UPDATED: CRTC cuts wholesale broadband rates by 10 per cent, launches new rates proceeding, and will expedite review of FTTH access; competitors pleased

The CRTC Wednesday made good on newly-minted chair Vicky Eatrides’ January promise to reassess the wholesale broadband market, and launched a notice of consultation that will reopen one of the most contentious issues in the telecom sector in recent years: the rates competitor ISPs pay to incumbents for mandated access to their networks.  This content …

Bell introduces gigabit 8.0 in areas of Toronto

BCE Inc. is introducing a new speed tier to its North American customers and subsequently filed a new tariff notification with the CRTC to reflect the changes. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. …

Xplornet rebranding to Xplore as it plans to expand rural footprint  

Xplornet Communications Inc.  is rebranding to Xplore Inc. “to better reflect its identity, vision, and future,” the company stated in a Tuesday release. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a free trial …

Bell MTS continues to experience outages in Manitoba

BCE Inc. property Bell MTS had an outage on Monday that cut off internet and television services to customers. The incident was centered around Winnipeg and surrounding areas and lasted about two hours.  This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting …

Big 3 fight back against ISED’s efforts to protect wholesale regime

Submissions to the Department of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development’s (ISED) consultation on a new draft policy direction for the CRTC reveal some of the legal arguments that could be used to fight the direction should the government give it the force of law.  This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign …

Beanfield acquires Urbanfibre

Toronto network operator Beanfield Technologies Inc. has acquired another internet service provider, this time adding to its fibre base in British Columbia by purchasing the Vancouver-based Urban Communications Inc., which does business as Urbanfibre.  This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, …

Bell says record precipitation in Winnipeg causing outages and delaying repairs for landlines

BCE Inc. is claiming that “ongoing record precipitation levels” is to blame for its quality of service issues, regarding landline telephones, in Winnipeg, Man. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a free …

Feds, Quebec, announce funding for rural  high-speed internet

The federal government and Quebec announced $8.2 million in joint funding to bring high-speed internet to 25 communities in rural areas of the province. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a free …

Tory MP takes second stab at bill mandating ISPs publicize service quality metrics

Conservative MP Dan Mazier introduced a private members bill to the House of Commons Thursday, to amend the Telecommunications Act to provide people with “access to transparent and accurate broadband services information.” This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and …

SaskTel announces $337M investment in province

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. is investing approximately $337 million of capital in Saskatchewan over the course of the next 12 months and more than $1.5 billion over the next five years.  This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital …

Distributel seeks revised interim rates for disagg regime

Distributel Ltd. is asking the CRTC to revise the interim rates for disaggregated wholesale high-speed access (“HSA”) services to help jumpstart the lagging disaggregated wholesale regime.  This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take …

Consortium to run fibre network from Europe to Asia through Northwest Passage

An Alaskan company has unveiled a billion-dollar project to run fibre from Europe to Asia. By doing so, it will increase internet connectivity in Canada’s Arctic. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take …

Gov. allocates $6.6 million in UBF to Saskatchewan

The Canadian government is investing nearly $6.6 million in rural Saskatchewan in its effort to connect 98 per cent Canadians to high-speed internet by 2026. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a …

CRTC approves Rogers new wholesale high-speed access service tier, ignores TekSavvy wholesale customer concerns

The CRTC approved on an interim basis a proposal by Rogers Communications Inc. to introduce a new wholesale high-speed access (HSA) service tier to its access services tariff for third-party internet access service. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting …

Masse moves from TekSavvy to CNOC on regulatory file

Bryson Masse is the new Regulatory and Communications Advisor at Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC). He previously served as Regulatory Analyst at TekSavvy Solutions Inc. where he worked from September 2019. From October 2017 until September 2018 he was a reporter at the Wire Report. The Algonquin College graduate has also worked as a freelance writer. This content …

CNOC files review and vary application on CRTC in-building wire access decision 

The Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC) has filed a review and vary application with the CRTC, in which the trade group representing smaller independent and wholesale-based Internet Service Providers is asking the regulator to reassess its July decision on access to in-building wire (IBW) in multi-dwelling units (MDUs).  This content is available to wirereport.ca …

