Verizon CEO dismisses report about AOL purchase

Verizon Communications Inc.'s CEO on Tuesday denied it is interested in purchasing AOL Inc., despite a report suggesting it was exploring this option.

Several news agencies reported Lowell McAdam denied such speculation during a presentation at the Citi Media Conference in Las Vegas. CNet reported that McAdam said a partnership with AOL is possible, but not an acquisition.

Dish launches online TV service in U.S.

Dish Network Corp. is launching an over-the-top (OTT) television service that will allow subscribers to access 12 specialty channels for $20 US a month.

The U.S. satellite-TV service provider said in a press release Monday that the product, called Sling TV, will be available on TV sets, computers, tablets, smartphones and game consoles in the first quarter of 2015.

FCC expected to vote on net neutrality next month

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will vote on a net-neutrality proposal in February, the Washington Post and other news outlets reported late last week.

The Post said FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler told other commissioners before the new year that he intended to have a draft proposal ready for internal review next month and wished have a vote on the matter within weeks. The report noted that the FCC's monthly meeting that month is Feb. 26.

CRTC decisions, new streaming services top TV agenda for 2015

It seems all eyes are on the two newest services in the Canadian TV industry.

This fall, the country’s biggest telecom and media companies launched streaming services meant to compete with Netflix Inc.’s, and how they end up performing in the coming weeks and months is “the thing that everyone’s watching,” said broadcasting consultant Peter Miller.

Shaw launching faster Internet packages

Shaw Communications Inc. will be revamping its Internet packages early next month with faster speeds, a spokesman said Tuesday.

"We are announcing new Internet packages for new customers in the new year," Shaw spokesman Chethan Lakshman said in a phone interview. "They don't affect existing packages or existing customers."

Pirate Bay torrent tracker resurrected by website

The website Isohunt.to has uploaded a copy of the Pirate Bay, the torrent-sharing website taken offline last week after a raid by Swedish police investigating illegal file-sharing.

“We, the Isohunt.to team, copied the base of the PirateBay in order to save it to the generations of users,” the website said in a blog post Friday.

The posting also encouraged PirateBay users to switch to Isohunt.to.

“Come on in guys, we’re ready to accomodate all of you, we have room for everybody,” it said. "No worries."

FCC raises rural Internet speed requirements

The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) said Thursday that companies would need to provide rural Internet download speeds of at least 10 Mbps in order to qualify for support from its Connect America Fund.

It said in a press release that the upload requirement remains 1 Mbps, as it was in previous specifications issued in 2011, while it has raised the download standard from 4 Mbps as a result of "marketplace and technological changes that have occurred" since then.

Telecoms said intercept capabilities would be standard: Geist

Canadian telecom service providers told the government that surveillance capabilities would soon become a normal feature of their networks, according to an Ottawa academic.

ISPs aspiring to launch TV services face uncertainty

Small Internet service providers looking to provide TV service should hold off on investment because of the uncertain future of the broadcast television market, according to 3Macs analyst Troy Crandall.

At the recent CRTC wireline hearing, representatives from the Canadian Network Operators’ Consortium, a trade group for small ISPs, told the commission that wholesale rates need to drop in order for their members to offer other services, including television, to customers.

CBC cuts local TV newscasts, adds French digital services

CBC/Radio-Canada is making changes to its news operations across Canada, cutting back on the length of its evening TV newscasts and introducing new French-language digital content.

The public broadcaster said in a Thursday press release that its 90-minute local English TV newscasts will switch to either a 60-minute or a 30-minute format, and that it will begin televising its local Radio One morning shows.

There will also be new “local hourly news breaks” on television throughout the day, CBC said.

Extent of TV piracy unclear, might be rising among youth

On Wednesday, the Australian government said it would allow the blocking of foreign websites that offer illegal downloading and streaming, the same day that the file-sharing website Pirate Bay was taken offline after a raid by Swedish police.

They’re only two of the latest headlines about an international issue that also affects the Canadian TV industry. But despite its high profile, the extent of the problem is, perhaps surprisingly, hard to detail.

