************************************************************
TELECOM UPDATE
************************************************************
published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group
http://www.angustel.ca
Number 526: April 21, 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
************************************************************
IN THIS ISSUE:
** Wetmore to Head Bell-Aliant Income Trust
** Dalfen Replies to Forbearance Critics
** IBM Veteran to Head Nortel Marketing
** UBS Showcases "Mobile TV"
** Shaw Adds 28,000 Phone Customers
** Nortel to Restate $1.2 Billion in Revenue
** Cablecos' Radio Requirement to Be Reduced
** RIM Opens Halifax Tech Support Centre
** Telus and Cisco Invest in Widevine
** Sierra Wireless Profitable Again
** Nokia Revenue Continues to Soar
** UBS Revenues Slide During Restructuring
** Dortmans' E-Column Readership Sees Rapid Growth
============================================================
WETMORE TO HEAD BELL-ALIANT INCOME TRUST: Stephen Wetmore will be
President and CEO of the planned Bell Aliant Regional Communications
Income Fund when it is formally established later this year (see
Telecom Update #520). Wetmore was president of Aliant until 2002, when
he moved to Bell Canada, where he is currently Group President,
Corporate Performance and National Markets.
** Jay Forbes, who has been President and CEO of Aliant since
2002, has announced that he will resign effective July 31.
DALFEN REPLIES TO FORBEARANCE CRITICS: The CRTC's "local forbearance"
decision has been widely criticized in the press and elsewhere.
Earlier this week, CRTC Chairman Charles Dalfen replied to the critics
in an exclusive interview with Telecom Update editor Lis Angus. The
text of the interview is available online at
http://www.angustel.ca/update/up525b.html.
IBM VETERAN TO HEAD NORTEL MARKETING: Nortel Networks has hired
26-year IBM veteran Lauren Flaherty as its Chief Marketing Officer,
replacing Clent Richardson, who resigned on March 1. Flaherty, who
previously led IBM's worldwide small/medium business marketing, is the
second IBM VP hired by Nortel this month. (See Telecom Update #525)
UBS SHOWCASES "MOBILE TV": Unique Broadband Systems and its
subsidiary, Look Communications, have launched demonstration sites in
Milton, Ontario, for its Mobile TV service, which provides live TV and
broadband data to cars and handheld devices.
SHAW ADDS 28,000 PHONE CUSTOMERS: In the quarter ended February 28,
28,000 new customers signed up for Shaw Communications' Digital Phone
service, bringing the company's total to just under 119,000. Shaw
also added over 36,000 Internet customers in the quarter, and
increased its cable and DTH base.
** In the three- and six-month periods ended February 28,
Shaw's total service revenue was $611.2 million and $1.2
billion; net income was $45.8 million and $121.5 million
(up from $5.7 million and $50.4 million in the comparable
periods last year).
NORTEL TO RESTATE $1.2 BILLION IN REVENUE: Nortel Networks says that
the accounting restatement now under way involves a total of US$1.216
billion, not $866 million as previously stated. (See Telecom Update
#520, 524)
CABLECOS' RADIO REQUIREMENT TO BE REDUCED: The CRTC plans to eliminate
the requirement that cable TV services carry commercial radio
stations, requiring them only to distribute local community, campus,
and Native radio stations, as well as at least one French and one
English CBC station.
** The Commission will call for comments on proposed
amendments to the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations in
a later public notice.
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Notices/2006/pb2006-51.htm
RIM OPENS HALIFAX TECH SUPPORT CENTRE: Research In Motion has opened a
new Halifax technical support centre in Halifax: it is expected to
employ 1,200 staff within five years. The Nova Scotia government is
contributing $19 million to the project.
TELUS AND CISCO INVEST IN WIDEVINE: Telus and Cisco have both made
"strategic investments" in Widevine Technologies, a Seattle-based
company that develops content protection systems for video-on-demand
providers. Widevine raised a total of US$16 million in this
investment round; the amounts contributed by Telus and Cisco were not
announced.
SIERRA WIRELESS PROFITABLE AGAIN: After a year of deep losses, Sierra
Wireless returned to profitability in the first quarter, recording net
income of US$2.6 million. Revenue of $45 million was more than double
that of the same period a year ago. (See Telecom Update #514)
NOKIA REVENUE CONTINUES TO SOAR: Strong sales of third-generation
cellphones helped lift Nokia first-quarter revenue to 9.5 billion
euros ($1.47 billion), 29% higher than a year ago. Profits rose 21%,
to 1.05 billion euros. Nokia provided about a third of the estimated
229 million cellphones sold worldwide in the quarter.
UBS REVENUES SLIDE DURING RESTRUCTURING: Unique Broadband Systems,
majority owner of Look Communications, had revenues of $7.85 million
in the quarter ended February 28, 19% less than the same period a year
ago. Reduced marketing expenses helped cut UBS's loss to $1.2
million. UBS is restructuring to develop a new "Mobile Multi Media"
business.
DORTMANS' E-COLUMN READERSHIP SEES RAPID GROWTH: Henry Dortmans' "On
the Line" column has been a popular feature of Telemanagement magazine
for over ten years. The telecom management consultant is now
distributing his articles by opt-in email: in just four months more
than 1,000 new subscribers have added their names to the distribution
list.
** To receive the past four months' issues, email
info@angusdortmans.ca. To register for a free
subscription, click on "On the Line" at
www.angusdortmans.ca.
============================================================
HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE
E-mail ianangus@angustel.ca and jriddell@angustel.ca
===========================================================
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE (OR UNSUBSCRIBE)
TELECOM UPDATE is provided in electronic form only. There are two
formats available:
1. The fully-formatted edition is posted on the
World Wide Web late Friday afternoon each week
at http://www.angustel.ca
2. The e-mail edition is distributed free of charge.
To subscribe, send an e-mail message to:
join-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com
To stop receiving the e-mail edition, send
an e-mail message to:
leave-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com
Sending e-mail to these addresses will automatically add
or remove the sender's e-mail address from the list. Leave
subject line and message area blank.
We do not give Telecom Update subscribers' e-mail
addresses to any third party. For more information,
see www.angustel.ca/update/privacy.html.
===========================================================
COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2006 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
we believe to be reliable, but Angus TeleManagement makes no
warranties or representations whatsoever regarding accuracy,
completeness, or adequacy. Opinions expressed are based on
interpretation of available information, and are subject to change. If
expert advice on the subject matter is required, the services of a
competent professional should be obtained.
Angus TeleManagement Group (jriddell@angustel.ca)