Rogers extends Roam Like Home to Europe

Rogers Communications Inc. on Friday said it will launch a Roam Like Home service for customers travelling to Europe that is similar to what's been available for travellers to the United States since November.

Bell looks to avoid legal showdown with privacy commish

Faced with a possible legal fight against another agency of the federal government, BCE Inc. on Tuesday backed down after the Office of the Privacy Commissioner said the company refused to require customers to provide explicit consent before tracking their telecommunications habits in order to sell marketing profiles to third-party advertisers.

Fido customers to get exclusive content from Vice

Rogers Communications Inc. has launched new wireless plans for customers of its Fido brand that include exclusive content from Vice Media Inc.

Telus to make $4.2B investment in Alberta

Telus Corp. said Monday it will spend $4.2 billion on infrastructure and facilities in Alberta between now and the end of 2018, including $1 billion in the current year.

The company said in a press release that, when combined with operational spending, its total investment in Alberta over four years will amount to more than $11 billion.

Bell granted leave to appeal in mobile-TV case

The Federal Court on Thursday granted BCE Inc. leave to appeal in its challenge of a CRTC ruling regarding its mobile-TV service.

IBM to build IoT division

International Business Machines (IBM) Corp. said Tuesday it will invest $3 billion US over the next four years to establish an Internet of Things (IoT) unit.

It said in a press release it will use its cloud-based platform to help business clients better integrate data from IoT devices and other sources into their decision-making.

Rogers rolls out VoLTE

Rogers Communications Inc. said Tuesday it has launched voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) service for customers who own LG Corp.'s G3 Vigor smartphone.

Roger said in a press release that the Vigor is “Canada's first VoLTE-enabled device” and added that “more VoLTE-ready devices are expected this year.”

It said its customers are “the first in Canada to complete HD voice and video calls over a VoLTE network, where available, versus the traditional voice network.”

Rogers bundles Spotify with Fido

Customers of Rogers Communications Inc.’s Fido subsidiary will receive free access to Spotify AB’s premium music-streaming service for two years, the company said Monday.

“Plug in and escape, anytime, anywhere, and listen to anything you're into,” Rogers said in a press release.

Spotify’s premium service usually costs $9.99 a month and allows users to listen to music off-line with no ads or restrictions on the songs customers can play and when they can play them, according to Spotify’s website.

Apple planning new music-streaming service: report

Apple Inc. is reportedly planning to launch its own music-streaming service, according to the New York Times.

The streaming service will be part of a “sweeping overhaul” of the company’s music services, the paper said, including the iTunes Store and its existing iTunes Radio service, the latter of which is not available in Canada.

BlackBerry posts 4Q profit, revenue down by third

BlackBerry Ltd. on Friday reported its first net quarterly profit in two years, though revenue was down by about a one-third from a year earlier.

The Canadian smartphone maker said in a press release Friday it had net income of $28 million US for the quarter, compared to loss of $423 million US during the same quarter a year before. The last time BlackBerry reported a positive bottom line was for the three months ended March 2, 2013. Revenue of $660 million US in the latest quarter compared to $976 million US a year before.

Bell concedes costs request in early phase of mobile-TV appeal

BCE Inc. is not seeking costs from the Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC) in the early part of the appeals process in relation to a CRTC decision to force it treat data used in its mobile-TV service like any other online data.

Streaming takes growing share of U.S. music revenue: RIAA

Streaming accounted for 27 per cent of U.S. music industry revenue last year, up from 21 per cent in 2013, the Record Industry Association of American (RIAA) said in report released Wednesday.

The RIAA said permanent downloads accounted for 37 per cent of overall music revenue in the U.S. last year, down from 40 per cent a year earlier. Physical copies of music accounted for 32 per cent of industry revenue, down from 35 per cent one year earlier.

Glentel sales up more than 30%

Glentel Inc., a retailer of mobile products and services, said Thursday that its fourth-quarter revenue was up 32.8 per cent from a year earlier to $533.1 million, though its quarterly profit declined to $830,000 from $8.3 million.

Glentel, which operates outlets such as Wireless Wave and Tbooth Wireless, said in a press release that Canadian sales were up 20 per cent in the quarter. It said the mobile market in Canada "appears to be recovering from the negative ramifications" of the wireless code that took effect in late 2013.

