Rogers introduces new IT service for businesses

Rogers Communications Inc. announced Thursday that it has introduced a cloud-network service for businesses to manage their IT technology and infrastructure.

Regulators will eventually embrace MVNOs: Audet

Cogeco Cable Inc. CEO Louis Audet said Tuesday he believes Canada's telecommunications regulators will come around to mandating access for mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), notwithstanding the CRTC's decision on the wholesale wireless market this year that featured few new provisions for this kind of operation.

Audet was addressing the company's ongoing expansion of WiFi hotspots at the Bank of Montreal's media and telecom conference in Toronto, when the idea of using these facilities to provide mobile service came up.

AT&T announces first plug-in WiFi hotspot device for vehicles

U.S. wireless carrier AT&T said Tuesday that it has partnered with ZTE Corp.’s U.S. division to offer the first plug-in vehicle WiFi hotspot device.

The device, called ZTE Mobley, can be plugged into a car’s on-board diagnostics II port and once the vehicle is turned on it will power the device and create a WiFi connection, AT&T said in a press release. It also noted that ZTE Mobley is compatible with most vehicles 1996 and newer, and will allow up to five devices to connect to the Internet and use the hotspot data plan.

Visually attractive equipment prioritized in WiFi deployment

WiFi hardware is increasingly being designed to blend in with the surrounding environment or be more esthetically pleasing, and the providers of such technology say they are able to do so without compromising on the quality of network connections.

T-Mobile launches video calling

T-Mobile US Inc. is making video calling available to its customers, its chief technology officer Neville Ray said in a blog post Thursday.

“Of course, there are apps that do video calling. But this isn’t another app. T-Mobile Video Calling represents a huge step forward in how Americans make mobile phone calls,” Ray wrote.

He said that to make calls, viewers will choose between the voice call and video call buttons on their phones without having to download or install an app.

Google releases new WiFi router

Google Inc., in partnership with TP-LINK Technologies Co. Ltd., announced Tuesday it is launching a new WiFi router that it says will provide faster and more efficient Internet connections.

FCC expands unlicensed use of spectrum

The FCC announced Thursday it is adopting new rules to accommodate unlicensed use of devices in the 600 MHz spectrum bandwidth and TV broadcast bands, while protecting interruptions or interference it may cause with licensed TV services.

The U.S. regulator said in a press release that unlicensed uses, including the use of garage door openers, cordless phones, products related to the Internet of Things (IoT), and others operating on WiFi or Bluetooth signals, were added to rules regarding these spectrum categories.

Gig speeds mainly about marketing for now: analyst

Canadian companies’ recent embrace of gigabit Internet isn’t meeting a need that exists in the market, but it is setting telecoms up for the day customers start demanding such speeds, according to Greg MacDonald, telecommunications analyst with Macquarie Capital Markets.

“I think a lot of it is marketing to date,” he said in a phone interview. “There are not a lot of households, even, let alone individuals that will use a gigabyte speed. Having said that, if you look at the usage patterns, they’re going up fairly substantially.”

Digital activists push for free wireless Internet for all

A movement is underway to make wireless Internet access ubiquitous and free in most urban environments, with people's home routers as the source of these public connections.

The people behind this idea have a few specific goals in mind to help their vision become reality: creating a highly secure router that efficiently divides a home's private network from that accessible to the public, and convincing people that using such technology is worth their while.

Openface to be main WiFi provider in Montreal project

Openface Internet announced Thursday it will provide the main bandwidth to power a public WiFi project in Montreal.

The company, based in Montreal, said in a press release it will provide a 20 Gbps Internet connection, following an agreement made with Palais des congrès in Montreal.

Free WiFi launched in Old Montreal

The City of Montreal has started deploying free WiFi in parts of Montreal, according to a notice on its website.

It said the service launched in Old Montreal and some surrounding areas on Thursday after getting funding from the Quebec government and Montreal en Histoires, an organization that helps promote the tourism in the city.  