Xplornet connects Haldimand County to fibre-to-the-home broadband

Xplornet Communications Inc.’s newly acquired fibre-based service provider Ocdotus Inc. — which operates as Metro Loop — has connected approximately 6,500 homes and businesses in Haldimand, Ont., as its fibre-to-the-home expansion with gigabit internet service continues.  This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the …

CRTC orders some incumbent disclosure to CNOC in disaggregated regime consultation 

In a dispute between a trade organization representing wholesale-based internet service providers (ISPs) and facilities-based ISPs over the amount of information the latter should disclose in a proceeding on how to reconfigure the disaggregated wholesale internet regime, the CRTC has ordered the swift disclosure of some of the information wholesale-based ISPs were seeking. This content …

CRTC hears differing pitches to fix lagging disaggregated regime

In order to make its disaggregated wholesale regime work, the CRTC should reintroduce a level of aggregation to cut down on the amount wholesale-based providers would have to spend to connect, the Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC) told the CRTC.  This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN …

CRTC considering changes to disaggregated wholesale regime

Five years after it announced a move to a new system for wholesale internet access, the CRTC is consulting on how it should change that regime. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take …

CRTC orders Bell to sign agreement with CloudWifi

The CRTC has ordered BCE Inc. to sign an agreement that would allow CloudWifi Inc. to progress its application to become a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC), finding Bell’s continued refusal to do so is “unnecessarily hindering competition and consumer choice.” This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN …

Telecoms deadlocked ahead of 5G rollout: analyst

No major wireless provider stands out as most likely to benefit from Canada’s looming 5G network rollout, despite two players’ extensive combined wireline footline placing them on the “front foot”, RBC Capital Markets analyst Drew McReynolds says. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all …

CloudWifi says other small ISPs need access to in-building fibre

CloudWifi Inc. has gone to bat for other small internet service providers as it continues to fight with BCE Inc. over access to in-building fibre wiring, arguing companies should be allowed to access it in buildings where there is no other infrastructure. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here …

CloudWifi decision stands, but other ISPs must wait for access

In an ongoing dispute between BCE Inc. and CloudWifi Inc. over whether Internet service providers like CloudWifi should have access to Bell’s wiring in multi-dwelling units, the CRTC Monday upheld the principle of its decision from June, but acquiesced to part of Bell’s review-and-vary request and initiated a new tariff proceeding on ISP access to …

Incumbent reaction to wholesale rates warning shot for fibre, conference hears

TORONTO — The aggressive way incumbent telecom companies reacted to the CRTC’s lowering of wholesale rates in August was a message that they plan to fight any moves to decrease wholesale rates for fibre-to-the-home networks, Laura Tribe, executive director for internet advocacy group OpenMedia told an industry conference Wednesday. This content is available to wirereport.ca …

Bell turns to Federal Court of Appeal over CloudWiFi decision

BCE Inc. is asking for leave to appeal the CRTC’s June decision granting CloudWifi Inc. competitor access to Bell’s service wires in multi-dwelling units (MDUs). This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a …

Telus appealing CRTC speed cap relief

Telus Corp. is going to court over the CRTC’s decision last month to grant smaller internet providers a pause on a rule that caps the internet speeds they can provide their customers if they don’t switch to a new regime they argue is impractical. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign …

‘Many’ ISPs could shut down due to wholesale regime: CNOC

Small, wholesale-based internet service providers could be forced out of business within the next few years due to the CRTC’s disaggregated wholesale regime, the Canadian Network Operators’ Consortium (CNOC) is telling the panel in charge of reviewing Canada’s broadcasting and telecom laws. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here …

Bell posts subscriber gains, but wireless ARPU dips

BCE Inc. reported its wireless average revenue per user (ARPU) dipped in its third quarter results Thursday, though CEO George Cope cautioned analysts to keep in mind that the company’s prepaid base, with its lower revenues, is no longer declining. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot …

Shaw proposes banning third-party door-to-door sales

Shaw Communications Inc. is proposing a ban on third-party door-to-door sales to curb aggressive and misleading sales practices in the telecom industry. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a free trial or …

