TMN Go now available for Android devices

The Movie Network said Thursday that its TMN Go app is now available for smartphones and tablets running on Google Inc.’s Android software.

The network, which is owned by BCE Inc., said in a news release that the app is for devices that run on Android 4.0 or later versions.

TMN Go had already been available for Apple Inc.’s iPhones and iPads, Samsung Electronics Co.’s Smart TVs, Blu-ray players and directly from its website, the network’s news release said.

M2M compared to Industrial Revolution, science fiction

TORONTO — The world’s most interconnected retail store isn’t in London, Paris or New York, Canadian Tire Corp. chief technology officer Eugene Roman said Wednesday, but in West Edmonton, where his company has implemented everything it knows about machine-to-machine communication.

Government wireless ads left unclear public perception: report

A study has found the federal government’s fall advertising campaign focusing on Canada’s wireless industry resonated with the public in some ways, though people were left wondering what the government was doing about the issue.

The study was based on a series of focus groups conducted by TNS Canada, under contract from Industry Canada, held to get a sense of the advertising campaign’s impact.

Google brings Chromecast to Canada, launches Android Wear

Google Inc.’s Chromecast device — which allows users to play video and audio files on their televisions while controlling the content and playing options through their mobile devices or computers — is now available in Canada, Google said Tuesday.

Development on Mobilicity sale expected in ‘near term’

Mobilicity, the startup wireless carrier in bankruptcy protection, will have information to share on its efforts to find a buyer in the “near term,” according to a court document filed this week.

‘It has an impact,’ CWTA’s Lord says of Telus exit

OTTAWA — Bernard Lord, CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, said that Telus Corp.’s decision to leave his group affects the association, though because of the way its funding is structured, that effect is not as significant as it would be for other trade associations.

“Of course, there is an impact. When you lose … your second- or third-largest member, it has an impact on an organization,” Lord told reporters Tuesday following a speech to the Canadian Club of Ottawa.

Rogers lobbied PM Harper in busy February

Rogers Communications Inc. had the ear of some of the highest officials in the federal government in early February, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Harper communicated with Rogers on Feb. 5, according to information in the federal lobbyists’ registry. The registered lobbyist is Rogers CEO Guy Laurence, though the online registry notes that he was not necessarily involved in the communication.

Consumer issues and telecommunications are listed as the topics discussed between Rogers and Harper.

Wireless price hikes help offset other discounts: Ghose

Genuity Canaccord analyst Dvai Ghose said the $5 increase that all the incumbent wireless carriers in Canada recently placed on their monthly voice-and-data share plans will help offset discounts they introduced last year to voice-and-text services.

Industry Canada lobbied AT&T, too

It will go down in history as the great telecom lobby of 2013. BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. lobbied Industry Canada to change the spectrum auction rules favouring a foreign entrant, while Industry Canada lobbied for U.S. telecom giants to come into Canada.

Bell’s customer-info tracking can’t be treated like Google’s: PIAC

BCE Inc. should not compare itself to companies like Google Inc., Facebook Inc. or LinkedIn Corp. when it comes to tracking and collecting customer information for advertising purposes, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) said.

Péladeau’s politics will have little impact on Quebecor: Barclays

Analysts from Barclays Capital said there is little risk to Quebecor Inc.’s businesses from former CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau’s candidacy for the sovereigntist Parti Québécois in the upcoming Quebec election.

A research note from Phillip Huang and Ali Pervez on Thursday said they expected no “significant impact from Péladeau’s political ambitions.”

Quebecor reports higher profits, revenue up slightly

Quebecor Inc. reported higher fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday on revenue that was slightly higher than a year earlier.

Overall revenue for the fourth quarter was $1.12 billion, up 0.5 per cent from a year earlier, Quebecor said in a press release.

Net income was $43.4 million, up from $7.1 million a year before, the company said. Adjusted earnings from continuing operations were $68 million, up from $52.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2012.

TSN launches online streaming app

BCE Inc.’s media division on Wednesday announced that online streaming of TSN content is now available to those who subscribe to the channel through TV service from either Bell or Rogers Communications Inc.

