Bell tops broadband speed tests, but falls in customer satisfaction survey

In a pair of studies measuring home internet service this week, BCE Inc. was positioned at the two ends of the spectrum, topping out the list of fastest connections in Canada, but falling to near the bottom of the pack in customer satisfaction. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in …

$26.4 million in rural internet funding announced for Sask.

The federal government and Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. (SaskTel) are plowing more funds into improving internet in Saskatchewan.  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. …

CRTC consulting on NG911 network efficiency

The CRTC said Monday it is asking for input on next-generation 911 (NG911) network design efficiencies recommended by telcos. 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 …

CRTC starts next steps on disaggregated regime expansion

The CRTC is asking telecoms to provide information about demand for high-speed internet as the next step toward implementing the disaggregated wholesale regime in regions outside Ontario and Quebec. 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 …

NFL Sunday Ticket returns to broadcast TV with Dazn partnership

Perform Group’s over-the-top (OTT) sports service Dazn is partnering with Shaw Communications Inc. and Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Co. to broadcast some of its football content previously available exclusively online. 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 …

SaskTel updating rural wireless towers

Rural wireless towers in Saskatchewan are being upgraded to increase their LTE capacity, Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Co. said in Friday press 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 or subscribe to …

Hargrave in as new SaskTel minister

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Co. has a new minister responsible for the Crown telecom corporation after Premier Brad Wall shuffled his cabinet 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 …

SaskTel launches smart-home service

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Co. has rolled out a connected-home service, allowing customers to control their door locks, thermostats, lights and more from their personal devices. 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 …

Transparency reporting in Canada: still opaque?

Without an Edward Snowden-like scandal, exposing inappropriate government access of citizens’ personal information, the current landscape may be as good as it gets for transparency reporting in Canada, a privacy expert says. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and …

No wholesale obligations for new broadband fund projects: telcos

Mandating wholesale access as a condition of funding for projects under the CRTC’s new broadband funding regime will increase costs while effectively discouraging investment, two of the country’s largest telcos said. 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 …

SaskTel CEO leaving company July 1

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp.’s president and CEO, Ron Styles, will retire Saturday after seven years in the job. 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 …

SaskTel to boost Internet speeds in indigenous communities

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. will improve Internet service in 46 First Nations and indigenous communities in the province, 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 …

Sask. to cost Internet improvements: report

The Saskatchewan government will appoint someone to investigate the cost of expanding Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp.’s Internet coverage, Premier Brad Wall was reported as saying this week, according to CTV News. 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 …

‘Alternative video’ services more satisfying than pay TV: study

Non-traditional TV subscribers, such as those who use over-the-top (OTT) services, are more satisfied than those with traditional pay-TV subscriptions, a new J.D. Power survey suggested. 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 …

Partial sale would bring benefits to SaskTel: Desjardins

The sale of a stake in Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. would help the crown corporation when it comes to adopting new technologies, according to Desjardins Capital Markets analyst Maher Yaghi.

“The scale of a large telecom player could help SaskTel implement upcoming technologies, such as 5G, more easily,” Yaghi said in a Friday note, pointing to the “technological insight and purchasing power of a potential partner.”

SaskTel minister confirms discussions about partial sale

Saskatchewan's minister for Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said last week the government met with a major Canadian telecom company to discuss a partial sale of the province's telecom company, but no formal offer was made, according to a Regina Leader-Post report.

SaskTel completes LTE expansion

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said Thursday that it has finished its LTE expansion project.

In the province, 99 per cent of residents are now served by its LTE network, SaskTel said in a Thursday press release.

“Since announcing this project in June of 2016, we have worked diligently to expand LTE to more than 400 towers that serve rural Saskatchewan making our LTE network the largest in Saskatchewan by a wide margin,” SaskTel president and CEO Ron Styles said in the release.

SaskTel sale off the table, Wall says

The premier of Saskatchewan said Monday that the province will not pursue the sale of its telecommunications crown corporation, according to a report in the Canadian Press.