The launch is part of the Montreal Action Plan 2015-2017, which was announced on May 6 and includes 70 projects in total. The aim of the plan is to turn the City of Montreal into digital smart city, the city says on its website.

Privacy issues around wearables come into view

As wearable technology moves further into the mainstream, thoughts are turning toward how individual privacy can be protected with such devices that track and transmit information as personal as health data and real-time location.

Among the projects the Office of the Privacy Commissioner is slated to tackle over the next year is an analysis of fitness-tracker privacy and security.

Committee calls for more research into wireless health effects

The House of Commons health committee is recommending that government consider more funding for researching links between wireless technology and health conditions such as cancer.

As a result of meetings held on the issue between March and April, the committee released a report on Wednesday that included a dozen recommendations.

60% of mobile data on WiFi by 2019: Juniper Research

Almost 60 per cent of the data generated globally by smartphones and tablets will be offloaded to WiFi networks by 2019, Juniper Research Ltd. said Tuesday.

Juniper said in a press release that more than 115,000 petabytes from mobile devices will be offloaded in 2019, up from less than 30,000 PB this year.

Telus announces 8,000 free WiFi hotspots for West

Telus Corp. announced on Monday that it will provide free WiFi at more than 8,000 hotspots throughout British Columbia and Alberta.

These are provinces where Telus competes with Shaw Communications Inc. in the provision of landline phone, Internet and television services. Shaw operates more than 60,000 hotspots in Western Canada, according to its website.

Shaw's hotspots are mostly for its own Internet customers, though it also partners with several municipalities to provide free WiFi to the general public.

Time Warner Cable expands U.S. public WiFi

Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC), announced Thursday that its outdoor WiFi hotspot network will expand to three more cities in the U.S.

It said in a press release that the addition of Dallas and San Antonio, Texas, and Raleigh, N.C., will grow its WiFi network to nearly 100,000 hotspots. It also said the Cable WiFi network, which it operates in partnership with other service providers, is at about 400,000 hotspots.

TWC said the service is available for no extra charge to customers of certain tiers of its home Internet service.

Charter announces deal to buy Timer Warner Cable

Charter Communications Inc. announced Tuesday it is acquiring Time Warner Cable Inc. for $78.7 billion US, including the assumption of debt.

At the same time, Charter Communications said in a press release that it is buying a majoriy Bright House Networks LLC for $10.4 billion US.

Charter CEO Tom Rutledge said in the release that the new union of the three companies will bring new and innovative ideas to create better products to benefit 23.9 million customers spanning 41 states across the United States.

Tablet market continues shipment decline: IDC

The global tablet market saw its second straight year-over-year decline in shipments in the first quarter of 2015, International Data Corp. said Thursday.

The technology research company said in a press release that companies shipped 47.1 million tablets in the first quarter, down 5.9 per cent from a year earlier.

Jean Philippe Bouchard, IDC's research director for the tablet market, said that certain types of tablets are seeing growth, such as those equipped to run on cellular networks.

Wireless health damage as certain as human-caused climate change: scientist

OTTAWA — A U.S. scientist who was part of a team that won a Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore in 2007 for their work on climate change told a Canadian parliamentary committee on Tuesday that evidence linking wireless radiation to various health ailments is at least as convincing as the evidence linking global warming to greenhouse gases.

Google launches wireless service in U.S.

Google Inc. on Wednesday announced it has launched a wireless service in the United States, partnering with T-Mobile U.S. Inc. and Sprint Corp. for coverage on their networks.

A website for Google's new service, called Project Fi, showed it is available in most major markets across the U.S. Nick Fox, Google's vice-president of communications products, said in a blog post that text-and-talk service is available for $20 US a month, and data costs $10 US per GB. He said customers will get credit for unused data.

Shaw names Vito Culmone as CFO

Shaw Communications Inc. said Tuesday it has named Vito Culmone as its executive vice-president and chief financial officer.

The appointment is effective June 1, the company said in a press release.