Bell Media said the service is available on the TSN Go app for Apple Inc.’s iPhones and iPads as well as devices running on Google Inc.’s Android software, and content can also be streamed online from computers.

Péladeau’s PQ affiliation could affect Quebecor’s fortunes: experts

Pierre Karl Péladeau’s decision to run for the sovereigntist Parti Québécois in the upcoming Quebec election could cause problems for the company he used to lead and of which he is still the controlling shareholder, marketing and government relations experts said.

VimpelCom under investigation by U.S., Dutch authorities

VimpelCom Ltd., the Amsterdam-based majority owner of Wind Mobile, announced on Wednesday that it is under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as well as Dutch authorities in relation to its operations in Uzbekistan.

On March 11, the company said in a press release, representatives from the government of the Netherlands, including members of the Dutch public prosecutor’s office, visited the company’s Amsterdam headquarters and told executives the company was the focus of a criminal investigation.

Collecting customer data not against Telecom Act: Bell

BCE Inc.’s collection of customer data for its targeted-advertising program doesn’t violate the Telecommunications Act, the company said in a filing to the CRTC.

Apple extends iPhone trade-in program to Canada

Apple Inc. has brought its phone trade-in program to retail stores Canada for the first time, allowing customers to trade in old iPhones in exchange for credit on the latest models.

The program, which began in the U.S. in August 2103, can net users up to $275 in store credit based on the model and condition of the phone.

VimpelCom ends talks to buy Pakistan carrier: report

VimpelCom Ltd., the majority owner of Canada’s Wind Mobile, has ended talks for the possible acquisition of Pakistan-based carrier Warid Telecom, Bloomberg reported Monday.

Warid is owned by Abu Dhabi Group and one of five mobile carriers in Pakistan, which is a level of competitiveness that has made profitability a challenge in that market, Bloomberg said.

William Aziz resigns from Canada Bread board

William Aziz has resigned as a director of the board at Canada Bread Co. Ltd., the company said in a press release Monday.

Pierre Karl Péladeau resigns after PQ announcement

Pierre Karl Péladeau has resigned from a number of Quebecor Inc. board positions following news that he intends to run as candidate for the sovereigntist Parti Québécois in the upcoming provincial election in Quebec.

A press release from Quebecor on Sunday said Péladeau had quit that morning as vice-chairman and a board member of Quebecor, and chairman and a member of the boards at Quebecor Media and TVA Group.

Bernard Lord to stay at CWTA despite OPG appointment

Bernard Lord will remain CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association despite being named chairman of Ontario Power Generation, a CWTC spokesman said.

“OPG chair is not a full-time position,” CWTA spokesman Marc Choma said in an email. “Bernard remains president and CEO of CWTA.”

Ontario’s Ministry of Energy announced Lord’s appointment on Friday. OPG is the provincially-owned generator of electricity used in most homes, businesses and institutions in Ontario.

MTS plans network upgrade for six communities

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. said it will be launching a 4G HSPA+ mobile network in six rural Manitoba communities this year, giving around 4,000 residents wireless speeds that are up to five times faster than their current CDMA network.

The communities getting the upgrades are Churchill, Ebb and Flow First Nation, Fisher River First Nation, Snow Lake, Bissett and Middlebro, MTS said in a press release Thursday.

Wind Mobile worth ‘more than zero’: Lacavera

Wind Mobile CEO Anthony Lacavera said it’s “business as usual” at his company following the decision by majority owner VimpelCom Ltd. to write down the value of its $768-million US stake in the Canadian wireless carrier.

In a financial filing on Thursday, Amsterdam-based VimpelCom said it had written down the full value of its 65 per cent stake in Wind, leading analyst Dvai Ghose of Canaccord Genuity to declare the company “all but dead” in a note to investors.

Mobile TV not undue preference, promotes Canadian content: Rogers

Rogers Communications Inc.’s mobile-TV service upholds the Broadcasting Act by making Canadian content available and is not an undue preference, the company told the CRTC Wednesday.

Telecoms offer few details on info disclosure

A group of academics has received responses from most of the telecommunications companies they questioned about practices and policies relating to sharing customer information with government authorities, though these responses did not go far in answering the questions posed to them.

