Results tagged “wireless” from IP Communications and Technology
According to an article published by the Financial Post this morning, Bell and Telus are about to announce that they will be jointly upgrading their cellular networks to 3G.
The Post states that multiple telecom industry sources have said that Bell Canada and Telus intend to share the cost to upgrade to the next-generation wireless network and that the announcement will be made next week. It is estimated that the cost of the upgrade will be approximately $1 Billion and that it will take one year to complete.
If true, the Nokia Siemens Networks' provided upgrade will allow both companies to compete with Rogers by offering popular mobile devices such as Apple's iPhone 3G and Research In Motion's Black-Berry Bold.
When combined with the recent spectrum auction and the entry of new wireless competitors such as Quebecor, Shaw, DAVE Wireless and Globalive, the 3G announcement will contribute to significant change in the Canadian Wireless marketplace over the next couple of years.
Great news for Canadian consumers in my view.
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The Post states that multiple telecom industry sources have said that Bell Canada and Telus intend to share the cost to upgrade to the next-generation wireless network and that the announcement will be made next week. It is estimated that the cost of the upgrade will be approximately $1 Billion and that it will take one year to complete.
If true, the Nokia Siemens Networks' provided upgrade will allow both companies to compete with Rogers by offering popular mobile devices such as Apple's iPhone 3G and Research In Motion's Black-Berry Bold.
When combined with the recent spectrum auction and the entry of new wireless competitors such as Quebecor, Shaw, DAVE Wireless and Globalive, the 3G announcement will contribute to significant change in the Canadian Wireless marketplace over the next couple of years.
Great news for Canadian consumers in my view.
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Surpassing most expectations, bidding on Industry Canada's wireless spectrum auction now exceeds $4 billion. Here are the totals as of 4:00 pm today:
| 22.31% | Rogers Communications Inc. | $903,046,000 |
| 19.56% | TELUS Communications Company | $791,476,000 |
| 17.50% | Bell Mobility Inc. | $708,268,000 |
| 14.39% | 9193-2962 Québec Inc. | $582,575,000 |
| 10.68% | Globalive Wireless LP | $432,346,000 |
| 15.55% | Other | $629,520,920 |
| Total | $4,047,231,920 |
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In an interview with Light Reading, Ibrahim Gedeon Telus' CTO, has indicated that Telus will not be converting its CDMA network to GSM. In addition, the article suggests that Telus will skip an interim 4G step and move directly to LTE.
Ibrahim suggested that Telus won't begin the technology conversion until Verizon, by virtue of its purchasing power, steps up and makes the technology affordable "Telus alone is too small to define a market," he says.
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Ibrahim suggested that Telus won't begin the technology conversion until Verizon, by virtue of its purchasing power, steps up and makes the technology affordable "Telus alone is too small to define a market," he says.
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Michael Geist speaking this week at the Spectrum 20/20 conference on the subjects of competition in the Canadian wireless market and the upcoming Canadian copyright regulations.
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Rogers has announced that it will be offering a dual-mode phone for home use starting tomorrow. The Nokia 6086
dual-mode phone will allow Rogers wireless subscribers to make make calls on their cell phones over the Internet when they are within range of their home Wi-Fi network.
The service will be appealing to a segment of wireless subscribers who are interested in dropping their wired residential phone line in favour of a single wireless device. The fact that there is currently only one device (the 6086) to choose from, for use on the Rogers network, will likely limit adoption.
It's a modest example of the type of innovation that has been made practical through the advances in IP communications. It's also another example of technologies and services that will continue to nibble away at the traditional Telcos' residential subscriber base.
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dual-mode phone will allow Rogers wireless subscribers to make make calls on their cell phones over the Internet when they are within range of their home Wi-Fi network.The service will be appealing to a segment of wireless subscribers who are interested in dropping their wired residential phone line in favour of a single wireless device. The fact that there is currently only one device (the 6086) to choose from, for use on the Rogers network, will likely limit adoption.
It's a modest example of the type of innovation that has been made practical through the advances in IP communications. It's also another example of technologies and services that will continue to nibble away at the traditional Telcos' residential subscriber base.
