs for Japan roaming

BCE Inc. is reducing the cost of its wireless roaming plans for customers in Japan, the company announced on Friday.

The company said the cost of pay-per-use roaming in Japan has dropped by a third, to $2 a minute for voice calls and $8 per MB of data.

The company also said it reduced the cost of its entry-level data plans for travelling in Japan, from $40 for 20 MB to $30 for 50 MB, as well as its voice plans, from $40 for 50 minutes to $30 for 60 minutes.

Rivals must collaborate on ‘TV everywhere’ offerings: Bell exec

As Canadian television providers have rolled out their TV-everywhere strategies, aimed at fighting off over-the-top (OTT) competition by making content easier to access online, customers can be forgiven if they’re left somewhat confused.

Bell’s customer-info tracking can’t be treated like Google’s: PIAC

BCE Inc. should not compare itself to companies like Google Inc., Facebook Inc. or LinkedIn Corp. when it comes to tracking and collecting customer information for advertising purposes, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) said.

Collecting customer data not against Telecom Act: Bell

BCE Inc.’s collection of customer data for its targeted-advertising program doesn’t violate the Telecommunications Act, the company said in a filing to the CRTC.

CRTC approves Viewers Choice request to revoke satellite licence

The CRTC said in an notice on its website Tuesday that it has consented to a request from Viewers Choice, a pay-per-view service owned by BCE Inc., to revoke its broadcast licence for carriage on satellite TV services in Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces.

An application from Viewers Choice, provided by the CRTC, states as a rationale for the request: “Bell Satellite TV and Shaw Direct satellite TV both offer their own direct to home pay-per-view services.”

Quebecor files complaint against Bell Fund

Quebecor Inc.’s media division has filed a complaint against the BCE Inc.-supported Bell Fund, claiming it had three TV projects that were unfairly turned down for funding last year.

Bell Media promotes Patrick Jutras

Patrick Jutras is the new senior vice-president of sales for Quebec at BCE Inc.’s media division.

The company said in a release Thursday that Jutras would “lead the integrated Bell Media sales teams for all of the company’s platforms in the province.”

Jutras was previously vice-president of sales and marketing at Bell Media's RDS French-language sports channel.

Cheaper data for mobile TV not an undue preference, BCE says

BCE Inc.’s mobile TV product is a distinct broadcast distribution business and its pricing structure does not disadvantage competitors' over-the-top video services any more than the pricing of home TV services offered by other Internet service providers (ISPs), the company said in regulatory filings.

Senate could look into Bell’s privacy practices

The Senate transport and communications committee could look into BCE Inc.’s tracking of subscribers’ Internet usage, TV viewing and mobile device use.

CRTC won’t expand BCE undue preference complaint

The CRTC will not expand a complaint against BCE Inc.’s Mobile TV service to encompass other wireless providers.

Ben Klass, a master's student at the University of Manitoba, filed an application with the CRTC earlier this month regarding Bell allowing its mobile subscribers to access Bell Mobile TV content on smartphones and tablets without it counting against their monthly data caps.

Bell to open its biggest Quebec customer service centre

BCE Inc. said Friday it will open its largest Quebec customer service centre in Saguenay in the spring of next year.

Run by Bell Canada’s Nordia subsidiary, the centre will employ more than 450 people, the company said. It said the added capacity is needed to support new services, such as Fibe TV. Customer service representatives and field service technicians are among the staff Bell is hiring, it said.

Telcos should invest in think-tanks to help influence policy debates, Hunter says

Canada’s telecom companies should find new ways to invest in shaping public policy since they can no longer donate to political parties directly, said Lawson Hunter, counsel at Stikeman Elliott and a former head of the federal Competition Bureau.

Bell’s Rick Brace retiring

Rick Brace, the president of specialty channels and CTV production at BCE Inc.’s media division, will retire at the end of the year, the company said.

Bell said in a release that Brace will retire after a “nearly 40-year career,” though he will do consulting work for the company and continue to serve as its representative on several boards of directors.

Telcos fight for share of growing condo market

As condo developers erect new high-rise buildings to house the expanding populations of Canada’s largest cities, telecom providers are competing to be the ones to line those buildings with fibre-optic cables, sometimes with exclusive deals. 

“Every provider nowadays is looking for how best to capture customers as early and as completely as possible,” Stephen Meyer, director of technology at Nordicity, said in an interview Monday. “By offering one infrastructure to those in condos, they’re hoping to form a long relationship.” 

Privacy commissioner to look at Bell’s tracking

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner said it will investigate BCE Inc.’s plans to track customers’ television viewing and Internet and mobile device usage habits.