Tablet market growth continues to slow: IDC

Growth in worldwide tablets sales will continue to slow this year, International Data Corp. said in a press release Thursday.

The provider of technology advisory services said it expects 19.4 per cent growth in tablet sales — including tablet-laptop hybrids — in 2014, for a total of 260.9 million units. That’s down from growth of 51.6 per cent in 2013, it said.

IDC attributed the slower growth rate largely to a maturing market where many people already have tablets and don’t feel the need to buy new ones.

CRTC refuses request to ban prepaid expiry dates

The CRTC on Wednesday denied an appeal of a section of the wireless code that allows service providers to put expiration dates on prepaid services.

Telus seeks clarity on wireless code’s application to business accounts

Telus Corp. has asked the CRTC to clarify how the wireless code applies to certain classes of business wireless accounts.

A letter from Stephen Schmidt, Telus’ vice-president of regulatory affairs, was posted on the CRTC’s website on Wednesday that said the company “is seeking a Commission determination to clarify whether certain ‘corporate plans’ should be considered individual or small business plans, making compliance with the Code mandatory for these plans.”

‘Undesirable’ spectrum now key to Rogers mobile-video plans

Rogers Communications Inc. shelled out billions in this year’s 700 MHz spectrum auction for what was once “second-class” spectrum and what could now be the most coveted wireless real estate in the country, according to Nordicity analyst Stephan Meyer.

Rogers spent $3.2 billion in the auction, the majority of which went to snapping up 20-year licences for contiguous A and B paired blocks of 700 MHz spectrum in every major wireless market in the country.

Disney signs first major OTT deal with Dish Network

Dish Network Corp. announced a deal with Walt Disney Co. that will bring content from some of the most popular channels in United States, including worldwide sports leader ESPN, to over-the-top streaming services for the first time.

Roam Mobility cards available at Best Buy, Future Shop

Roam Mobility Inc. said Tuesday that its SIM cards for roaming in the United States are now available at Best Buy and Future Shop outlets.

It said in a news release that unlimited talk-and-text plans are available for as low as $2.95 a day, with the purchase of a SIM card for $19.99, which Roam Mobility marketing director Christian Paul said in an interview are good for a year.

ACTRA, CMPA among organizations opposing Aereo

Canadian groups including the actors’ union ACTRA, the Canadian Media Production Association, and the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) have joined in filing a brief in a U.S. Supreme Court case concerning Aereo Inc.’s TV service.

U.S. studios and broadcasters are challenging Aereo’s usage of dime-sized antennas to pick up TV programming without a licence, Barry Sookman, a partner with McCarthy Tetrault in Toronto and one of the co-authors of the brief, said in a blog post Monday.

Mobile apps employment up 25% since 2012: ICTC

The number of Canadians employed in the development of mobile applications has reached 64,100, a 25 per cent increase from a previous report in October 2012, the Information and Communications Technology Council said Monday.

ICTC expects that number to top 110,000 by 2019, it said in a press release.

Enterprises that develop apps generate $1.7 billion in revenue each year, a number expected to increase to $5.2 billion by 2019, ICTC said.

Canadian TV subs fall for first time

A compilation of 2013 year-end data from Canada’s major telecommunications companies verifies suspicions that it was the first year on record in which TV subscriptions in Canada declined.

SaskTel to spend $55M on fibre-to-home this year

SaskTel said it plans to spend $55 million on its fibre-to-the-home program this year, with a focus on adding 18,000 customers to its fibre-optic network service, known as InfiNet.

The $55 million is part of plans to spend about $322 million on capital expenditures in 2014, announced in a release Thursday.

Also among its spending plans this year, SaskTel said it will spend $36.8 million on upgrades to its wireless network, including $1.8 million to expand its LTE network.

‘We are not the same,’ Telus exec says on leaving CWTA

Telus Corp. has pulled out of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), the main trade association and lobbying group for companies associated with the mobile-communications industry.

Ted Woodhead, vice-president of regulatory affairs at Telus, said his company helped found the CWTA in the 1980s to promote the wireless industry and that goal has been reached.