Telecoms bond over stirring proposals to shake up call spoofing

Technologies identified by the CRTC as potential tools to combat spoofed and nuisance calls have promise, but barriers to their deployment mean they’re not likely to be put in place any time soon, companies told the regulator.

SaskTel says it’s ‘concerned’ by end of local voice subsidy

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said Monday that it is concerned about the CRTC’s December decision to eliminate the local voice subsidy in favour of a broadband fund.

“The reduction in subsidy could potentially result in rate increases for SaskTel’s rural telephone customers, less investment by the Corporation in infrastructure as a result of the lost subsidy and a reduced net income affecting dividends to the Government of Saskatchewan,” SaskTel said in a press release.

Eliminate locked phones in Canada, Freedom Mobile tells CRTC

In a departure from the positions of its fellow wireless providers, Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom Mobile suggested Wednesday the CRTC should forbid carriers from charging fees for unlocking phones, and direct them to stop ordering locked devices from equipment manufacturers.

SaskTel opens Saskatoon data centre

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holdings Corp. said Thursday that its newest data centre is now operational.

Sasktel ties for fastest LTE speeds in the world: OpenSignal

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp.’s LTE download speeds are among the fastest in the world, according to a new OpenSignal Inc. report.

“In the fourth quarter, Singapore had the fastest networks by far, averaging 37 Mbps, and two of its operators [Singapore Telecommunications Ltd.] and [StarHub Ltd.] joined Canada’s SaskTel in vying for the title of world’s fastest operator,” the report, released Nov. 10, said.

CRTC’s lowering of HSA rates means small ISPs ‘free to innovate’: CNOC

The CRTC has set revised interim wholesale rates for high-speed access (HSA) services, criticizing large Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for proposing “unreasonable” rates that were too high, in a move small ISPs say leaves them “free to innovate.”

Union-backed ads call for SaskTel status quo

A union representing Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. employees has launched an advertising campaign calling for Premier Brad Wall to abandon any idea of selling the telecom.

In a press release Thursday, Unifor — which represents about 3,800 SaskTel workers — said the radio ads “highlight the unequalled value of having a publicly-owned carrier in Saskatchewan.

Public would review suitable SaskTel offer: report

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall took the conversation about a possible sale of the provincially owned telecommunications provider another step forward by suggesting that the province would put an offer, if received, to the public, the Regina Leader-Post reported Tuesday.

Rogers’ OMNI application a ‘band-aid’ solution, critics say

Rogers Communications Inc.’s proposal for a new national ethnic programming service is neither innovative nor appropriate in today’s TV environment aimed at providing consumers more choice, critics of the application said in interventions filed with the CRTC.

CRTC allowing off-tariff GSM agreements, for now

The CRTC has determined that a hands-off approach to regulating roaming rates on GSM networks until it approves a final set of guidelines would not put smaller carriers in a negotiating disadvantage with larger ones.

The regulator drew that conclusion in a decision on Friday, stating that negotiations on GSM roaming pricing are optional and if a smaller carrier does not agree with the terms, “ it can use a Commission-approved default tariff that contains rates, terms, and conditions that are just and reasonable.”

SaskTel sale to Telus ‘logical’: Barclays

Telus Corp. would be the “logical buyer” of Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp., according to Barclays Capital.

Ahead of Telus’s second-quarter earnings report Friday, analyst Phillip Huang said in a Wednesday note that “while we expect an auction would draw significant interest, we believe it would make financial/strategic sense for Telus to acquire the asset, given its adjacent footprint.”

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.

SaskTel to improve Internet service in 7 communities

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said Wednesday that it’s installing additional equipment on towers in rural areas around seven Saskatchewan communities that will relieve congestion for customers of its High Speed Fusion Internet service, as well as offer added capacity.

The work will take place in the Baildon, Buffalo Pound, Cochin, Edenwold, Estevan, Lanigan, and Melville, Sask. areas, the company said in a press release.