Culmone’s most recent position was as chief financial officer for WestJet Airlines Ltd., and he has also worked at Molson Inc. and PricewaterhouseCoopers, it added.

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.

Shaw partners with B.C. city to provide free WiFi

Shaw Communications Inc. has partnered with the City of Port Coquitlam, B.C., to bring free WiFi to the city’s parks and public facilities, the city and company announced Monday.

Under the five-year agreement, Shaw will provide its Go WiFi service in these public spots, accessible to all regardless of whether they are Shaw customers or not.

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.

Shaw shutting call-centre operations in 3 cities

Shaw Communications Inc. said Wednesday it is shutting down call-centre operations in Edmonton, Calgary and Kelowna, B.C., with about 1,600 workers at these locations having a choice of whether to move, assume a different position or take a buyout.

The company said in a press release that it will realign its customer service along "centres of expertise," including technical service, sales and billing, loyalty care, technical field support, e-care, payment solutions and satellite operations.

Super WiFi ‘exciting new area’ for wireless: spectrum expert

Industry Canada’s announcement last week that it is opening up TV white space for the use of "super WiFi" technology could improve broadband availability in rural areas and has the potential be used for Internet of Things connectivity, experts say.

Government looks to TV white space to connect rural Canadians

Industry Canada said Thursday it was moving forward with initiatives it says will provide new opportunities for rural Canadians to access "WiFi-like services" through the use of TV white space.

It said in a press release that use of underused spectrum, traditionally used for TV broadcasting, can provide broadband Internet signals that are "similar to WiFi."

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.

Montreal to build public WiFi, promote FTTH

Montreal will support public WiFi and fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) connections in a three-year plan.

The document, presented by the municipal government Thursday, said the city plans to develop “ultra high speed multiservice telecom infrastructure,” including free public WiFi across the island of Montreal. The plan also said the city will support “access to ultra high speed last mile telecom services for homes and businesses,” which it defined as “Internet service generally provided over fibre optic lines.”

Shaw enters partnership with Canada Games

Shaw Communications Inc. said Friday it has entered into a partnership with the Canada Games for the next three events to take place in 2015, 2017 and 2019.

Shaw will be the official telecommunications provider for the games, and provide “cash and in-kind support,” the company said in a press release.

“Shaw will also provide spectators and athletes with complementary guest access to its Shaw Go WiFi network throughout the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George [B.C.],” the press release added.

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.

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.

New York City to replace payphones with WiFi hubs

New York City will replace its payphones with a free WiFi network, the mayor’s office said in a press release.

The network, called LinkNYC, will cover all five boroughs and will generate $500 million in advertising revenues for the city over the next 12 years, according to the Monday release.

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.

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

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

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

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

Marriott fined $600K for WiFi blocking

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said Friday that it has fined hotel operator Marriott International Inc. $600,000 US for deliberately blocking people's access to personal WiFi hotspots at a convention area in Nashville, while charging as much as $1,000 per device for access to the hotel's WiFi network.

The FCC said it launched an investigation in response to a complaint received in March 2013 from an individual who claimed Marriott staff were "jamming mobile hotspots so you can't use them in the convention space."

Shaw CFO Steve Willson to retire

Shaw Communications Inc. said Wednesday that Steve Wilson, its executive vice-president of corporate development and chief financial officer, will retire next year.

It said in a press release that Wilson, who has been the company’s CFO for a decade, would stay on for the rest of the year in a “transitional phase.”

Wi-Fi Alliance celebrates 15-year anniversary

The Wi-Fi Alliance, a non-profit organization that certifies products capable of operating on WiFi connections, announced Monday that it is now 15 years old.

The organization said in a press release its six founding companies in 1999 have since grown into a group that now includes almost 650 companies.

The alliance said that about two billion WiFi products were sold last year, and that figure will amount to more than four billion by 2020. It added that WiFi is now used in about 25 per cent of homes around the world.

Shaw gives Ontario city free WiFi preview

Shaw Communications Inc. said Monday it would provide free access to its WiFi network in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., until Sept. 14.