OpenMedia seeking more transparency in TPP talks

OpenMedia, the Canadian-based promoter of open Internet policies, said Thursday one of its representatives will meet with negotiators of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and make demands for more transparency during the TPP talks currently taking place in Washington, D.C.

The organization said the public is not being informed of the proposals in the trade agreement, which Canada is negotiating to be part of, nor is the public having its interests properly represented.

CMF awards $11.8 million for 24 digital-media projects

The Canadian Media Fund (CMF) said Monday it was providing $11.8 million for 24 interactive digital-media projects across the country.

The funding is the second round of the CMF's "experimental stream" for 2014-15, it said in a press release.

Counterfeit, online crime bills get royal assent

Bill C-8, officially known as the Combating Counterfeit Products Act, and Bill C-13, the Protecting Canadians from Online Crime Act, both received royal assent on Tuesday.

Privacy commish backs stricter privacy safeguards for apps

Canadian Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien has joined 22 other privacy authorities from Canadian provinces and international jurisdictions calling on mobile-app marketplaces to require easily accessible privacy policies from developers of apps that collect personal information from users.

Telus launches IoT marketplace

Telus Corp. said Wednesday it has launched Canada's "first Internet of Things marketplace" with an online offering of 38 different applications, and more to come, for business operations ranging from transportation to restaurants.

The company said in a press release its new online platform, the Telus IoT Marketplace, gives developers of IoT technology "an instant sales channel," with support in marketing and billing from Telus.

Sports, news push mobile-video viewing in Q3: Ooyala

Sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup and the Wimbledon tennis championship helped push mobile video in the third quarter of 2014, with mobile and tablets views making up 30 per cent of all worldwide online video, according to the latest report from online video company Ooyala Inc.

The company said in the report that mobile views in the third quarter doubled from the same period last year and quadrupled since the same period in 2012.

ZoomerMedia in talks to buy Sun News: report

ZoomerMedia Ltd., the media company led by Moses Znaimer and that caters to the 45-years-and-older age group, is in talks to buy Quebecor Inc.'s Sun News Network, according to a report.

Website Cartt reported Tuesday that ZoomerMedia is currently in in an exclusive negotiating window for the news channel, according to two unnamed sources.

In October, Quebecor announced it was selling 175 English-language newspapers to Postmedia Network Canada Corp. for $316 million, including those within the Sun brand.

Voltage says Teksavvy overcharging for filesharing compliance

OTTAWA — Lawyers for Hollywood production company Voltage Pictures LLC told a Federal Court judge in Ottawa on Monday that Teksavvy Solutions Inc. is using a previous judgment to “claw back” more than $300,000 in legal and other fees, much of which it has no rights to, in a dispute over illegal filesharing.

CNOC says wholesale wireline rates must be ‘fixed now’

On the last day of the CRTC’s hearing into the wholesale wireline market, representatives from Canada’s third-party Internet service providers reiterated their request that, while other regulations can wait, wholesale prices need to be “fixed now”.

Early problems emerge with Shomi service

Some TV-industry analysts who are among the early adopters of Rogers Communications Inc.'s and Shaw Communications Inc.’s Shomi are detailing problems they've experienced with the streaming service in its first weeks.

Xplornet claims to have fastest rural fixed-wireless Internet

Xplornet Communications Inc. on Wednesday announced 25 Mbps service on fixed-wireless Internet service in rural parts of New Brunswick, making its service the fastest among comparable products in Canada.

CRTC urged to look toward future on wireline regulation

GATINEAU, Que. — On Wednesday, the first day of replies in the CRTC’s wholesale wireline hearing, the regulator was consistently asked to look to the future in determining how best to regulate Canada's fibre and copper connections. Yet the groups presenting before the commission differed on what that future entails.

Wireless data spending to surge next year: IDC

Wireless data will be the biggest and fastest-growing segment of global telecommunications spending next year, technology research firm International Data Corp. said Tuesday.

Many businesses unprepared for cyber threats: Cisco

A large proportion of Canadian businesses are unprepared for cyber threats, Cisco Systems Inc. said Tuesday, particularly as new processes emerge with growth in mobile and cloud-based technology.