Nintendo to produce games for mobile devices

Nintendo Co. Ltd. said Tuesday that it was launching to joint venture with DeNA Co. Ltd. to produce video games for smartphones and tablets.

Nintendo said it would work with DeNA, a company involved in mobile games and Internet services, to produce content that uses Nintendo's intellectual property, which includes game characters such as Mario and Donkey Kong.

It also said the companies would work to develop a "multi-device membership service" by this fall.

CNOC asks for dismissal of Bell appeal of mobile-TV decision

The Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC) filed papers with the Federal Court of Appeal Monday asking that BCE Inc.'s appeal of a CRTC decision banning the way it bills for mobile-TV services be dismissed.

CNOC said in its submission that Bell has failed to demonstrate that its Mobile TV app should not be subject to the Telecommunications Act because it is a broadcast service.

Rogers settles with Competition Bureau on texting proceeding

Rogers Communications Inc. and the Competition Bureau announced Monday that they had reached an agreement to end legal proceedings against the carrier in relation to so-called premium texting services that customers paid for.

The Competition Bureau said in a news release that Rogers would refund about $5.42 million to customers in relation to what it said were "false or misleading representations to customers in advertisements for premium text messages appearing in pop-up ads, apps and social media."

BlackBerry division releases high-security tablet

BlackBerry Ltd. on Saturday announced that its Secusmart division had released a new tablet meant for operations in which special security standards are required.

The device is called the SecuTablet, BlackBerry said in a press release. It said it collaborated with International Business Machines (IBM) Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. on the machine, which is tailored toward "national and international public sector markets and enterprises."

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.

IDC downgrades tablet forecast for 2015

International Data Corp. has lowered its forecast for tablet and 2-in-1 hybrid shipments in 2015 following previous figures that showed the first ever year-on-year decline for this market in the fourth quarter of last year.

Ericsson report finds one-third of consumers polled have or want wearables

A new report from Ericsson AG suggests Apple Inc.’s upcoming Apple Watch could address a market that's far larger than what current wearable sales would indicate.

In a worldwide study of more than 54,000 people, the technology maker examined the idea of the “quantified self,” in which individuals track their daily metrics such as calories consumed, steps taken or quality of sleep.

Granting Bell stay in mobile-TV case would hurt competitors: CNOC

Competitors will be harmed if BCE Inc. is not forced to comply with an April deadline in a CRTC directive to stop exempting its mobile-TV app from data caps, according to the Canadian Network Operators Consortium.

CNOC said in a document filed with the Federal Court of Appeal on March 5 that a stay, which would allow Bell to continue to exempt mobile-TV streaming from data charges, would affect the “business case” of competing services that count against a user’s data cap.

Mobile-device video viewing doubled in 2014: Ooyala

The amount of video watched on smartphones and tablets doubled in 2014, according to a sub-sample used for Ooyala Inc.'s quarterly index.

The online-video management company said in a report released Wednesday there had been a 114 per cent increase in mobile video plays in December compared to a year earlier, and that mobile devices were used in 38 per cent of all online video viewing that month, compared to 18 per cent in December 2013.

RBC expects challenge from tech giants over mobile payments: report

The chief executive of the Royal Bank of Canada says his company is on a “collision course” with technology giants such as Apple Inc. and Google Inc. as the act of making payments with mobile devices becomes more mainstream, according to a report in the Financial Post.

The newspaper reported Dave McKay told an investors conference in New York Tuesday that the companies making mobile payment technology available might come between the direct relationship the bank has with customers through payment tools such as credit cards.

BlackBerry CEO open to producing another tablet: report

BlackBerry Ltd. CEO John Chen said he's open the idea of having the company produce another tablet, according to a report by CNet.

"It's not in the works, but it's on my mind," an article published on the website Tuesday reported Chen as saying during an interview from the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The article reported Chen as saying he would "want it to be different. I want it to be iconic. Bringing a tablet out for a tablet's sake, it's not the right thing to do."

Global smartphones sales exceeded one billion in 2014: Gartner

Technology research company Gartner Inc. said Tuesday that annual smartphone sales surpassed one billion for the first time in 2014.

The company said in a press release that mobile-phone manufacturers sold 1.24 billion devices last year, up 28.4 per cent from 969.7 million in 2013. In the fourth quarter, sales were 367.5 million, a gain of 29.9 per cent from the same period a year earlier.