Amdocs disputes Mobilicity’s characterization of agreement

Amdocs Inc. said in an affidavit filed this week in Mobilicity’s bankruptcy-protection proceedings that the wireless provider has made “incorrect” interpretations about the agreement between the two companies as a court battle continues over payments Amdocs is seeking.

Industry Canada calls for input on antenna-tower rules

NextWave spectrum could revert to government after blocked sale

Industry Minister James Moore blocked a spectrum-transfer request on Thursday between NextWave Wireless Inc. and a joint venture between two of Canada’s incumbent carriers, a decision that could see ownership of the spectrum revert back to the government.

Shaw launches on-demand viewing of History

Shaw Communications Inc. said Thursday it has launched a mobile app and upgraded the website for its History channel to allow its subscribers on-demand viewing of almost 300 hours of programming.

Shaw said in a press release the History Go application is available for users of Apple Inc.’s iPhones and smartphones powered by Google Inc.’s Android software. The on-demand service can also be accessed at history.ca.

BlackBerry CEO would consider selling BBM: reports

BlackBerry Ltd. CEO John Chen said Tuesday he would consider selling BBM, the company’s messaging service, according to different media reports Tuesday.

CNBC quoted Chen in an interview as saying: "If somebody comes to me with $19 billion, I would definitely sell it. I would recommend to the board to take it."

Extension of creditor protection approved for Mobilicity

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Tuesday said it has approved Mobilicity’s request for an extension of its creditor protection until March 31.

PIAC asks court to set aside cancellation fees in wireless code appeal

The question of cancellation fees for wireless customers should be set aside in carriers’ appeal of the CRTC’s wireless code, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre said in a court filing on Friday.

Mobilicity seeks creditor protection until March 31

Mobilicity is seeking to extend its creditor protection until March 31, according to a report on the website of its court-appointed monitor, Ernst & Young.

The report from Ernst & Young, dated Feb. 20, recommends that the court approve this extension of the stay period, currently set to expire Feb. 26.  The document said the request is being made “in order to provide the Applicants with time to complete the Sale Process and bring forward a transaction or transactions for this Court’s approval.”

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.

BlackBerry makes BBM available for Windows, Nokia phones

BlackBerry Ltd. said Monday that its BBM instant-messaging service would become available to users of Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Phones and Nokia Corp.’s X smartphones.

BlackBerry made the announcement from the Mobile World Congress, happening in Barcelona, Spain, this week.

CRTC rebuts claims it overstepped with wireless code

The CRTC not only has the right to implement its consumer-friendly wireless code, but its powers extend to the so-far-unused ability to determine prices within the wireless industry, the commission said in a response filed Thursday to a court challenge from some of Canada’s biggest telecoms companies.

Public Mobile changing unlimited data plans to 1 GB limit

Public Mobile says on its website that it is eliminating its unlimited wireless plans.

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.

Videotron reduces international roaming rates

Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron unit said Wednesday it was reducing roaming rates for customers travelling to the United States, Europe and the Caribbean.

It said data roaming rates for the U.S. have been cut to 15 cents per megabyte from 40 cents, which harmonizes it with Videotron's data roaming rates within Canada. It said the data roaming rate for Europe has been cut to 60 cents per MB from $1. In the Caribbean, it said both its data and voice rates have been cut by half, to $1 per MB and 60 cents per minute, respectively.

Mobilicity counters claim from Amdocs

Mobilicity has filed an affidavit in court challenging claims for payment from one of its suppliers.

CRTC looks into competition in wholesale wireless services

The CRTC said Thursday it has launched a public consultation into the competitiveness of the wholesale wireless market in Canada.

The commission said in a press release it is seeking comments on the state of roaming agreements and tower sharing between Canadian wireless carriers, the impact this has on the retail market and whether more regulation should be implemented if the CRTC finds the market is not sufficiently competitive.

Rogers spends billions on spectrum, focuses on A, B pairings

OTTAWA — More than half the money raised in the government’s 700 MHz auction of wireless spectrum came from Rogers Communications Inc., which invested heavily in two key blocks in regions across the country.

The company, which spent nearly $3.3 billion in the auction, avoided most of the prime C, C1, and C2 blocks of the 700 MHz spectrum to spend heavily on 18 licences for A and B blocks paired together regionally.