Alberta court rules city bylaw lacks jurisdiction over telecom builds

Canada’s major telecoms have succeeded in getting an Alberta court to rule that a municipal access bylaw in Calgary can’t regulate the building of telecommunications networks.   This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. …

Bandwidth pressures a concern for indigenous ISPs

Internet service providers (ISPs) in rural and remote communities are trying to keep up with the appetite of users consuming ever-higher amounts of data, especially as video streaming services and gaming become mainstays in the household. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the …

Telecom execs praise ‘healthier,’ ‘balanced’ regulatory environment

Representatives from BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. described a favourable relationship with regulators at a CIBC investors conference Wednesday, where they also addressed competition between the largest telecoms. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news …

TekSavvy FTTP facilities construction underway

TekSavvy Solutions Inc. will invest up to $26 million over a year and a half to build out an open access fibre-to-the-premises network in the Chatham-Kent, Ont. area, according to a press release on Monday. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian …

Bell fibre build moves to Oshawa, Ont.

Oshawa, Ont. will be the next target for BCE Inc.’s fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network buildout, the company said in a press release Tuesday. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a free trial or …

Bell celebrates Toronto FTTH build, eyes higher speeds

As BCE Inc. celebrates the completion of the majority of its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) build out in Toronto on Thursday, it’s already making plans to exceed the network speeds officially unveiled today, according to a Bell executive. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the …

CNOC denied ‘transitional’ access to FTTP under disaggregated regime

In a decision on Friday, the CRTC ruled that the Canadian Network Operators Consortium’s (CNOC) application for transitional access to fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) facilities belonging to large telecoms under the old aggregated wholesale regime should be denied. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the …

TekSavvy offering near 1 GB speeds

TekSavvy Solutions Inc. has become the “first independent Canadian telecom service provider” to offer near-gigabit speeds, it said in a press release Monday. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a free trial …

Distributel teams up with Eeyou network on northern Quebec service

A Cree-owned non-profit will partner with Distributel Communications Ltd. to bring a bundle of telecom services to regions around James Bay in spring 2018, according to a release on Wednesday. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media …

Bell buys regional telecom Maskatel

BCE Inc. kicked off the new year by acquiring Quebec telecom Groupe Maskatel LP, furthering its fibre expansion in the province. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a free trial or subscribe …

Disaggregated regime to spark new wholesale models, agreements: CNOC

TORONTO — The CRTC’s new disaggregated wholesale regime will bring with it enormous costs to connect customers to fibre and will give birth to new wholesale models, agreements and strategies to make it affordable for independent internet service providers (ISPs) to compete, the president of the Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC) told a conference crowd …

Facilities ownership key to competition, ISP conference hears

TORONTO — Owning fibre facilities is the primary way to drive competition, panelists told a conference on the first day of the annual ISP Summit in Toronto, and having to lease those last mile facilities would put competitors at a disadvantage. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN …

Bell needs to do more with ad tech, CEO says

BCE Inc. CEO George Cope said the company needs to do a better job of finding opportunities in emerging advertising technology, as the company seeks additional revenue growth for its media division. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and …

Bell ‘heartened’ by CRTC chair statements, CEO says

BCE Inc.’s top man George Cope said the company likes new CRTC head Ian Scott’s approach to balancing consumer and business interests. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a free trial or …

Axia rolling out gigabit service in rural Alberta

Rural Albertans will have access to gigabit internet following an upgrade by Axia NetMedia Corp., the company said Wednesday. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report …

High interim tariffs, logistics still mire disaggregated system

The CRTC’s goal of fuelling wireline competition by jumpstarting the industry’s rollout of the disaggregated wholesale regime Tuesday will be constrained if interim access fees remain high and if the issue of how small providers will connect to fibre facilities is not addressed, representatives of small providers say. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already …

Small ISPs welcome rollout of disaggregated wholesale regime

The CRTC kickstarted the industry’s move to a disaggregated wholesale wireline regime Tuesday, setting interim rates and giving wholesale fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) access to smaller providers in Ontario and Quebec, a decision that those companies say will allow them to keep pace with bigger competitors and increasing consumer demands. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a …