Mitel to buy mobile software provider Mavenir

Ottawa-based networking technology company Mitel Networks Corp. said Monday it has reached a deal to purchase Texas-based Mavenir Systems Inc., a provider of software for mobile operators.

Mitel and Mavenir said in a joint press release the deal is worth $560 million US in cash and stock, and is expected to close during the second quarter, pending regulatory approval and a favourable vote from Mavenir shareholders.

Google to give mobile-friendly websites more priority

Google Inc. said Thursday that it will start giving mobile friendliness more weight in terms of how websites are ranked in Google searches.

It said on its Webmaster Central Blog on Thursday that the change will take effect April 21 and "will have a significant impact in our search results. Consequently, users will find it easier to get relevant, high quality search results that are optimized for their devices."

Google announces work software for Android devices

Google Inc. said Wednesday it has a developed a program that will help utilize Android devices for business purposes in a way that ensures security for employers.

A blog post from Google said the technology is called Android for Work and will help "businesses bring more devices to work by securing, managing and innovating on the Android platform."

IPhone 6 Plus data usage double that of regular iPhone 6: report

Users of Apple Inc.'s iPhone 6 Plus are using twice as much data as those with the iPhone 6, according to a report from Citrix Systems Inc.

The U.S. provider of workplace mobility technology said in a press release earlier this month that the bigger, 5.5-inch screens of the iPhone 6 Plus — compared to 4.7 inches for the regular iPhone 6 — leads more video viewing. Its report said that data usage on the iPhone 6 Plus is 10 times that of the iPhone 3GS.

Bell seeking costs in appeal to overturn mobile-TV ruling

BCE Inc. is seeking to recover legal costs from a range of parties — including an advocacy group representing senior citizens, private individuals and companies in the telecommunications sector — in a case it has brought before the Federal Court of Appeal to overturn a January CRTC ruling that compelled it to treat video streamed through its mobile-TV app like any other data.

Apple to spend billions on European data centres

Apple Inc. said Monday it will spend 1.7 billion euros ($2.4 billion Cdn) on two data centres in Europe that are expected to be operational in 2017.

The company said in a press release the facilities will each be 166,000 square metres (1.8 million square feet), with one going in Athenry, Ireland, and the other in Viborg, Denmark.

Apple said the data centres will be used to power its online services such as iTunes purchase, the App Store, iMessage, Maps and Siri for customers across Europe.

Snapchat reportedly worth as much as $19B US

Snapchat Inc., the maker of mobile apps for picture and video sharing, is being valued at as much as $19 billion US in current talks to secure a new round of funding, Bloomberg reported this week.

An article Tuesday said the company is seeking a new round of funding of as much as $500 million US on the basis of its value being between $16 billion US and $19 billion US, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

Bell changes opt-out policy for tracking program

BCE Inc. will no longer collect or keep information on the wireless activity of customers who opt out of its targeted advertising program, the company said.

“Bell has changed its opt-out process so that an opt-out will terminate all use of personal information for the [relevant advertising program] and the deletion of any browsing, interest and category information from existing profiles," the company said in a Feb. 11 filing to the CRTC. "This change was made retroactive to cover anyone who chose to opt-out since the initiation of the RAP."

BlackBerry seeks injunction against Typo 2: report

BlackBerry Ltd. is seeking an injunction against the latest version of a keyboard add-on made by Ryan Seacrest's Typo Products LLC for Apple Inc.'s iPhones, Reuters reported Tuesday.

The article said BlackBerry claimed in U.S. District Court filings that the Typo 2 copies "numerous proprietary BlackBerry designs and patents ... "

Mobile shopping growth doubling overall e-commerce gains: PayPal

Mobile shopping in Canada is growing at a pace that more than doubles the growth of overall online purchasing, PayPal said Wednesday.

The digital-payment processing company said in a press release that research it has conducted with polling company Ipsos shows mobile shopping is expected to show average annual growth of 34 per cent between the years 2013 and 2016, compared to 14 per cent for overall e-commerce.

One-third of Netflix users have used U.S. IP address: survey

About one in three Canadian customers of Netflix Inc. have used a U.S. IP address to access the company's American service because it offers more content than the Canadian version, Media Technology Monitor (MTM) said in a report released Tuesday.