Cisco said in a press release that a survey found that about 60 per cent of businesses polled either had no security strategy in place to protect their networks, were unsure whether existing strategies took into account evolving technological trends or did not have plans that protect against new and emerging technological realities.

DHX reaches deal to buy Nerd Corps

DHX Media Ltd. said Tuesday it has reached an agreement to purchase Vancouver-based children's content producer Nerd Corps Entertainment Inc. for $57 million.

Halifax-based DHX, a broadcaster and producer of television programming, said in a press release that Nerd Corps is the creator of several popular children's shows, including Slugterra, one of the most popular programs on Disney XD in Canada and the United States.

No FTTP wholesale without CRTC action: PIAC

GATINEAU, Que. — Three consumer groups opened the second week of the CRTC hearing into wholesale wireline connections by telling the regulator to expand its wholesale access regulations to fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks, while one of Canada’s biggest telecom companies demanded just the opposite.

Cogeco boosts Internet speeds

Cogeco Cable Inc. said Monday that it has increased the Internet speeds of its customers in Quebec and Ontario.

Mandated wholesale access to FTTP wouldn’t deter investment: Shaw

GATINEAU, Que. — Shaw Communications Inc. on Friday took a different tack than other large Internet service providers that have spoken before the CRTC’s wholesale wireline hearing this week, endorsing mandated wholesale access for fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connections.

Bell Aliant FTTH reaches 1 million premises

BCE Inc.’s Bell Aliant division has passed one million homes and businesses with its fibre-to-the-home network, the company said in a press release Friday.

“Customers can continue to expect more as Bell is committed to continue its momentum for broadband and wireless growth with a $2.1-billion investment over the next five years to extend broadband services in the region. Bell's fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) footprint is now the largest in Canada,” the press release said.

SaskTel expands higher-speed rural Internet

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said Friday it has expanded its High Speed Fusion Internet service for rural and remote communities to 25 additional locations.

It said in a press release that this fixed-wireless, LTE-based service provides downloads speeds of up to 5 Mbps, twice as fast as the fixed-wireless Internet service it is meant to replace.

High Speed Fusion costs $79.95 a month, the release said. SaskTel spokeswoman Michelle Englot said in an email the monthly data cap is 50 GB.

What happens to VOD in an OTT world?

The launch of new streaming services from Canada’s biggest TV providers adds yet another option for viewers who want to catch up on or try out a new show, raising the question of whether they will complement — or compete with — existing services like video-on-demand (VOD).

Cogeco, SaskTel warn against mandatory wholesale on fibre connections

GATINEAU, Que. — Two Canadian Internet service providers told the CRTC on Thursday that opening up fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks to wholesale access could hurt the “fragile” case for spending money to build such networks.

Videology bolsters Canadian staff

Videology Inc., the New York-based provider of video-advertising services, announced three appointments to its staff in Canada on Wednesday.

The company said in a press release that Peter Bates in now the senior commercial media account executive. He was previously business development manager at YuMe, a company that also deals with multi-screen video advertising, Videology said.

Greg Hopper has been made technical sales specialist, the release said, having come over from being media executive at MediaCom Canada.

Small ISPs tell CRTC they want to invest in ‘middle mile’

GATINEAU, Que. — Representatives from Canada’s small Internet service providers on Tuesday asked the CRTC to open up more of the incumbents’ broadband networks, mandating wholesale access for fibre-to-the-premises connections and giving the ISPs the ability to build so-called “middle-mile” connections.

Infrastructure investment was the main issue as more than a dozen executives, lawyers and experts representing the Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC) spoke at the CRTC’s hearing into its wholesale regulations for wireline networks.

Enterprise customers ‘more demanding’: Allstream head

MONTREAL — Business customers have become more knowledgeable about technology and more specific about their telecommunications needs, said Michael Strople, president of Manitoba Telecom Services Inc.’s Allstream division.

Karen Sheriff to lead Q9 Networks

Q9 Network Inc., a Toronto-based provider of data centre services, said Tuesday that Bell Aliant CEO Karen Sheriff would become its president and CEO as of Jan. 5.