The company said in a press release that people in the northern Ontario city can enjoy access to almost 900 hotspots, whether or not they are Shaw customers, for the next few weeks.

Ikea bringing WiFi to Canadian stores

Ikea Canada said Thursday that it will be launching free WiFi service in stores throughout Canada.

The furniture retailer said in a press release that the service would allow customers to view the mobile version of its website and or download its shopping app. Among other things, it said such features would give shoppers the option of making direct purchases online while browsing in-store.

Ikea said this service has already been rolled out in the Toronto area and would be launching in other Canadian outlets over the next month. 

Devicescape helps carriers tap into public WiFi resources

Devicescape Software Inc. is a California-based company that is trying to sell wireless carriers on the potential of using the multitude of free WiFi hotspots in existence to their benefit.

The company's product causes smartphones to automatically link to freely offered WiFi networks, without the user having to perform the manual tasks that are typically required to connect to hotspots.

Telus to provide WiFi at Ottawa CFL stadium

The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, which owns the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks, said this week it has reached a 10-year deal with Telus Corp. to provide, among other things, free WiFi at the Redblacks' home stadium.

OSEG said in a posting on the Redblacks' website Monday that Telus is the "official communications supplier" for TD Place, the team's newly renovated stadium.

WiFi hotpots coming to homes near you

Telecommunications providers are discovering an untapped resource in their quest to provide customers with more opportunities to get online, and that resource is other people's homes.

Service providers in the United States and Europe have begun making use of multi-signal routers in people's homes that can give private WiFi access to the people who live there and provide a separate public signal to visitors or those in the vicinity. It's a process known as "home spotting."

Physicians speak out on wireless exposure

A group of physicians on Wednesday presented Health Canada with a letter asking it to take stronger action to protect people against the effects of radiation from wireless signals, including from cellphone towers and WiFi networks.

Canadian IP traffic to expand 2.4 times by 2018: Cisco

Data transmitted over Internet protocol networks with devices in Canada will be about 2.4 times more in 2018 than what it was last year, according to a new report from Cisco Systems Inc.

Highlights of Canadian figures from Cisco's latest Visual Networking Index show IP traffic in Canada will reach a total of 42.3 exabytes (about 42.3 billion gigabytes) in 2018, compared to 17.4 exabytes in 2013. That represents average annual growth of 19 per cent between now and 2018, Cisco said.

Bell, Videotron offer high-end WiFi routers

BCE Inc. and Quebecor Inc.'s Videotron have both announced the availability of new high-performance, multi-device WiFi routers available to its customers for an extra cost.

On Monday, Bell said in a press release that its Fibe customers could purchase a router for $199.95 that's ideal for households with multiple devices. Bell said it delivers speeds up to three times faster than what's typical for home WiFi routers.

WiFi could help wireless industry, consultant says

WiFi is not necessarily a friend of mobile carriers, though it could be, according to a Denmark-based industry consultant who’s hosting an international summit on WiFi in mid-June.

Distributel introduces first ever Wi-Fi enabled bus in Montreal

Independent Internet service provider Distributel Communications Inc. announced Thursday the launch of what it said was Montreal’s first WiFi bus.

Société de transport de Montréal (STM) passengers had the opportunity to connect to the WiFi offered on the designated buses as of Thursday, according to a press release from Distributel.

Cities in B.C., Quebec getting free WiFi

Two Canadian cities have been granted free WiFi in separate arrangements involving Shaw Communications Inc. and Cogeco Cable Inc.

Shaw said in a press release Wednesday that under a five-year agreement with the City of Penticton in British Columbia, its Go WiFi service will become available in the coming months to the general public in public locations, such as city hall, several parks and other community buildings.

Parks Canada looking for WiFi providers

Parks Canada has issued a public tender for suppliers of equipment and service to provide WiFi access to visitors of national parks and historic sites.

Google working on smartphone with replaceable parts

Google Inc. on Wednesday finished a two-day developer conference about its plans for a smartphone with replaceable parts.