Amazon makes Kindle Unlimited available in Canada

Amazon.com Inc. said Thursday its Canadian division, Amazon.ca, is making Kindle Unlimited available in Canada.

The company said in a press release that Canadians will have unlimited access to more than 750,000 e-books for $9.99 a month with their Kindle e-readers and the free Kindle apps available for personal computers, Apple Inc.'s iPhones and iPads, devices powered by Google Inc.'s Android system, and smartphones equipped with Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Phone software.

Canadian tech company to help carriers implement VoLTE

Sandvine Inc., a Canadian company that provides software to telecommunications service providers around the world, said Wednesday that it has added capabilities enabling it to help carriers offer voice services on both LTE and WiFi networks.

David Kleidermacher joins BlackBerry

David Kleidermacher has been appointed chief security officer of BlackBerry Ltd., the company announced Tuesday. 

Kleidermacher was previously chief technology officer at Green Hills Software, a maker of embedded operating systems, according to a press release. He has more than 20 years of experience in strategy and product engineering, the company said, and is the author of a book on security for embedded systems.

Canadian mobile data to grow sevenfold by 2019: Cisco

Data running on mobile networks in Canada is set to grow an average of 46 per cent a year between now and 2019, resulting in a quantity of data that's seven times what it was last year, Cisco Systems Inc. said in a report Tuesday.

Cisco said in the Canadian highlights of its Visual Networking Index for mobile data traffic that the amount of mobile data in Canada was about 400 petabytes a year in 2014, or 30.8 petabytes per month (more than 30 million gigabytes), up 59 per cent from a year earlier.

Toronto commuter trains expand WiFi

Greater Toronto transit authority Metrolinx said in a press release Monday that it’s expanding WiFi service to an additional 22 stations on its GO network transit system.

Metrolinx said in a press release the expansion, which began Monday, follows a 2013 pilot project which made WiFi available at 14 stations and terminals.

Google deals with declining ad rates

Google Inc. said in its fourth-quarter results that the average “cost-per-click” for ads on its sites and those of its network members decreased by three per cent over the fourth quarter of 2013.

Cost-per-click for Google sites specifically was down eight per cent at the end of the three-month period ending Dec. 31, compared to a year earlier.

Revenues for the quarter were $18.1 billion US, up from $15.71 billion a year earlier, Google said, but below analyst expectations, Bloomberg noted Thursday.

Mobile-TV ruling could be harbinger of streaming regulation: Klass

The CRTC’s ruling on Thursday that BCE Inc. and Quebecor Inc.-owned Videotron can no longer exempt their mobile-TV services from data charges could have implications for the regulation of streaming services such as CraveTV and Shomi, according to the man behind the original complaint.

Some say Rogers vulnerable to ‘double cohort,’ others downplay issue

In June, wireless carriers face a higher-than-usual number of expiring contracts, as a result of the wireless code effectively banning the previously standard three-year agreements. But experts disagree on how this “double cohort” will translate into consequences for the wireless industry, which is still waiting on a court ruling to decide whether it will happen at all.

Sony cutting 1,000 more smartphone jobs: report

Sony Corp. is cutting 1,000 more jobs from its cellphone division, according to a report from the Nikkei Asian Review.

These cuts are on top of a reduction of about 1,000 positions announced in October, which Sony said at the time would be primarily in its smartphone operations, the article said.

The Nikkei report said Sony would announce a new restructuring plan when it reports earnings on Feb. 4.

It also said that Sony is expected to sell 41 million smartphones in the current fiscal year, about nine million fewer than its target.

BlackBerry boss takes aim at Netflix in neutrality battle

BlackBerry Ltd. CEO John Chen said the battle for net neutrality in the United States should not only focus on service providers' traffic management practices, but should also include companies, such as Netflix Inc., that create content distributed through the Internet.

Documents show Samsung interested in BlackBerry: report

Documents indicate Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is still interested in buying device maker BlackBerry Ltd. despite denials from both companies that a deal was in the works, the Financial Post reported on Thursday.

The newspaper said it has obtained a report by U.S. investment bank Evercore Partners prepared for Samsung that outlines the case for making a BlackBerry purchase.

New Windows will run on PCs, tablets, mobile phones

On Wednesday Microsoft Corp. announced two new devices as well as more details about the latest version of its Windows operating system, which will be the first to run cross-platform on desktops, tablets and mobile phones.