Bell subs feel impact of ‘aggressive’ cable competition in Q2

BCE Inc. is hoping the second half of the year results in a boost for its internet business, after a second quarter that analysts called “surprisingly weak” and “softer than expected.” This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media …

Cogeco expands U.S. biz with MetroCast buy

Cogeco Inc. is again expanding its U.S. footprint, with the announcement Monday that it would purchase the remaining cable assets from Harron Communications LP’s MetroCast. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a free trial or subscribe …

Canadian fibre connections grow to 10 per cent: OECD

The increase in Canadian fibre broadband subscriptions slowed in 2016, slipping to ninth in growth among 35 Organization for Co-operation and Economic Development (OECD) countries. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a …

Eastlink expanding gigabit Internet service

Bragg Communications Inc.’s Eastlink is making 1 GB Internet speeds more widely available and will target the consumer market. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a free trial or subscribe to The …

Telus injecting $8.9B in B.C., Alta. through 2020

Telus Corp. is building new fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) infrastructure across British Columbia and Alberta through 2020. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now. FREE TRIAL …

Quebecor has tools to combat Bell fibre push: Pruneau

Jean-Francois Pruneau, Quebecor Inc.’s senior vice-president and chief financial officer, told an investor’s conference Thursday that his company’s quad-play strategy in Quebec will limit the impact of BCE Inc.’s recently-announced fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) build out in Montreal. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and …

Former Videotron customers returning from Bell: Brouillette

Manon Brouillette, president of Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron, downplayed the effect that BCE Inc.’s recent move to deploy fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) to all of Montreal’s homes and businesses would have on the company Thursday. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news …

Cable sufficient alternative in wholesale service area gaps: incumbents

There is little evidence to suggest there is a lack of competition in so-called wholesale wireline service area gaps, given that cable facilities already exist in those areas, incumbents argued in comments to the CRTC.

Telus investing $80 million in Quebec fibre network

Telus Corp. announced Monday a new investment of $80 million in its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network in Quebec.

It said in a French-language press release that the investment would affect almost 20 communities in the Quebec City region.

CNOC asks for CRTC action on growing wholesale wireline ‘service gaps’

As large Internet Service Providers (ISPs) push on with the build of fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) networks, small providers say they are encountering an increasing number of areas where they have no access to wholesale Internet service from telcos.

Such service gaps are “becoming increasingly large and prevalent,” the Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC) said in a Part 1 application dated Thursday, in which it asked the regulator to provide expedited wholesale access to fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) facilities.

Bell accelerates FTTH deployment with $854M plan for Montreal

MONTREAL — BCE Inc. will invest $854 million to bring fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) to all of Montreal’s homes and businesses within five years, the company said Monday.

“By the end of the year, 40 per cent of the entire province will actually have fibre, which will make it the most-connected province in the country in terms of fibre penetration today,” Bell CEO George Cope said at an event announcing the investment.

Bell’s scale advantage widening after MTS deal: Barclays

The acquisition of Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. expands the scale at which BCE Inc. operates, which is “becoming one of its most important competitive advantages,” according to Barclays Capital.

Are provinces filling the federal broadband strategy gap?

Nova Scotia may not be formulating its provincial broadband plan as a direct response to federal inaction, but that doesn’t mean the provincial government isn’t acting out of a need to fill a void affecting its residents.

“It’s like a lot of things in that the provincial government is closer to the people than the federal government is, in certain respects,” David MacNeil, senior advisor in the Nova Scotia department of business, said in a phone interview.

OpenMedia platform to help Canadians advocate for community-owned Internet service

OpenMedia has built a platform to make it easier for Canadians to connect with elected representatives in order to encourage more community-controlled broadband projects that are independent of big telecom providers.

In a blog post on its website Monday, the advocacy group said by helping directly connect Canadians to their government representatives, it hopes to bring “cheaper, faster” local government-supported Internet infrastructure in more communities across Canada.

Cogeco shifting data centre strategy due to Amazon, Microsoft: Audet

MONTREAL — Moves by Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. into the Canadian data centre business won’t compete directly with Cogeco Inc., which is changing its data centre strategy by focusing on a different type of client, CEO Louis Audet told reporters Thursday.