All told, the company walked away with 22 licences for spectrum blocks across the country.

Mobilicity to ask for creditor-protection extension

Mobilicity will be asking for an extension of its creditor protection.

An official involved in its court-monitored bankruptcy protection process told The Wire Report by phone on background that an affidavit was likely to be filed Wednesday or Thursday, in which Mobilicity will indicate it intends to appear in court on Feb. 26 — the day the previous extension was to expire — to ask for another one.

The official was unclear on the length of the requested extension.

Rogers launches smartphone upgrade offer

Rogers Communications Inc. has launched a new program to allow customers to get new smartphones every 12 months.

Subscribers to the Rogers Next program, who are on a two-year term, pay an extra $24.99 per month for the right to upgrade to a new smartphone after 12 months with no extra charges for the new phone or connection fees, provided the phone’s subsidized cost is less than $250, Rogers said in a press release Wednesday. If the cost is more than $250, the customer pays the difference.

700 MHz auction results coming Wednesday

Industry Minister James Moore will announce the results of the government’s 700 MHz spectrum auction Wednesday afternoon in Ottawa, the federal government said Tuesday.

The auction opened Jan. 14 and was a chance for wireless incumbents and new entrants to get access to new airwaves that would allow them to deliver the latest gadgets at the fastest speeds.

Blackberry CEO John Chen slams “inappropriate” T-Mobile offer

BlackBerry Ltd. CEO John Chen said in a blog post Tuesday he was “outraged” at T-Mobile US Inc. after the U.S. carrier sent a targeted email to BlackBerry users last week offering them a deal if they switched to an Apple iPhone 5S.

In a posting on the BlackBerry website, Chen said the offer, which was billed as “a great offer for BlackBerry customers,” was “clearly inappropriate and ill-conceived.”

Rakuten buys Viber Media for $900M US

Rakuten Inc., a Tokyo-based provider of e-commerce and financial services, said Friday it is buying Viber Media Ltd., a provider of voice-over-IP (VoIP) and messaging services, for $900 million US.

Rakuten said in a press release the addition of Viber would strengthen its own business “through the use of Viber’s range of customers in the company’s e-commerce and digital-contents services.”

CRTC asks wireless industry for more roaming data

The CRTC sent a request to wireless firms across the country this week asking for more information on their roaming agreements with other carriers.

Telus keeps lead over Bell in wireless subs

For the second straight quarter, Telus Corp. reported a higher number of wireless subscribers than BCE Inc.

In its fourth-quarter data, Telus said it had 7,807,000 wireless subscribers by quarter’s end, which included 6,751,000 postpaid customers. That compared to the 7,778,334 million wireless subscribers Bell reported for the same period, which factored in 6,677,692 postpaid subscribers.

Telus working on Public Mobile integration

Telus Corp. is “assessing” the pricing plans it makes available to Public Mobile subscribers as it works to migrate those customers onto its LTE network this year, the company’s chief commercial officer said.

“We are assessing Public Mobile pricing right now and looking at product offerings,” Joe Natale, Telus’ executive vice-president and chief commercial officer, said Thursday in a conference call with analysts to discuss the company’s fourth quarter results.

Moore backs down from four-carrier policy: CP

The Canadian Press reported that Industry Minister James Moore has backed off on the government’s commitment to having a fourth strong wireless carrier in every region of the country.

In an interview Wednesday, Moore said: “Whatever dynamic emerges that the marketplace can support, the marketplace will decide that.”

Android, Apple account for 95.7% of smartphone market: IDC

Google Inc.’s Android operating system and Apple Inc.’s iOS software powered 95.7 per cent of the smartphones shipped globally in 2013’s third quarter, a report released Wednesday showed.

That market share was up from 91.2 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2012, International Data Corp. said in a release. For 2013 overall, these two operating systems were found in 93.8 per cent of all smartphones shipped, up from 87.7 per cent in 2012, it said.

Hockey broadcast costs cut into Rogers’ profit

Rogers Communications Inc. reported lower fourth-quarter profits on Wednesday, and attributed some of the decline to costs associated with broadcasting more hockey games.

