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TELECOM UPDATE
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published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group
http://www.angustel.ca
Number 512: January 13, 2006
Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous
financial support from:
** AVAYA: www.avaya.ca/
** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca
** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca/
** ERICSSON: www.ericsson.ca
** MICROSOFT CANADA: www.microsoft.com/canada/telecom/
** MITEL NETWORKS: www.mitel.com/
** NEC UNIFIED SOLUTIONS: www.necunifiedsolutions.com
** ROGERS TELECOM: www.rogers.com/solutions
** VONAGE CANADA: www.vonage.ca
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IN THIS ISSUE:
** Big Gains for Cable Telephony
** RBC Shifts to Managed IP Telephony
** Rogers Reorganizes Telephony Holdings
** Consumer Groups Say Telecom Regulation Still Needed
** Telus Prepares TV Launch
** Bell 3-1-1 Tariff Approved with Amendments
** Execulink Joins Bidding for People's
** Cogeco, Shaw Post Profit Gains
** Northwestel to Pay Excess Revenue to Central Fund
** Another GE Exec Moves to Nortel
** Mitel Adds to Marketing Team
** Consultants to Hold Vancouver Meeting
** Website Honours Angus Mentor
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BIG GAINS FOR CABLE TELEPHONY: Shaw Communications began offering
local phone service in Vancouver and surrounding areas this week, the
latest move in a growing cablecos-vs-telcos battle for the residential
telephone market.
** Cogeco launched cable phone service in June. Subscribers
on November 30: 6,900.
** Rogers launched cable phone service in July. Subscribers
on December 31: 47,900.
** Shaw launched cable phone service in February. Subscribers
on November 30: 90,651.
** Videotron launched cable phone service in January 2005.
Subscribers on December 31: 163,000.
RBC SHIFTS TO MANAGED IP TELEPHONY: The Royal Bank of Canada will
switch 8,400 of its Toronto-area Centrex lines to Bell Canada's
Managed IP Telephony service between February and November this
year. The hardware and software comes from Cisco; Bell and IBM will
provide IP Telephony support, network monitoring, and infrastructure
management.
ROGERS REORGANIZES TELEPHONY HOLDINGS: Rogers Communications has
transferred its residential phone service and its wholesale Third
Party Internet Access service from Rogers Cable to a newly named
subsidiary, Rogers Home Phone Inc. (formerly Call-Net Communications
Inc). RHPI is headed by VP Phil Hartling, who reports to Edward
Rogers.
CONSUMER GROUPS SAY TELECOM REGULATION STILL NEEDED: The Public
Interest Advocacy Centre and 32 other national organizations have
submitted a joint declaration to the CRTC, to Industry Minister
Emerson, and to the Telecom Policy Review panel. They call on the
federal government to defend and promote Telecommunications Act
principles, including consumer protection and improved access for
rural communities and persons with disabilities.
http://www.piac.ca/TPRP_Declaration_Signed.pdf
TELUS PREPARES TV LAUNCH: Telus is building a $15 million satellite
reception and distribution centre near Vancouver. When launched this
summer, it is to provide more than 200 TV channels. Telus now provides
TV service in Calgary and Edmonton, and plans to launch in the
Vancouver area sometime this year.
** Telus has signed a long-term deal with Twentieth Century
Fox to offer its films as video on demand.
BELL 3-1-1 TARIFF APPROVED WITH AMENDMENTS: The CRTC has given final
approval to Bell's tariff for 3-1-1 service, which allows municipalities
to provide a central number for non-emergency government services (see
Telecom Update #456, 483). Fees apply when municipal boundaries do not
line up with exchange boundaries, but the Commission ordered Bell to
charge per-call routing fees only for calls that originate in
exchanges shared by more than one municipality.
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Orders/2006/o2006-8.htm
EXECULINK JOINS BIDDING FOR PEOPLE'S: Execulink Group of Thedford,
Ontario, an independent telco providing about 6,000 phone lines in the
province's rural southwest, is the second bidder for People's
Communications of Forest, Ontario. Execulink's January 12 bid of $57 a
share topped a $56 bid by Amtelecom two days earlier. (See Telecom
Update #511)
COGECO, SHAW POST PROFIT GAINS: For the quarter ended November 30:
** Cogeco Cable reports net income of $9.0 million, up from
$3.8 million a year earlier. Revenue increased 5.6% to
$143 million. The number of basic service customers rose
1.3% in the quarter.
** Shaw Communications reports net income of $75.7 million,
up from $44.7 million a year earlier. Revenue increased
9.8% to $589.5 million. The number of basic service
customers rose 1.4% in the quarter.
NORTHWESTEL TO PAY EXCESS REVENUE TO CENTRAL FUND: The CRTC has
directed Northwestel to pay $150,000 to the Central Fund from which it
receives a subsidy to support affordable services in the North. This
is the amount by which the northern telco exceeded its forecast long
distance revenue in 2004.
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/dt2006-2.htm
ANOTHER GE EXEC MOVES TO NORTEL: Nortel Networks has hired a former
General Electric vice-president, Don McKenna, as its new
Vice-President of Global Manufacturing Services. Last month, Nortel
hired another GE veteran, Joel Hackney, as Vice-President of Global
Supply Chain and Quality.
** Mike Zafirovski, named CEO of Nortel in October, held
various senior executive posts at General Electric between
1975 and 2000.
MITEL ADDS TO MARKETING TEAM: Mitel has named Doug Michaelides,
formerly with Allstream and Nortel, as Global Vice-President of
Marketing. Mitel veteran Gilles Rousso is now Regional Vice-President
for Mexico, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
CONSULTANTS TO HOLD VANCOUVER MEETING: The Canadian Telecommunications
Consultants Association will hold a one-day educational event on IP
telephony in Vancouver, February 24. The meeting is open to
consultants, equipment and service providers, and end users from
western Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest. For more information,
or to register, go to http://www.ctca.ca/EventDetails.asp?R=5&EV=56
WEBSITE HONOURS ANGUS MENTOR: Ian Angus, co-editor of Telecom Update,
is editor and webmaster of a new website devoted to the writings of
Lee Goeller, one of North America's most-respected independent experts
on business telecommunications. LeeGoeller.com is jointly sponsored by
Angus TeleManagement Group and Business Communications Review.
** Ian says: "In my entire career, no one taught me more
about how business telecom systems work -- and, more
important, how they ought to work -- than Lee Goeller. It's
been an honour to know and work with him for 25 years, and
I'm very pleased to play a role in making his works
available on the net."
http://www.leegoeller.com
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COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2005 Angus
TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further
information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please
e-mail jriddell@angustel.ca.
The information and data included has been obtained from sources which
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Angus TeleManagement Group (jriddell@angustel.ca)