Rural broadband program aims to bring 300 communities up to speed

WAKEFIELD, Que. — The federal government’s new rural broadband program will focus on making high-speed connections, as opposed to simply forging Internet connections for rural and remote communities, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains said Thursday, in announcing some of the long-awaited details to the Liberal commitment outlined in this spring’s budget.

‘Too early’ to tell what impact 5G could have on FTTH rollout: Bell CFO

Glen LeBlanc, BCE Inc.’s executive vice-president and chief financial officer, told an investor’s conference hosted by RBC Tuesday that the company is on track to have its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) rollout completed within eight to 10 years.

CRTC chair OK with being ‘disruptive showman’

OTTAWA — With more than six months left in his term as CRTC chairman, Jean-Pierre Blais isn’t ready to start using the word “legacy” in relation to his term as head of the Canadian regulator, but in a speech to a communications conference Wednesday, he gave a glimpse into a self-awareness of his own CRTC epitaph.

More competitive markets could be at FTTH disadvantage, conference hears

TORONTO — Trying to build fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) in very competitive markets makes little economic sense for Internet service providers (ISPs), meaning markets with more competition could actually be slower to get the newer technology, a conference heard Tuesday.

U.S. operations boost Q4 for Cogeco

Cogeco Inc. saw a 3.2-per-cent increase in revenue to hit $572 million for the final quarter of fiscal 2016, the company reported Wednesday.

Canadians’ data usage increased 40% last year, CRTC says

Data usage by Canadians on both wireline and wireless networks rose significantly last year, hitting 104 GB per month for residential Internet and almost 1 GB for wireless subscribers, the CRTC said in the second part of its Communications Monitoring Report, released Wednesday.

“Data usage increased by 44 [per cent] for wireless and approximately 40 [per cent] for residential Internet services from 2014 to 2015,” the commission said in a press release. 

Telcos unlikely to fully deploy FTTH: Desjardins

High fibre costs and advancements in technology are among the reasons Canadian telcos are unlikely to expand their fibre-to-the-home [FTTH] footprint beyond 60 per cent coverage, according to Desjardins Capital Markets. 

Rogers gigabit Internet rollout mostly completed

Rogers Communications Inc. said Tuesday its gigabit Internet service is now available in St. John’s, N.L.

Court says Cogeco can’t claim ‘best Internet’

An Ontario Superior Court judge has granted an injunction requested by BCE Inc. forbidding Cogeco Inc. from claiming that it has the “best Internet experience in your neighbourhood.”

In a Sept. 26 ruling, judge Wendy Matheson said Cogeco could no longer use the phrase, which it had used on its website. The injunction applies in Ontario.

Shaw best-positioned carrier, regardless of Liberal policy: Barclays

Shaw Communications Inc. is “the one player in the industry who is very well positioned” regardless of the direction the Liberal government takes on wireless policy, Barclays Capital analyst Phillip Huang said in a research note Monday.

FTTH decision should improve competition: Desjardins

Desjardins Capital Markets analyst Maher Yaghi said that the CRTC’s plan for wholesale access to fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) networks should theoretically “create an environment in which ISPs have better control over their cost structure, leading to improved competition.”

FTTH access plan ‘consistent’ but ‘disappointing’: indie ISPs

The CRTC has missed an opportunity to foster innovation among telecom competitors as it moves forward in the implementation of mandated wholesale access by smaller Internet service providers (ISPs) to incumbents’ fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) networks, according to independent ISPs and consumer advocates.

G.fast tech to give Canadian telcos’ Internet speeds a boost

A new technology that allows telecoms to get speeds of hundreds of gigabits through existing copper loops is making headway in Canada, where companies are testing it out and deployment is likely to begin later this year.

Large and small Internet service providers (ISPs) say they’re looking at g.fast technology, which gives telcos a leg up in the competition with cablecos by allowing them to offer faster speeds without installing new fibre-to-the-home (FFTH) infrastructure.

Eastlink expanding rural N.S. broadband access

Bragg Communications Inc.’s Eastlink is investing $6.5 million to expand high-speed Internet services to rural Nova Scotia, the company announced Thursday.