The company reported net income, adjusted for non-recurring items, fell to $357 million from $448 million. That was partially due to “incremental costs associated with broadcasting significantly more hockey games compared to last year,” Rogers said in a press release.

CRTC to get power to fine telecoms: Budget 2014

OTTAWA — The federal government will propose amendments to Canada's telecommunications laws to “clarify” prohibitions against breaking Industry Canada's spectrum auction rules and to give the CRTC new powers to fine and regulate telecom providers, the government's budget said.

Bell reduces roaming prices for Cuba

BCE Inc. said that, as of Tuesday, its wireless customers would see “significant decreases” in the cost of roaming in Cuba.

Bell said in a release Monday that, for roaming packages bought in advance, data usage in Cuba is as low 60 cents per megabyte, voice is as low as 50 cents a minute and texts can be as cheap as 15 cents each. For just voice and text, it said customers can get 60 minutes of voice, unlimited incoming texts and 200 outgoing texts for $45.

Incumbents’ wholesale roaming rates ‘unjust’: competition commish

Canadian Competition Commissioner John Pecman called the roaming rates incumbent wireless firms charge new entrants “unjust” and repeated the Competition Bureau’s call for the CRTC to regulate wholesale roaming rates.

Rules could stymie inquiry of telecoms’ info disclosure to government

Chris Parsons suspects he won’t get the answers he’s looking for.

At the very least he’s hoping the public will soon know why.

Andrew Bocking leaves BlackBerry’s BBM unit

BlackBerry Ltd. confirmed Monday that Andrew Stocking has left his post as executive vice-president of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM).

His LinkedIn profile shows that he’s held that position since June last year, and has been an employee of BlackBerry and its predecessor, Research In Motion Ltd., since 2000.

BlackBerry spokeswoman Kim Geiger said in an emailed statement that Bocking “made the decision to leave BlackBerry. We thank him for his years of leadership and contribution.”

Industry Canada website takes credit for wireless code in ‘error’

Industry Canada’s website was indicating Monday morning that the department was responsible for measures contained in the wireless code, which was introduced last year by the CRTC.

However, the website was changed later that morning to take out any reference to Industry Canada being a source of wireless code provisions.

“It was just a publishing error,” spokesman Derek Mellon said in a phone interview.

MTS reports lower fourth quarter, year-end numbers

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. released on Thursday lower earnings and revenue for both the fourth quarter and 2013 as a whole.

The company’s press release indicated quarterly net earnings fell to $16.2 million from $29.5 million one year earlier. Its revenue for the quarter was down 1.1 per cent to $408.5 million.

Videotron wireless subs hit 500,000

Quebecor Inc. subsidiary Videotron now has 500,000 wireless customers, the company said in a press release.

Glentel announces millions of dollars in contracts

Glentel Inc., a Burnaby, B.C.-based provider of wireless technology, said Thursday it has secured several large contracts, ranging in value from $2 million to $7.5 million, to be completed this year.

Wireline data gains ‘highlight’ of Q4: BCE’s Cope

BCE Inc. CEO George Cope called the company’s wireline data revenue growth the “highlight” of its fourth-quarter results, released Thursday.

“From my perspective, the highlight of the quarter is the data revenue growth in wireline of four per cent,” Cope said in a conference call with analysts.

Wireline data revenue came in at $1.51 billion during the quarter, BCE said in a press release, driven by services to businesses and higher residential revenue from Internet and television customers. 

New regulations close tower-site ‘loopholes,’ Moore says

OTTAWA — Industry Canada is updating its wireless tower-site rules to remove “loopholes” that allowed wireless providers to build shorter towers without first consulting local community members, Industry Minister James Moore said.

Canadian mobile data traffic, speeds up almost 100% in 2013: Cisco

The average mobile connection speed of Canadian smartphones nearly doubled in 2013, climbing to more than 10 Mbps, Cisco Systems Inc. said in a new report released Wednesday.

In Canadian highlights for an annual update of its Visual Networking Index data usage summary, Cisco said the average smartphone connection speed in Canada in 2013 reached 10,777 kbps, or 10.5 Mbps, up from 5,824 kbps, or about 5.7 Mbps, in 2012.