In an emailed statement, Valerie Lawton, a spokeswoman for Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart, said the office “will be investigating this matter” following complaints it has received about a notice issued by Bell Canada.

BCE to track subscriber patterns

BCE Inc. will begin tracking its subscribers’ Internet and TV-viewing habits, as well as their mobile calling patterns and mobile application use, to help advertisers better target consumers, the company said.

In a notice available on its online privacy disclosure page Tuesday, BCE said it will start tracking subscribers’ habits on Nov. 16 “to improve network performance and product offers through new business and marketing reports,” and to sell targeted ads.

Want pick-and-pay? You may end up paying $9 for TSN, consultant says

If TV subscribers are about to receive individual channels on a pick-and-pay basis, as the Conservative government says it will mandate, they may be surprised at the standalone pricing for some of their favourite channels.

Broadcast consultant and former CRTC commissioner Michel Arpin said that for an idea of the cost of individual channels with high-value programming like sports or movies, observers may want to look at current standalone pricing for pay channels like The Movie Network (owned by BCE Inc. division Bell Media).

Small ISPs say their potential footprint is shrinking due to fibre upgrades

Small Internet service providers (ISPs) will find themselves blocked out of more markets as incumbent providers continue their fibre-to-the-home network upgrades, particularly if the CRTC does not give the smaller players wholesale access to those networks, said Bill Sandiford, president of the Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC).

BCE may buy out Bell Aliant after 2015: analyst

BCE Inc. may try to acquire full ownership of Bell Aliant Inc. to boost its free cash flow and shareholder dividends, likely sometime after 2015, RBC analyst Drew McReynolds said.

In a research note released Thursday, McReynolds said BCE, which currently owns a 44-per cent stake in Bell Aliant, could attempt to buy out the remaining 56 per cent in the company to support future growth opportunities following its recent acquisition of Astral Media Inc.

With new roaming plans, customers still vulnerable to extra charges: PIAC

Some of the incumbents' new and cheaper roaming plans offer small data packages that smartphone users will quickly exceed, incurring extra charges, said John Lawford, executive director of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre.

Telus faces wireless battle in West as millions in East still unserviced

It shouldn't be surprising that Canada's incumbent wireless carriers are targeting Alberta.

It has the fastest-growing population in the country, and more than 80 per cent of its residents are concentrated in urban areas.

Alberta residents were also by far the most lucrative for wireless carriers in 2012, new CRTC data shows, with carriers earning 16 per cent more per month from each Albertan subscriber than from subscribers in other provinces.

Hurdles to clear before older network technologies can be phased out

Telus Corp., BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. have several hurdles to clear before they can benefit from shutting down their older IDEN, CDMA and GSM wireless networks, a move that's likely to happen over the next three to ten years, industry analysts said.

The three incumbent carriers, which each operate three to four wireless technologies, could each save as much as $40 million a year by eliminating these older networks and reuse the wireless airwaves for more fourth-generation LTE traffic.

MuchMore rebranding as M3

BCE Inc.’s Bell Media subsidiary is rebranding its MuchMore specialty channel as M3, the company said in a release Thursday.

Bell said M3 would target viewers in their 30s and that its programming would include “music, the hottest scripted series, reality programming and blockbuster movies.”

The channel will launch on Cogeco Cable Inc.’s cable service and on Bell’s Fibe TV on Sept. 30, and on Rogers Communications Inc.’s cable service in November, the release said.

Bell fund to support digital to TV conversion

BCE Inc.’s Bell Fund launched a new program to support existing digital media programs aiming to move to television, the non-profit organization said.

In a release Tuesday, Bell Fund said the OnLine to OnTV program will provide funding for “early stage development of existing, successful digital media projects such as web series, games and e-books, to create materials that demonstrate the viability of the project for traditional broadcast.”

BCE supports full removal of telecom foreign ownership rules

BCE Inc. would support government efforts to fully remove foreign ownership restrictions for Canadian telecom companies, though the company “will never be foreign owned,” BCE chief executive George Cope said.

“From my perspective, maybe it’s time to just do a foreign ownership review and just get rid of the ownership restrictions and move on,” Cope said Tuesday during a question and answer session at a BMO Capital Markets media and telecom conference in Toronto.

Fibe TV adds most quarterly subs ever, BCE says

BCE Inc. said it added a net 50,555 subscribers to its Fibe TV service in the second quarter of 2013, more than in any other quarter to date, as the company continued to expand its IPTV footprint.

In a financial statement released Thursday, BCE said Fibe TV additions in the three-month period that ended June 30 were 31.4 per cent higher than the 38,477 subscribers it added in the same period a year earlier.