SaskTel phasing out CDMA network next summer

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. announced Tuesday that its Code division multiple access (CDMA) network is entering its last year.

In a press release, SaskTel said CDMA-reliant devices would no longer function after July 5, 2017, and that it would be transitioning existing customers to its 4G and 4G LTE network.

SaskTel expands LTE network to reach nearly all residents

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. is injecting $11.8 million to expand its LTE wireless network to include “nearly everyone in Saskatchewan.”

“We anticipate that LTE will be available to almost everyone in Saskatchewan by April 2017,” Ron Styles, SaskTel president and CEO, said in the June 15 news release. It will “lay the groundwork for future network enhancements, such as the deployment of Voice over LTE (VoLTE) which we expect to start rolling out around mid-2017,” he added in the release.

Bell-MTS deal could pose regulatory risk for SaskTel: report

The biggest risk to Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. in the wake of BCE Inc.’s proposed $3.9-billion takeover of Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. is the potential changing of the regulatory landscape, according to a provincially-commissioned analysis.

Wall prefers SaskTel sale over public offering: report

Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall told reporters he would rather sell Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. than take the company public and sell shares on the open market, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

Selling shares is what Manitoba did with Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. in the 1990s, the article noted.

SaskTel enhancing wireless coverage on Highway 18

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. is updating its wireless network along a 130-kilometre stretch of highway, the company announced Wednesday.

A $2.1-million investment into Highway 18 from the south-eastern city of Estevan to the Saskatchewan-Manitoba boarder will “increase the coverage footprint along the highway and improve service to the adjacent communities,” a SaskTel press release said.

SaskTel chooses company to conduct review

Toronto-based consulting company Mark H. Goldberg and Associates Inc. will conduct the third-party review of Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp., the company announced Friday.

SaskTel announces capital investment plan

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said Monday it was making a more-than-$1.4-billion capital investment over the next five years to upgrade its systems and networks.

Of that investment, $331 million is allotted for the 2016-2017 fiscal year (ending March 31, 2017), the company said in a press release.

Big-box wireless customers ‘high risk’: study

Consumers who shop at big-box stores are more likely to purchase unlocked phones and are more likely to switch wireless providers, according to results of a study released Thursday.

SaskTel embarking on review in wake of Bell-MTS deal

Faced with the prospect of becoming “an island in Western Canada” at the conclusion of the proposed Manitoba Telcom Services Inc. sale, Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. is launching a review, according to media reports.

SaskTel says 1,000 customers hit by phishing scam

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said in a release Friday that it was recently the target of a “large phishing attack.”

It said it estimates the attack affected about 1,000 customers.

The company added that it would “be proactively resetting the password for impacted email accounts.”

Competition Bureau seeks info on iPhone pricing from carriers

The Competition Bureau has filed applications in Federal Court seeking information from wireless carriers about how they set prices for Apple Inc.’s devices.

Bell, Telus, SaskTel and Videotron rank highest in customer survey

A new survey from J.D. Power says wireless customers in Ontario gave the highest marks for network performance to BCE Inc. and Telus Corp., those in the West to Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. and customers in the East chose Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron.

The J.D. Power 2015 Canadian Wireless Network Quality Study, released Thursday, looked at the performance of wireless networks related to calling, messaging and data, the company said in a press release.

SaskTel launches new enterprise Internet service

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said in a press release Thursday it has launched a new Internet service for its business customers with speeds of up to 10 Gbps per second.

The Saskatchewan-government owned company said the service, called SaskTel Wavelength, “provides protection for disaster recovery, off-site data backup and inter-connection of storage area networks,” and is available to its retail and wholesale business customers in Regina, Saskatoon and White City.

SaskTel launches mobile-payment capabilities

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. said Thursday it has launched mobile-payment capabilities for wireless customers who bank with Toronto Dominion Bank and have certain devices.

SaskTel said the current service works with the mobile-payments app from TD, and other banks will be added in the future. It said it worked with EnStream LP, a partnership between BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp., to develop the technology for its mobile-payments service.