YouTube to host own Super Bowl halftime show

For the first time, Google Inc.’s YouTube streaming service is hosting a live Super Bowl halftime show of its own that will stream during the break of the NFL championship game on Feb. 1.

Hosted by Harley Morenstein, Montreal-based creator of the Epic Meal Time web series, the halftime show will be live-streamed on the same Ad Blitz channel on which YouTube hosts its Super Bowl-related content, such as pregame and halftime advertisements from major brands as well as behind-the-scenes footage and other extra content.

Ex-Microsoft exec calls out wireless industry on radiation issues

OTTAWA — The former president of Microsoft Corp.'s Canadian operations is calling on companies involved in wireless technology to be more forthcoming in addressing what he says are health risks associated with exposure to signals transmitted from various devices.

Wireless competition to intensify this year: analyst

Competition in the wireless market will “likely intensify” in the next six months, Barclays analyst Phillip Huang said in a research note Monday.

Wind promotion seen as shot against Mobilicity

Wind Mobile's offer of free wireless service to customers of Mobilicity, with unlimited data, text and calls for six months, could be an offensive move to help clear away competition for set-aside spectrum in the upcoming AWS-3 auction, analysts say.

Sony to close Canadian stores

Electronics maker and retailer Sony Corp. is closing all of its Canadian stores.

Robin Powell, a spokesman for Sony Canada, said in a phone interview that all 14 Sony outlets in Canada would shut down over the next six to eight weeks. He would not provide a reason for the closures. There had been speculation mounting this week that Sony would take some drastic measures in response to disappointing financial results in recent years.

Powell said about 90 employees are affected by the closures.

Non-consensual software installation outlawed

It became illegal Thursday to install software on another person's computer, smartphone or other device without their consent, the CRTC said.

Cogeco creating public WiFi hotspots from people’s homes

Cogeco Cable Inc. has quietly rolled out home spotting, or the use of multi-signal routers in people's homes to provide both private WiFi signals to residents and separate public signals to visitors or those in the vicinity, according to CEO Louis Audet.

Audet said in phone interview that Cogeco “started doing it in a modest way” a few months ago.

BlackBerry denies acquisition talks with Samsung

BlackBerry Ltd. has denied a report it has held talks with Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. about an acquisition.

“BlackBerry has not engaged in discussions with Samsung with respect to any possible offer to purchase BlackBerry,” the company said in a press release Wednesday. “BlackBerry's policy is not to comment on rumours or speculation, and accordingly it does not intend to comment further.”

Glentel shareholders approve Bell buyout

Wireless product retailer Glentel Inc. said Monday that its shareholders have approved a deal to be bought out by BCE Inc.

Enterprise to assume bigger role in technology adoption: Deloitte

After a decade of consumers being the trendsetters in the adoption of emerging technology, the enterprise sector will take on a bigger role in 2015 as leaders in the use of cutting-edge IT products, according to a new report from Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd.

Unlicensed spectrum eyed for easing wireless capacity crunch

As data consumption by smartphone users increases exponentially every year, wireless technology companies are looking to harness the unlicensed spectrum normally used for WiFi connections to improve cellular performance.

Most seniors not adopting smartphones: survey

While a majority of senior anglophone Canadians have cellphones, a minority have smartphones, according to a new report from Media Technology Monitor (MTM).

The report, released Wednesday, showed 63 per cent of anglophone Canadians 69 or older had cellphones, compared to 88 per cent of those younger than 69. It found that 18 per cent of seniors had smartphones, while 72 per cent of non-seniors have such technology.

The report also said 20 per cent of seniors had tablets, compared to 46 per cent of non-seniors who had them.

Mobile Internet time surpasses computer access: report

Canadians are now spending more time accessing the Internet from mobile devices than from computers, the Canadian Press reported Wednesday, based on the latest data from ComScore Inc.

A CP article said ComScore figures show 51 per cent of the time Canadians spend accessing the Internet, they are doing so using a cellphone or tablet, compared to 49 per cent of time they spend going online using a computer. That is short of the 61 per cent of Internet access in the United States that comes from mobile devices, the report added.

BlackBerry launches IOT platform, BBM for wearables

BlackBerry Inc. said Wednesday from the CES technology trade show in Las Vegas that it launched an Internet of Things (IoT) platform, and that it will make its BBM service available on smartwatches.