“We appreciate that when it comes to Internet in rural Nova Scotia, there have and continue to be challenges,” Eastlink CEO Lee Bragg said in a press release.

FTTH rollout crucial for affordability in long-term: report

The deployment of fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) and fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) networks will be an important step for improving affordability of communications services in the long-term, according to a report commissioned by the CRTC.

“In the longer term, technological and business process innovations that reduce costs and improve quality appear to be critical for enhancing affordability of access to products and services that are now considered necessities,” the report read.

Some Internet tier upgrades due to bandwidth, not speed: Cope

Some subscribers are climbing Internet service tiers not necessarily for increased speed, but to obtain unlimited bandwidth, George Cope, BCE Inc.’s president and chief executive officer, said Thursday on a second-quarter earnings conference call with analysts.

Cope made the comments while fielding a question on what speeds Bell’s new subscribers are taking.

7.4% of Canadian Internet connections are FTTP or similar: OECD

Canada is still at the bottom of the Organization for Co-operation and Economic Development (OECD) countries with fibre connections, but among those making the greatest strides to close the gap.

December 2015 numbers released Tuesday show that the percentage of such connections in total broadband subscriptions in Canada grew to 7.4 per cent from 4.7 per cent in the same period a year earlier. The numbers for "fibre" connections are the combined totals for fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP), fibre-to-the-home (FTTH), and fibre-to-the-building (FTTB) connections.

SaskTel connects Estevan to FTTH

The new connections will give residents the ability to sign up for SaskTel’s InfiNet service, the company said in a press release, which offers download speeds of up to 260 Mbps.

Ontario fibre project gets federal-provincial boost

The federal and Ontario governments are investing up to $180 million into a new fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network designed to connect about 300 southwestern Ontario communities to high-speed Internet, officials announced Tuesday, bolstering a municipally driven project to bridge the region’s broadband gap.

Telus boosting Montreal FTTP network

Telus Corp. said it is investing $111 million in infrastructure in the greater Montreal area to expand its fibre-to-the-premise network to more than 4,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable by the end of the year.

SaskTel flipping switch on FTTH in Weyburn

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said Monday is ready to start connecting customers to its InfiNet fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network in Weyburn.

Some residential areas of the city, located south of Regina, will be able to connect to SaskTel’s highest-speed Internet offering once their neighbourhood is connected, the company said in a press release.

Axia looks south for fibre expansion

Axia NetMedia Corp. said it is looking to see if there is enough interest in the United States to extend its fibre network south.

The Calgary-based company said in a Monday press release that it’s gathering expressions of interest to determine which American cities are “interested in a 100% privately funded, Gbps enabled FTTP network,” with the potential for gigabit downloads speeds and unlimited data usage.

Videotron’s Brouillette asks Liberals to keep 4th player policy for 600 MHz

TORONTO — The Liberal government should continue the previous Conservative government’s push for more competition in the wireless market in the upcoming 600 MHz auction, Manon Brouillette, president and CEO of Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron, said at an industry conference Wednesday.

Cogeco Connexion brings FTTH to Laurentides

Cogeco Inc. announced it is making a $1.4-million investment in the Laurentides region of Quebec to expand its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network.

In a Monday press release, Cogeco Connexion said the expansion would affect the municipalities of Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard and Morin Heights, located about 90 minutes north of Montreal.

5G key to future wireless profitability, Ericsson’s CTO says

TORONTO — With customers’ usage of data increasing exponentially, and carriers limited in how much they can charge for that data, telecoms will have to turn to 5G networks, Ericsson Canada’s Dragan Nerandzic said at the Canadian Telecom Summit Monday.

VMedia sets sights on incumbents as it expands outside Ont.

Ontario Internet service and television provider VMedia Inc. will expand to Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba and Alberta in the next two weeks — a move the company says will see its services become available to about 75 per cent of Canadian households as it aims to compete with Canada’s largest telecom companies.

“It’s a very substantial effort for us, because … we’re still largely a start-up company in many respects,” VMedia co-founder George Burger said in a phone interview Wednesday.