Too early to decide on fibre-network regulation: Competition Bureau

GATINEAU, Que. — CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais said during the first day of the CRTC’s hearing into its wholesale wireline regulations that his commission needs to be a “doctor” rather than a “coroner” for the telecom industry.

In an exchange with Patrick Hughes, a senior economist at the Competition Bureau, Blais said the commission must anticipate changes in the telecom industry in order to enact effective regulation.

Telus offer could start holiday pricing battle: analyst

Telus Corp. has made the first moves in what could be a competitive fourth quarter as wireless carriers fight for holiday sales, an analyst said Monday.

Phillip Huang, a telecom analyst with Barclays Capital, said in a research note that Telus is the first major mobile provider to offer significant discounts.

Google launches new subscription advertising model in U.S.

Google Inc. is launching a new approach to Internet advertising in the United States that uses a subscriber model to replace ads on certain websites.

With Google Contributor, users can choose to pay a fee of $1, $2 or $3 US per month that will be distributed to participating websites as users visit.

“Today’s Internet is mostly funded by advertising,” the company said on its website. “But what if there were a way to directly support the people who create the sites you visit each day?”

Shomi teams with Twitter on marketing

Shomi, the online streaming service owned by Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc., said Friday it has partnered with Twitter Inc. for a marketing campaign.

Trio calls on government to reign in major telecoms

Three industry observers, including two academics, have released an open letter to senior government officials that seeks strong measures to temper the power of major players in the telecommunications industry.

The letter comes from Ben Klass, currently researching communications policy at Carleton University, Dwayne Winseck, a journalism and communications professor at Carleton, and CallNet Communications founder Mike Kedar.  It is addressed to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, members of cabinet and CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais.

CRTC tells Cogeco to implement customer-transfer system

The CRTC said Thursday that Cogeco Cable Inc. must adopt an automated, cross-industry customer-transfer system for its television and Internet operations by the new year.

Fixed-line Internet data downloads surge 30%

The latest report on Internet usage from Sandvine Inc. shows average monthly data downloaded on fixed-line Internet accounts in North America was up about 30 per cent in the second half of 2014 compared to a year earlier.

The report, released Thursday, showed the average customer in North America downloaded 57.4 GB per month, up from 44.5 GB a year before.

Yahoo becomes default search engine for Firefox

Yahoo Inc. and Mozilla Corp. announced Wednesday they have reached an agreement that makes Yahoo the default browser on Mozilla's Firefox Internet browser in the United States for desktops and mobile devices.

The agreement takes effect in December, the companies said in a press release. The agreement replaced a 10-year arrangement Mozilla has had with Google Inc., according to reports in publications such as the New York Times.

Shomi adds Disney content

Shomi, the new streaming service from Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc., announced Wednesday that it had signed a content deal with the Walt Disney Co.

Under the terms of the deal, Shomi will offer a selection of Disney’s film library, as well as current and past TV shows from ABC and affiliated content holders, according to the press release. Shomi said the deal makes it the exclusive streaming provider of ABC’s popular current shows Scandal and Revenge.

TV-everywhere not on public’s radar: study

Canadian broadcast distributors need to do more to increase awareness and usage of their TV-everywhere products, according to Gord Hendren, president of Charlton Strategic Research, which produced a report on the subject.

Hendren said in a phone interview that the study found 47 per cent of respondents were aware of TV-everywhere as a concept, while 25 per cent of Canadians are using such services, across all Canadian TV providers. In comparison, the study found, 35 per cent of Canadians subscribe to Netflix Inc.’s service.

‘Weak’ advertising market here to stay: experts

Canada’s largest media companies take it as a given that the current market for advertising on traditional broadcast media is weak, but experts say broadcasting is shifting to a new normal as online advertising becomes the dominant platform for advertising.

Report suggests declining momentum for Google Glass

Google Inc.'s wearable device, Glass, is seeing a decline in interest among the public and application developers, according to an article by Reuters.

The article, published Friday, said nine out of 16 app makers it contacted that were involved in projects for Google Glass have put on hold or completely abandoned their work for this device, mostly citing a lack of customers or limitations of the device. It said three others had stopped working on consumer applications in favour of those for businesses.