U.S. workers say landline phones more important than cellphones

Recently released results of a survey for the Pew Research Center showed U.S. workers ranked landline phones as more important for their jobs than cellphones but less important than email and the Internet.

The Pew report, released Dec. 30, showed email ranked as "very important" to the jobs of 61 per cent of respondents. That was followed by the Internet at 54 per cent, landline phones at 35 per cent, cell and smartphones at 24 per cent, and social networking sites at four per cent.

WhatsApp reports more than 700M users

WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum said on a Facebook post Tuesday that the service now has more than 700 million active monthly users, up from 450 million when Facebook Inc. announced its intention to purchase the mobile-messaging-app company last February.

"Additionally, every day our users now send over 30 billion messages," Koum said in his social media entry.

BlackBerry posts smaller loss on less revenue in Q3

BlackBerry Ltd. reported on Friday a smaller net loss than a year earlier, and less revenue as well, for its third-quarter.

The company posted a $148-million US loss on revenue of $793 million US in the quarter ending Nov. 29, down from a $4.4-billion US loss on revenues of $1.19 billion US in the same quarter a year earlier.

The company said in a press release the drop in revenue was offset by the lower cost of sales and lower operating expenses from marketing, administration, and research and development.

T-Mobile to allow customers to roll over data

U.S. wireless carrier T-Mobile US Inc. announced on Tuesday that it would allow customers to store unused data as part of their monthly plans in a "Data Stash" to be available to them any time for up to a year.

The company said in a press release that this option will be provided free to subscribers of its plans featuring 3 GB or more of LTE data for smartphones and 1 GM or more for tablets. It added that these stashes will be topped up with 10 GB of free LTE data once they launch in January.

Apple ordered to provide records to Competition Bureau

OTTAWA — Apple Inc.'s Canadian subsidiary has been ordered by the Federal Court to hand over records and other relevant information to help the Competition Bureau determine whether the technology company has engaged in anti-competitive practices with Canadian wireless carriers.

However, Apple's willingness to comply is in question, according the remarks made Wednesday by bureau lawyer Derek Leschinsky during the court hearing where the bureau's request was granted.

EDC provides $850M US in financing to Vodafone

Export Development Canada (EDC), a federal Crown corporation that loans money to foreign companies doing business with Canadian companies, said Tuesday it has loaned $850 million US to British-based telecommunications service provider Vodafone Group PLC.

EDC said in a press release that the financing deal "will generate important connections and new business for many Canadian companies." The release noted that Vodafone is an "important" customer of BlackBerry Ltd.

Wi-Lan buys patents for device chargers

Wi-Lan Inc., an Ottawa-based licenser of technology patents, said Monday it has acquired a portfolio of patents related to power inversion, which is a technology used for chargers of cellphones, tablets and laptops.

The company would not specify what products these patents cover and what actions it would take as a result of this new intellectual property.

Global smartphone sales up 20% in Q3: Gartner

Global smartphone sales to end users were up 20.3 per cent worldwide in this year's third quarter compared to a year earlier, technology research company Gartner Inc. said Monday.

The company said in a press release that smartphone sales amounted to 301 million in the third quarter. It said feature-phone sales were down 25 per cent, which made the overall mobile-phone market flat in the third quarter with 455.8 million sales.  A shrinking price gap between feature phones and Android-powered smartphones was cited as the reason for the trend.

Competition Bureau asks Apple to turn over records on iPhone contracts

The Competition Bureau filed an application on Tuesday in federal court to compel Apple Inc. to turn over records related to an investigation into whether the company used anti-competitive language in its contracts with wireless carriers.

Competition Bureau spokesman Greg Scott said in an email that there is no “conclusion of wrongdoing” by Apple at this time and that the Competition Tribunal hasn’t received a formal complaint on the issue.

The bureau did not list the source of the investigation.

Apple, IBM launch business application suite

Apple Inc. and International Business Machines (IBM) Corp. on Wednesday announced a new suite of business applications and cloud services for iPad and iPhone users.

The companies said in a press release that IBM MobileFirst for iOS includes applications tailored for use in telecommunications, banking, retail, insurance, financial services, air travel and government.

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.

Roam Mobility extends coverage to Mexico

Roam Mobility Inc., a provider of SIM cards for out-of-Canada mobile usage, said Tuesday it has extended its service to Mexico.