SaskTel extends LTE to 62 rural communities

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. announced Monday that it has extended LTE coverage to 62 more rural communities in the province on the 850 MHz band.

SaskTel said in a press release it is approximately doubling the network capacity in most locations.

Wind spectrum sale to SaskTel prevented: report

A proposed sale of spectrum in Saskatchewan from Wind Mobile to Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. was cancelled because of a negative reaction by federal government officials, the Financial Post reported.

An article posted online Thursday, citing anonymous sources, said that the deal was worth about $20 million and involved two 10-year licences in Saskatoon and Regina. The spectrum was reportedly bought in the 2008 AWS auction but never used by Wind.

SaskTel releases transparency report

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. on Wednesday joined other telecom providers in releasing a transparency report, which showed that it received 11,857 requests for information last year from government agencies and emergency service providers.

SaskTel said it refused to provide information for 247 of these requests.

"Except for court orders, SaskTel will refuse to provide the information if we believe the request is vague or not supported by statute," it said in its report.

TekSavvy asks CRTC for help to launch TV service

GATINEAU, Que. — Independent ISP TekSavvySolutions Inc. told the CRTC Tuesday it is considering becoming a TV distributor, on the same day that it announced a “partnership” with Hastings Cable Vision Ltd., an eastern Ontario cable provider.

MTS, SaskTel to carry iPhone 6

Two regional wireless carriers from the Prairie provinces announced Monday they will carry Apple Inc.'s new iPhone 6. when it becomes available on Sept. 19.

DiversityCanada granted fraction of costs claimed in CRTC proceeding

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.

SaskTel renews PPV licence, independent committee still required

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. was granted a renewal of its licence to operate a national pay-per-view service, the CRTC said Friday, though it was denied a request to eliminate the requirement of using an independent programming committee for decisions related to content considered a "local expression."

SaskTel's licence for the pay-per-view service is expiring Aug. 31, the CRTC said in a posting on its website. Its renewal is in effect until Aug. 31, 2021.

700 MHz auction ‘biased against regional carriers’: SaskTel

Ron Styles, president of Saskatchewan telecom services provider SaskTel, said Thursday that the 700 MHz wireless spectrum auction’s format was “clearly biased against regional carriers.”

A release from SaskTel noted that the company walked away from the auction that wrapped up Wednesday with one licence in the C1 band in Saskatchewan, for which it paid $7.6 million.  It said this will not allow it to expand LTE services to rural parts of its home province until devices for this band of spectrum become available in Canada.

Sasktel boosts Internet speeds in 7 communities

Sasktel is upgrading the Internet speeds it makes available to its customers in Pike Lake, Leask, Choiceland, Marsden, Meath Park, Sheho and Star Blanket Cree Nation, Sask., the company said Thursday.

The company said in a release that customers will be able to subscribe to Internet speeds of up to 5 Mbps for downloads.

SaskTel said the expansion is part of a strategy to increase Internet speeds in rural Saskatchewan.

SaskTel launches 4G push-to-talk

SaskTel launched its next-generation “push-to-talk” service, which will serve as an alternative to its service operating on the CDMA network, the company said.

Push-to-talk services cater to a niche market of business consumers, such as workers in the transportation and construction fields.

SaskTel said in a release Friday that the service will run on its 4G network and on the Kodiak Networks InstaPoC platform.

SaskTel launches fixed wireless LTE

SaskTel is launching a new fixed wireless fourth-generation LTE service for its customers now receiving wireless broadband Internet (WBBI) service from towers in 12 communities where its high throughput satellite service is not available.

The company said in a release Tuesday that its customers receiving WBBI service in Climax, Hodgeville, Milestone, Avonlea, Blewett, Caron, Hirsch, Mankota, Maryfield, Orkney, Pangman and Central Butte, Sask., will have to switch to a new service after the fixed wireless LTE deploys in their area.