Jay Forbes to become MTS chief executive

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. said Monday that Jay Forbes will replace Pierre Blouin as chief executive.

Radio India ordered to shut down U.S. transmissions

The CRTC said Thursday that it has ordered a Vancouver-area radio station found to be transmitting signals from the United States back to its home base in British Columbia to cease these operations before the end of the day.

We’ve paid artists $2 billion US, Spotify says

Spotify defended the compensation it pays to the music industry in a blog post Tuesday, writing that it “has paid more than two billion dollars to labels, publishers and collecting societies for distribution to songwriters and recording artists” since it began in 2008.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek wrote that when “I hear stories about artists and songwriters who say they’ve seen little or no money from streaming and are naturally angry and frustrated, I’m really frustrated too.”

Obama asks FCC to impose net neutrality rules

U.S. President Barack Obama put out a statement in favour of net neutrality Monday, and asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to implement a plan that would “safeguard competition and user choice.”

BCE accuses condo developer of overcharging for access

BCE Inc. is having more problems with a condominium developer operating in Toronto that it has previously filed complaints about.

Regulating Netflix the least of CRTC’s concerns: Blais

The CRTC is concerned with “much bigger issues with greater ramifications down the road” than the question of whether it will regulate over-the-top (OTT) services like Netflix, CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais said Thursday.

As the CRTC makes decisions on issues raised at the Let’s Talk TV hearing earlier this fall, “‘regulating’ Netflix is the least of our concerns,” Blais told the Vancouver Board of Trade in a speech, according to speaking notes provided by the CRTC.

Multi-screen Internet access growing: MTM

Five times as many Canadians now own the four principle media for accessing the Internet — computers, smartphones, tablets and Internet-connected televisions — than was the case in 2012, according to the latest Media Technology Monitor report.

The percentage of Canadians with those four screens is now at 17 per cent of all Canadian Internet users, said the report from MTM, a project of CBC/Radio-Canada. More than 90 per cent of those who have access to four screens use the Internet on all of them.

Bell wireless data revenue jumps 24%

BCE Inc. on Thursday reported higher revenue and profit numbers for the third quarter as it added subscribers to its its wireless, Internet and TV businesses and saw a jump in mobile-data revenue.

The company said in a press release that overall revenue was up 1.9 per cent from a year earlier to $5.2 billion in the quarter, which ended Sept. 30. Net earnings were $600 million, up from $343 million in the third quarter of 2013.

Telus quarterly revenue tops $3B for first time

Telus Corp. on Thursday reported quarterly revenue that topped $3 billion for the first time.

OTT expected to cause Internet capacity crunch

Netflix isn’t the only game in town anymore.

MTS financial numbers down despite more subs

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. on Wednesday reported lower third-quarter earnings and revenue, despite adding subscribers to its main retail categories.

The company said in a press release that its revenue in the quarter was down 1.5 per cent from a year earlier to $402.4 million. MTS attributed the decline largely to falling revenue in its Allstream phone services for businesses, as well as lower voice and wholesale revenue in its wireless division.

Net earnings came in at $36.5 million, down from $42 million a year earlier.

Government pressured to open more WiFi spectrum

Industry Canada is being lobbied to open up more unlicensed spectrum for wireless Internet, as the United States did earlier this year.

Government briefing notes and emails written in advance of a meeting planned for May 27 between Industry Minister James Moore and Cogeco Cable Inc., obtained through an access-to-information request, showed the department expected Cogeco officials, including CEO Louis Audet, would discuss WiFi spectrum regulations.

Canada 10th in home-WiFi penetration

Canada has the 10th highest home-WiFi penetration rate among countries, U.S. research company Strategic Analytics said in a press release Wednesday.

It said 61 per cent of homes in Canada have WiFi. The United States is in 11th place with a 57.8 per cent penetration rate, it said.

The top five countries were the Netherlands with 80.4 per cent, South Korea at 76.4 per cent, Norway at 76.2 per cent, the United Kingdom at 72.1 per cent and Belgium at 69.8 per cent.