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Rogers Wireless completed its role in the Inukshuk Wireless Broadband network on Monday with the announcement that portable internet was immediately available to customers in 55 communities.
The Inukshuk Wireless Broadband network project, announced in 2006, is a joint effort between Rogers and Bell Canada to build and manage a Canada-wide wireless broadband network, with coverage in rural and remote areas, licensed by Industry Canada. To access the network, portable internet subscribers need only a power outlet.
Rogers said Inukshuk is one of the largest IP wireless broadband networks of its kind in the world. The project serves customers in 152 communities across Canada.
"With the expansion in coverage of our Portable Internet service, now even more Canadians can experience the benefits of connecting to the internet quickly and conveniently, whether at home, school or on the road," said John Boyton, the company's senior vice president and chief marketing officer, in a release.
Service was expanded Monday to include six communities in British Columbia, nine in Alberta, 32 in Ontario, seven in Quebec and one in New Brunswick.
With the expansion, Rogers also fulfilled the federal government's requirement for spectrum licence.
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In my job, it's critical that I keep up with the latest in IP Communications news and technology developments. Finding the time to read all of my news feeds, magazines and subscribed blogs is a huge challenge.
I often wished there was a service that would assemble relevant content into a central location. While there are several sites that perform that sort of function, I must still sort through all of the titles to find the relevant and quality content. It would be great if there was an aggregating service that would also highlight the best content and filter out the irrelevant.
I assume that many others in the industry have the same challenges and hence my motivation to create Communications Technology News (CTN). The website is modeled after the very popular digg; a social site where a community of users vote on stories.
Unlike digg, which assembles content on a wide variety of subjects, the goal of CTN is to build a community of users interested in topics related to communications technology. The voting system is designed to allow the cream of the content to rise to the top. Once registered, CTN users can submit content into a variety of related categories including:
Billing, Contact Centres, IMS, IP Telephony, IVR, Messaging, Mobility / Wireless, New Products, Oddities & Humour, Press Releases, Provisioning, Regional, Regulatory, Security, SIP, Telecom, Unified Communications, VoIP, White Papers
Users are welcome to suggest additional related categories.
Additionally, unlike other similar sites where posting your own content can often result in being flamed by other members, CTN invites and encourages authors to post and promote their own material.
I invite your comments, and welcome any suggestions you may have.
Rick McCharles
IP Communications Consultant, Toronto
RIC Services
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Later today, Google will likely announce its intention to bid on the US 700Mhz wireless spectrum auction which is set to begin on January 29th. If successful, Google's acquisition of this portion of the spectrum would allow them to enter the US wireless market with an innovative and disruptive business model.
The ability for the incumbents to truly innovate, is in many cases, hindered by legacy business models and investments, and current revenue streams. There is a natural resistance to offering services that would cannibalize existing revenue sources.
Google will have the freedom to offer completely new service offerings free of any internal business-model conflicts. For example, Google could offer very low cost, and perhaps ultimately free wireless service, by shifting the source of revenue from subscription and air time, to ad based services; you get the service for free in return for viewing ads. Additionaly, Google's propensity for open systems is well known. By the way, it will be interesting to see if the openness philosophy perseveres when Google itself begins to feel threatened by future competitors.
Also, the portion of the spectrum up for auction has different propagation charateristics than the frequencies currently used my the mobile operators. 700 Mhz is better able to penetrate the walls of buildings which could make devices operating at that frequency more attractive to consumers.
There's a lot happening in the North American wireless industry. I'm convinced that theses changes will lead to lower prices, wider adoption and new applications.
Rick McCharles
Telecom Consultant, Toronto
RIC Services
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Moments ago, Industry Minister Jim Prentice announced that a portion of the spectrum up for auction next spring will be reserved for industry newcomers.
The move, along with other factors such as the impact of the iPhone and yesterday's announcement by Verizon will lead to increased competition and lower prices for consumers. To date, Canadians wireless rates have been higher than similar services in the United States and Europe.
The Canadian telecom market is currently led by Rogers, Telus and Bell.
Rick McCharles
Telecom Consultant, Toronto
RIC Services
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