Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Telecom Update #427, April 5, 2004

From: Marcelrf <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 05 Apr 2004 13:31:40 -0400

************************************************************

IN THIS ISSUE: 

** TSX Won't Order MTS Vote
** Virgin and Bell Join to Target Youth Market
** Vonage Launches Canadian VoIP Service
** Primus Expands VoIP Service, Adds 9-1-1
** Aliant Must Tariff "Packages"
** CRTC Issues First Expedited Rulings
** Competitors Want DSL Ruling Extended
** Vonage Sues AT&T over VoIP Brand
** Free Broadband Trial for School Boards
** Start-Up Offers Hosted VoIP for Business
** Call-Net Wants Telus Agreement Annulled
** Aliant Offers Higher-Speed DSL
** Pier 1 and Pulver to Subsidize VoIP Start-Ups
** Cellphone Users to Get Olympic News
** Broadband Promised in Fort Frances Area
** Allstream Intros Hosted Call Centre
** Bell Cuts Price for High-Speed Internet
** Ottawa Invests in Integrated Phone
** Cygcom to Sell Pronexus Software
** Telecom Consulting Firm Closes
** Couch Potato Report Available
** Are Internet Phones Business-Ready? 

============================================================

TSX WON'T ORDER MTS VOTE: The Toronto Stock Exchange has 
denied a request from Enterprise Capital Management that it 
order a shareholder vote on Manitoba Telecom Services' plan 
to acquire Allstream. (See Telecom Update #425 and 426) The 
TSX says it saw no evidence that the MTS management failed to 
meet its fiduciary obligations.

** Enterprise says it is "disappointed but not surprised" and 
   will evaluate options for future action.

** In a move to placate income trust advocates, MTS says it 
   will set its annual dividend at $2.60 per share after the 
   acquisition. This is 40 cents higher than it promised when 
   the Allstream deal was announced three weeks ago.

VIRGIN AND BELL JOIN TO TARGET YOUTH MARKET: The Virgin Group 
and Bell Mobility have formed a jointly owned company to 
offer prepaid wireless service and handsets to young people 
under the Virgin Mobile brand. A similar venture in the U.S. 
has won 1.75 million customers in two years.

VONAGE LAUNCHES CANADIAN VOIP SERVICE: U.S. Internet 
telephony provider Vonage launched service in Canada on March 
31. Pricing: $46.99/month for unlimited North American use; 
$34.99 for unlimited in-province calling and 500 minutes 
elsewhere; $19.99 for 500 minutes. Local number portability 
and 9-1-1 are not yet available.

PRIMUS EXPANDS VoIP SERVICE, ADDS 9-1-1: Primus Canada says 
its Internet telephony service, TalkBroadband, now offers 
local numbers in Victoria, Winnipeg, Quebec City, London, 
Kitchener-Waterloo, Halifax, Mississauga, and St. Catharines 
in addition to the seven previously announced cities. It 
provides 9-1-1 calling in 14 cities, but only if the phone is 
in a registered location in the exchange associated with the 
telephone number. 

** Monthly rates have been reduced for customers who pay 
   $139.95 to purchase a TalkBroadband modem outright:

** Residential: Basic, $15.95; Power Bundle, $25.95; Ultimate 
   Bundle, $30.95. A new $45.95 Unlimited Bundle provides all 
   local features and unlimited calling within Canada and to 
   the U.S.

** Commercial: Basic, $25.95; Power Bundle, $32.95; Elite 
   Bundle, $38.95. 

ALIANT MUST TARIFF "PACKAGES": Responding to a complaint 
filed by EastLink, CRTC Telecom Decision 2004-21 says that 
Aliant's "Value Packages" are bundles that require tariff 
approval. The telco must either file tariffs by April 19 or 
discontinue providing the bundles to existing customers.

www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2004/dt2004-21.htm

CRTC ISSUES FIRST EXPEDITED RULINGS: On Friday the CRTC 
issued decisions in the first three competitive disputes 
handled under the Commission's new expedited process (see 
Telecom Update #426). 