Facebook reports more government info requests in Canada

Canadian law enforcement and government agencies asked Facebook Inc. for users’ data more times in the first six months of 2014 than in the same period last year, the social networking platform said in the Tuesday release of the latest edition of its biannual report on government requests.

According to the report, Canadian government agencies, including police, made 263 requests for data relating to 388 users and accounts in the first half of this year. Facebook produced data in 142, or 54 per cent, of those requests, it said.

Wireless code still a hurdle for carriers: CCTS

Some carriers are having more difficulty than others adjusting to life under the CRTC’s wireless code, according to the latest annual report from the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS).

Shomi streaming service starts Tuesday

Shomi, the online streaming service being offered by Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc., will launch Tuesday, the companies said Monday.

It will be available initially to TV and Internet subscribers of Rogers and Shaw, and both companies said in separate press releases Monday that their customers are being offered free trials for a month before the $8.99-a-month fee kicks in.

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.

Rogers takes aim at youth with Vice partnership

When Rogers Communications Inc. CEO Guy Laurence wore a leather jacket to the announcement of his company's latest project —a $100 million joint venture with Vice Media Inc. —the unconventional outfit emphasized how the new partnership was aimed at appealing to a younger demographic.

Internet, TV becoming bigger sources of news

Internet and television have become more prominent as primary news sources for anglophone-Canadian adults over the last two years at the expense of print media and radio, according to a new report.

Media Technology Monitor (MTM), a project of CBC/Radio-Canada, said in a report released this week that a survey taken this spring had 43 per cent of respondents saying TV was their main source of news, 33 per cent chose the Internet, and radio or print were each picked by 12 per cent.

Wireline wholesale hearing to put focus on ISP access

The CRTC faces another major policy hearing next month, and this one has the potential to affect independent Internet service providers that depend on major telecom companies to connect them to customers.

In September, the commission held separate hearings on the future of the television industry and wholesale wireless access. On Nov. 24, the CRTC begins up to nine days of public proceedings into wireline wholesale services.

Steven Barry appointed IT director for CIRA

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority said Tuesday it has appointed Steven Barry as its director of information technology.

CIRA said in a news release that Barry has more than 20 years of experience as an IT executive, working for organizations such as Nav Canada and DataKinetics Inc.

Barry's responsibilities will include managing CIRA's software development and information-management operations, being responsible for new product releases and overseeing the IT team that manages the dot.ca domain-name registry.

YouTube considering subscription models: report

Google Inc.'s YouTube streaming service is exploring possible subscription models, according to report by Re/code.

The technology news website reported Monday that YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said during an on-stage interview at the Code/Mobile conference in Half Moon Bay, Calif., that having users pay a fee in order to avoid advertisements "is an interesting model. … We’re thinking about how to give users options.”

Amazon introduces OTT stick for TVs

Amazon.com Inc. said Monday it is introducing a new over-the-top streaming device called the Fire TV Stick.

The device is just a few inches long, plugs directly into a television’s HDMI port and picks up a home's WiFi signal to stream video from services including YouTube, Hulu Plus and Pandora. It runs on Amazon’s proprietary operating system based on Google Inc.’s Android.

Shomi signs deal with Warner Bros.

Shomi, the online-streaming partnership of Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc., said in a press release Friday that it has reached a deal with Warner Bros. that gives it the rights to a number of Warner Bros. movies and TV series.

The deal involves exclusive rights to series like 2 Broke Girls, Two and a Half Men and the upcoming iZombie, Shomi said, and “second-window” rights to shows like Veronica Mars and The West Wing.

Jack Tomik leaving Rogers, being replaced by Al Dark

Rogers Communications Inc. said Wednesday that Jack Tomik is stepping down as senior vice-president of media sales at the end of this month and being replaced by Al Dark.

Rogers said in a press release that Tomik's departure comes after the successful implementation of a new multiplatform sales model.

U.S. employees using their own technology: survey

A survey of U.S. consumers shows about 40 per cent of those working for large organizations use their own technology for work purposes at least some of the time.

Gartner Inc. said in a press release Tuesday that its study found 42 per cent of these employees used their own desktop computers for work, 40 per cent used their own smartphones, 36 per cent used their laptops and 26 per cent used tablets they owned for work purposes.