The Vancouver-based company said in a press release that, starting Dec. 10, it will offer seven-day plans for Mexico that range from $25 for 50 minutes of talk, 50 sent texts and 50 MB of data, to $125 for 200 minutes of talk, 200 sent texts and 200 MB of data. Roam said such rates are up to 95 per cent less than roaming charges from major carriers.

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.

Smartphone market growth expected to slow

International Data Corp. said Monday that growth in worldwide smartphone shipments is expected to drop from 26.3 per cent this year to 12.2 per cent next year, and even further in the years beyond that.

IDC said in a press release that it expects smartphone shipments to amount to 1.3 billion this year, rising to 1.4 billion in 2015. IDC research manager Ramon Llamas noted in a phone interview that these estimates were rounded off, thus not reflecting the full growth of more than 12 per cent in shipments expected in 2015.

BlackBerry offers iPhone holders up to $600 to buy Passport

BlackBerry Ltd. is offering up to $600 in incentives for Canadian iPhone users to purchase a BlackBerry Passport.

Video-calling on smartphones going mainstream: Gartner

More than one-third of U.S. smartphone users conduct video calls over their devices, and this activity is expected to grow in popularity around the world, technology research company Gartner Inc. said Monday.

The company said in a press release that a survey indicated that 34.6 per cent of U.S. adult smartphone users used their device for video calling, and this proportion was 53.5 per cent among those aged 18 to 24.

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.

Starbucks starts wireless charger rollout in U.S.

Starbucks Corp. announced on Tuesday it is starting a U.S. rollout of wireless charging stations in its coffee shops.

It said in a press release that about 200 locations in the San Francisco Bay area have been equipped with Powermat charging stations. They stations are located on tables and counters where devices can be placed to be charged wirelessly. It said any phone is capable of being charged this way when a Powermat Ring is plugged into it, which will be available at Starbucks stores to purchase for $9.99 US or be loaned out.

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.

BlackBerry releases new enterprise system

BlackBerry Ltd. on Thursday announced the availability of its latest system for enterprise management of mobile devices.

The new system is called BES12, which BlackBerry said in a press release "is the foundation for BlackBerry's extensive portfolio of enterprise security, productivity, and communication and collaboration services that will help organizations securely connect employees with each other and with the corporate information and machines that are required to get their jobs done."

FCC begins AWS-3 auction

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s AWS-3 auction began on Thursday.

The auction, which has a minimum price of a little more than $10 billion US and is scheduled for a single day, includes 1,614 licences in the 1695 to 1710 MHz, 1755 to 1780 MHz and 2155 to 2180 MHz bands. The 65 MHz of AWS-3, which can be used for wireless services such as LTE and LTE-Advanced, is available in a 5 MHz unpaired block as well as 5 and 10 MHz paired blocks.

Wireless code will deprive carriers of due funds: lawyer

OTTAWA — Whether the CRTC is infringing on carriers' "vested rights" was among the arguments that came up in the Federal Court of Appeal Wednesday as mobile operators challenged a key provision of the commission's wireless code.

Lawyers for the wireless carriers, the government and an advocacy group argued before a three-judge panel over whether the CRTC has the authority to impose its wireless code on all wireless contracts as of June 3, 2015, even if they were signed before the Dec. 2, 2013, implementation of the code.

Microsoft releases Lumia 535 smartphone

Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday released its new Lumia 535 smartphone.

Merchants will be allowed to deny mobile payments: report

The federal government is poised to introduce rules that would ensure retailers can opt out of accepting payments though smartphone applications while still maintaining contactless-payment processing for credit cards, the Wall Street Journal reported online Monday.

The measures would give merchants a tool to resist additional fees that credit card companies such as Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. might impose on mobile payments, given their growing popularity. Finance Minister Joe Oliver could announce the new regulations as early as this week, the article said.

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.

Eastlink to fully subsidize iPhone 6 series

Eastlink said Wednesday it will start offering the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus for no money down with two-year contracts to customers on Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island starting Friday.

The company said in a press release that the 16 GB version of Apple Inc.'s iPhone 6 will be free with voice-and-text-only packages starting at $25.63 a month on two-year contracts. The 16GB version of the iPhone 6 Plus will also be available for no money down with monthly fees starting at $30.21 on two-year contracts.