SaskTel completes wireless upgrades

SaskTel completed 22 wireless “infrastructure enhancement projects” in March to expand the coverage and capacity of its mobile wireless network, the company said.

In a release Thursday, SaskTel, a provincial Crown corporation, said the enhancements included the installation of new carrier antennas inside buildings, on streetlights and rooftops, and on wooden poles and “stealth poles.”

The company also installed new cell towers and “cellular on wheels” cell sites, the release said.

SaskTel expands LTE

SaskTel completed 22 fourth-generation LTE “network infrastructure enhancement projects” last month to address consumer demand for more network capacity and coverage, the telecom provider and provincial Crown corporation said.

In a release Monday, SaskTel said its February infrastructure projects included the construction of new towers in Regina, Saskatoon, Stoughton and Southend, Sask., and the deployment of “other options” where towers cannot be built.

SaskTel turns on LTE, announces capex plans

SaskTel launched its next-generation LTE network in and around Saskatchewan’s two most populous cities and said it will invest about $400 million in capital expenditures this year.

SaskTel billing glitch leads to $100,000 bills

A technical glitch caused SaskTel wireless customers to receive bills for data usage of up to $100,000 each, the company said on its website Tuesday.

“As part of the 4G LTE network capacity enhancements, SaskTel was installing new network hardware and a recent systems upgrade caused a billing error,” the company said in a statement.

SaskTel said the error affected about 9,000 wireless customers in billing between Nov. 23-29.

SaskTel releases online video service

SaskTel launched a new on-demand video and music streaming service called Max Online.

The company said in a release Tuesday that Max Online is available without charge to residential Max TV subscribers. The new service, SaskTel said, allows subscribers to access content from any personal computer with a high-speed Internet connection.

SaskTel said the new service provides access to Max TV content, which includes Hollywood Suite OnDemand, Treehouse OnDemand, Max Local on demand and links to City TV, CTV as well as Global TV on demand video sites.

MTS and SaskTel reach roaming agreement

MTS Allstream Inc. reached a roaming agreement with SaskTel that “immediately” improves its HSPA+ wireless coverage in Saskatchewan, the company said Wednesday.

In a release, MTS said its customers now have access to SaskTel’s HSPA+ network, which covers 98 per cent of the province’s population.

“Our new agreement with SaskTel significantly increases the 4G HSPA+ roaming coverage for MTS customers travelling or doing business in Saskatchewan,” Kelvin Shepherd, president of MTS, said in a release.

SaskTel increases 2012 wireless capex

SaskTel increased its 2012 budget for wireless enhancements from $70 million to $100 million, the company said Thursday.

In a release to promote the provincial Crown corporation’s wireless infrastructure plans, SaskTel said accelerating growth in demand for wireless services caused the company to increase its financial commitment to wireless service upgrades. It said it initially intended to spend about $70 million on service upgrades in 2012 but since “increased our commitment by $30 million.”

SaskTel announces fixed wireless alternatives

SaskTel will use Internet sticks and its high-throughput satellite signals to serve thousands of rural customers who will lose fixed wireless Internet service at the end of 2012, the provincial Crown corporation said Monday.

SaskTel and Huawei to trial fixed broadband on LTE

SaskTel is teaming up with Huawei Technologies Co. to trial a fourth-generation LTE fixed wireless network in Saskatchewan, the companies said Monday.

In a release, SaskTel said the trial will use Huawei “solutions and equipment” to roll out 100 Mbps, fixed Internet services in at least three rural communities across the province starting in December.

It did not say which communities would be included in the trial, which will run through August 2013.

SaskTel reports 600,000 wireless customers

SaskTel reached 600,000 wireless customers in the province of Saskatchewan, the company said Wednesday.

SaskTel said in a release that its mobile network is “the most extensive” in the province and currently available to 98 per cent of the population.

The company said it has invested about $1 billion in network enhancements and estimated that nearly $100 million will be spent on additional upgrades in 2012.