Rogers-Netflix collaboration benefits both, experts say

While the announcement that Rogers Communications Inc. and Netflix Inc. are working together on an original TV series marked an unprecedented collaboration between the two rivals, it’s a logical move, experts said Monday.

Wireless data, faster Internet driving consumer spending: CRTC

Canadian telecom service providers got more money from their customers last year largely as a result of increased wireless data usage and demand for faster Internet, the CRTC said Thursday.

Overall spending on communications services in Canada rose 3.2 per cent in 2013, increasing to $191 per household each month from $185 in 2012, the CRTC said in its annual Communications Monitoring Report, the full version of which it released Thursday.

Shaw gets naming rights to Ottawa Convention Centre

Shaw Communications Inc. has reached a sponsorship deal with the operators of the Ottawa Convention Centre, resulting in the venue being renamed the Shaw Centre, effective immediately.

Shaw said in a press release that the arrangement is for 10 years. No financial terms were disclosed. The facility is owned by the Ontario government.

"The Shaw Centre reflects our commitment to strengthening our presence with our customers, communities, regulatory and government stakeholders in the nation's capital," Shaw CEO Brad Shaw said in the release.

CBS launches OTT video service

CBS Corp. is the latest U.S. media company to say it will start providing consumers with an online option for accessing video content without the need to subscribe to a television service.

The company said in a press release Thursday that CBS All Access is available immediately to U.S. residents for $5.99 US a month. The service is accessible through CBS.com and the CBS app for devices running on Apple Inc.'s iOS or Google Inc.'s Android. Other connected devices will be announced in the coming months, CBS said.

Videotron makes 3 VP appointments

Quebecor Inc.'s Videotron on Thursday announced three senior-level appointments in the marketing department of existing employees, two of which had managers becoming vice-presidents.

Julie Brault was named vice-president of brand and interactive media, following her previous position as senior manager of applications and online content, Videotron said in a news release.

TD mobile app allows customers to deposit cheques

TD Canada Trust announced Thursday it has introduced a way for customers to deposit cheques in their bank account by taking a photo with their mobile phone through the bank’s mobile app.

The bank also said business customers will be able to scan cheques with a computer in order to deposit them. 

Similar services already exist at the American arm of the TD Bank Group, the company said in a press release, and have already enabled more than a billion dollars in total deposits.

Public not yet sold on Internet of Things: survey

The Internet of Things has been compared to the Industrial Revolution in terms of its eventual impact, though the general public is not yet fully aware of it nor convinced of its value, according to a recent study.

That’s the takeaway from a study of U.S. residents by Acquity Group, a marketing and research firm owned by Accenture Inc., which found that 87 per cent of consumers hadn’t heard of the term “the Internet of Things.”

EU countries could be next for regulator-Netflix conflict

When CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais faced off against Netflix Inc. in September, his ordering of the U.S.-based streaming service to give the CRTC information it had previously refused to provide added fuel to a debate about whether the CRTC can — or whether it should — regulate online video services.

Applications sought for rural Internet expansion

Industry Canada said Wednesday it is seeking applications from Internet service providers to qualify for funding to build or improve their networks in rural and northern communities across the country.

French bank creates payment system with Twitter

French bank Groupe BPCE announced Tuesday what it called a "world first in the payment-media field" in allowing payments to be made via Twitter.

It said in a press release it has created, in partnership with its mobile-payments subsidiary S-money and Twitter Inc., a system where any holder of a French bank card can send money through Twitter.

Jacob Glick to join Rogers

Rogers Communications Inc. said Tuesday that Jacob Glick will start work next month in the newly created position of chief corporate affairs officer.

Previously, Glick headed Google Inc.'s global public policy and government relations team, and before that took on the same responsibilities specific to Canada, Rogers said in a press release.

TekSavvy buys software company Openjive

TekSavvy Solutions Inc. said Monday it has purchased an Ottawa-area software company called Openjive Inc.

Independent ISP TekSavvy said in a press release that Openjive's programs, including Lingo, integrate platforms from Microsoft Corp. such as Lync, SharePoint, Dynamics CRM, Exchange, Office and Office365.