An article published Tuesday on the PCWorld website said the phone, dubbed Project Ara, will have removable parts such as a processor, a display, battery and camera.

An article appearing Wednesday on the website for Wired said having removable components could lead to longer lifespans for the smartphones. 

Air Canada to expand WiFi capacity

Air Canada said Wednesday that it would begin equipping the rest of its North American fleet with WiFi capabilities next month.

The airline said in a press release it already has two planes equipped with WiFi. Subject to a final agreement with WiFi service-provider Gogo Inc., Air Canada said it will equip the rest of its fleet of 130 planes that service North American locations by the end of 2015.

Avaya architect pleased with network performance in Sochi

The Canadian who led the efforts of Avaya Inc. to build the communications network for use by athletes, journalists, volunteers and others directly involved with the recent Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, said the project was a success.

“We’re pretty proud at how it went, from an Avaya perspective,” Dean Frohwerk, Avaya’s director of technical architects, said in a phone interview.

Companies bet on finding profits in free public WiFi

Local authorities in some of Canada’s major cities are arranging to have communications infrastructure installed for use by their citizens, and these projects have something in common — public money is not part of the deal.

WestJet to offer in-flight WiFi

WestJet Airlines Ltd. will begin to offer in-flight WiFi and Internet access this year thanks to a multi-year deal between the low-cost carrier and Panasonic Corp.’s avionics division.

The deal, announced in a Feb. 14 press release, will see Panasonic install all-new entertainment systems that provide paid wireless Internet access via satellite as well as a mix of free and paid content streamed from a server located on the plane itself.

Despite challenges, 5G wireless could arrive by 2020

Though all the possibilities that 4G wireless technology presents still haven’t been fully explored, industry experts gathered in Ottawa on Wednesday to look ahead at the next generation of wireless networks and discuss what 5G mobility will be like.

The commercial availability of 5G networks is expected around 2020, Wen Tong, an Ottawa-based fellow with Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., said at the 5G@Canada Roundtable, organized by the global Chinese telecom company.

Shaw opens WiFi network to flood victims

Shaw Communications Inc. is allowing flood-affected Albertans to use its Western Canada WiFi network, even if they don't subscribe to the company's services, Shaw said.

Shaw, which began rolling out a WiFi network in 2011 across parts of Alberta and British Columbia, said in a release Friday that it will make that network available in southern Alberta to non-subscribers as the region recovers from heavy floods last week.

WiFi offloading growing faster than expected: Sandvine

Mobile wireless subscribers offloaded their Internet traffic onto fixed, or wireline, WiFi networks at a much higher rate than forecasted, Sandvine Inc. said in a new report.

Sandvine's “Global Internet Phenomena Report,” released Tuesday, said “home roaming,” or when users offload mobile traffic onto WiFi networks, continued to grow globally in the first half of 2013 as traffic generated by smartphones and tablets climbed to over 20 per cent of all traffic on North America’s fixed networks.

FCC to release more spectrum for WiFi

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will free more spectrum for WiFi to improve network speeds and help relieve congestion, Julius Genachowski, chairman of the FCC, said Wednesday.

Genachowski made the comment during an on-stage interview at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, according to a transcript posted on the technology news site Engadget.

New WiGig technology to revolutionize wireless in the home, tech experts say

Emerging WiGig technology will eliminate the need for wires to complete short-range, high-speed file transfers and change the way consumers move videos and other large files between devices, technology experts say.

The new technology, now being developed by international organization the WiGig Alliance, will offer short-range, wireless data transfers at speeds of up to 7 Gbps, Ali Sadri, the organization’s president, said in an interview. He said that is substantially faster than typical WiFi connections.

Shaw seeks to join U.S. WiFi consortium

Shaw Communications Inc. is interested in joining a U.S. consortium of cable companies that have agreed to let each other’s customers roam freely on their WiFi networks, Brad Shaw, the company’s CEO, said Wednesday.