TeraGo names Joe Prodan chief financial officer

TeraGo Inc., a provider of online, data and voice services, said Tuesday it has appointed Joe Prodan as chief financial officer.

Telus releases CIBC Mobile Payment App

Telus Corp. said Tuesday it has released an application that allows its mobile customers to make payments with a Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce credit card through their wireless devices.

Telus said the CIBC Mobile Payment App would be available for download from Google Play on Tuesday, for Samsung Electronics Co.’s Galaxy S4, SIII and Note II, as well as HTC Corp.’s One smartphone.

Rogers unveils Mobile Shopper feature

Rogers Communications Inc. on Tuesday unveiled a new feature for mobile customers that it said would facilitate getting relevant information to participating users when visiting participating retail establishments.

It said the feature would also give retail operations data on customer movements and facilitate payments with cellphones.

Telecom, media industries see opportunities in connected cars

While mobile devices have allowed Canadians to stay connected to the Internet when they’re on the go, the coming emergence of Internet-connected vehicles will soon allow their cars to do the same.

This means cars, trucks, vans and SUVs could, in the near future, be letting their drivers know when they need to be taken to a mechanic, while also providing the driver access to dashboard apps like music streaming and online maps, and allowing passengers to catch up on TV shows they missed.

CRTC combines mobile-TV complaints

The CRTC is combining three complaints about wireless providers’ mobile-TV services and will consider all three complaints under a single proceeding, the commission said.

Google to sell Motorola Mobility

Google Inc. said Wednesday it has reached a deal to sell Motorola Mobility LCC to Lenovo Group Ltd. for $2.91 billion US.

Google CEO Larry Page said in a blog post Wednesday that the smartphone business is “super competitive, and to thrive it helps to be all-in when it comes to making mobile devices.”

He said added that Motorola will be “better served” by Lenovo, a China-based computer manufacturer, which Page added “has a rapidly growing smartphone business.”

Roaming arrangements like Survivor alliances, consultant tells CRTC

Comments made to the CRTC as part of its review of domestic roaming rates paint a picture of different alliances made among Canadian wireless carriers — reminiscent of the TV show Survivor — with difficult circumstances facing those who find themselves on the outside of these relationships.

Growth in tablet shipments slowed last quarter: IDC

New data from International Data Corp. suggests a slowdown in growth of the global tablet market.

IDC said in a release Wednesday there were 76.9 million tablet shipments around the world in the fourth quarter of 2013, a gain of 28.2 per cent from a year earlier.

IDC said in the release that while that growth is “impressive,” it’s “down dramatically” from a year earlier, when the year-to-year growth of tablet shipments in the fourth quarter of 2012 was 87.1 per cent.

More households went mobile-only in 2012: StatsCan

The percentage of Canadian households saying they use just a cellphone and no landline rose to 15.7 per cent in 2012, according to Statistics Canada’s survey of household spending for that year, which was released Wednesday

That was up from 12.8 per cent 2011, the federal agency said in a release.

The data showed that 81.4 per cent of households reported having at least one cellphone. The previous year’s release put that figure at 79.4 per cent.

Telus, Quebecor leading bidders for Mobilicity: report

Telus Corp. and Quebecor Inc. are the leading bidders for Mobilicity, the new-entrant wireless carrier that’s been in bankruptcy protection since September, according to an article in the Globe and Mail.

High roaming rates ‘likely’ hurting competition, says bureau

The Competition Bureau said high roaming rates charged to domestic wireless competitors are “likely” hurting the level of wireless competition in Canada.

On Wednesday, the bureau said in a release that “Canada’s largest wireless companies have an incentive to use high mobile wireless roaming rates to ensure that new entrants are not, and do not become, fully effective competitors.

Eliminate charges for cellphone calls to helplines: PIAC

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) is asking the CRTC to eliminate cellphone charges for calls to helplines and crisis lines.

PIAC, together with the non-profit organization Chimo Community Services, made the request in an application filed with the CRTC Wednesday, the groups said in a press release.

The release said that calls to local or 1-800 or 1-888 helpline numbers are currently free for those calling from landlines.