** 2004-22: Bell Canada "failed to comply with the bundling 
   rules" when its Customer Service Reps incorrectly told 
   customers that they must subscribe to Bell local service 
   to qualify for the "Bundle from Bell." Bell must now file 
   quarterly third-party reports on CSR accuracy.

www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2004/dt2004-22.htm

** 2004-23: Telus's "Student Bundle" does not need to be 
   separately tariffed, but the promotion should not have 
   implied that it offered additional savings beyond the 
   tariffed "Residence Value Bundle."

www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2004/dt2004-23.htm

** 2004-24: Shaw must provide its higher speed Internet 
   service to Cybersurf for resale in one of its six serving 
   areas within 45 days, and in other areas within 14 days of 
   Cybersurf's written request, until Shaw actually provides 
   third-party Internet access throughout the serving area.

www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2004/dt2004-24.htm

COMPETITORS WANT DSL RULING EXTENDED: FCI Broadband and 
Maskatel want the CRTC to rule that incumbent telcos cannot 
refuse high-speed Internet service to customers who obtain 
local phone service from a competitor that has its own local 
facilities. This would extend Telecom Decision 2003-49, which 
applied only when the competitor obtains the local loop from 
the telco. 

www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2004/8622/f18_200402321.htm

VONAGE SUES AT&T OVER VoIP BRAND: Internet telephony provider 
Vonage has asked a U.S. District Court to order AT&T to 
change the name of its new Internet telephone service. Vonage 
says the similarity of "CallVantage" to "Vonage" will confuse 
consumers and weaken Vonage's trademark.

** AT&T began offering CallVantage in parts of New Jersey and 
   Texas last week, and said it would be in 100 markets by 
   year-end.

FREE BROADBAND TRIAL FOR SCHOOL BOARDS: The Ontario Research 
and Innovation Optical Network (ORION) is offering school 
boards in the province free trials of the high-speed network. 
There is no further obligation to sign on to the network 
after the trial. Interested Boards should e-mail 
[email-masked]. 

START-UP OFFERS HOSTED VoIP FOR BUSINESS: OneConnect, a new 
subsidiary of Globalive Communications, has begun offering 
hosted Voice over IP to businesses in Toronto and Montreal. 
The company's services, based on Nortel's Multimedia 
Communication Server 5200, include Virtual PBX, Video 
Calling, Whiteboarding, and Find Me/Follow Me options.

www.oneconnect.ca

CALL-NET WANTS TELUS AGREEMENT ANNULLED: Call-Net wants out 
of the agreement under which it leases components for Wide 
Area Ethernet service from Telus. It has asked the CRTC to 
annul the contract, saying the terms are unjust, 
unreasonable, and discriminatory. 

www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2004/8622/c25_200402347.htm

ALIANT OFFERS HIGHER-SPEED DSL: Aliant's new Ultra High-
Speed Internet access, which provides downloads at up to 
3 Mbps, costs $54.95/month with no contract. Customers who 
sign a 12-month contract pay $44.95/month and get the first 
three months free. 

PIER 1 AND PULVER TO SUBSIDIZE VoIP START-UPS: Vancouver-
based Peer 1 Network and Pulver.com have formed a joint 
venture--the VoIP Acceleration Project--to fund the bandwidth 
and co-location needs of new VoIP companies in the beginning 
stages of their business. For more information see 
www.pulver.com/colo.

CELLPHONE USERS TO GET OLYMPIC NEWS: CBC and Montreal-based 
messaging developer Lipso Inc. have teamed up to deliver news 
on the Athens 2004 Olympics by text messaging. Cellphone 
users will be able to register in advance, or get information 
on demand using shortcodes.

BROADBAND PROMISED IN FORT FRANCES AREA: Bell Canada has 
announced plans to extend broadband Internet to communities 
in the Fort Frances, Ontario, area. The telco says it is 
partnering with the Pwi-di-goo-zing Ne-yaa-zhing Advisory 
Services and Industry Canada under the federal Broadband for 
Rural and Northern Development (BRAND) Pilot Program.

ALLSTREAM INTROS HOSTED CALL CENTRE: Allstream has announced 
a "unique Hosted Contact Centre solution," which provides 
ACD, IVR, speech recognition, and CTI capabilities over 
traditional or IP infrastructure, charged on a per-seat 
basis.

BELL CUTS PRICE FOR HIGH-SPEED INTERNET: Bell Canada has 
reduced the rate for its Sympatico High Speed Ultra service 
by $10, to $59.95/month, and increased speeds for most 
customers to 4 Mbps (download) and 800 Kbps (upload).

OTTAWA INVESTS IN INTEGRATED PHONE: The federal government 
has announced a $9.5-million "strategic investment" in an R&D 
project to develop the Sierra Wireless Voq Professional 
Phone, which will combine features of a personal digital 
assistant, wireless e-mail device, and mobile phone. 

CYGCOM TO SELL PRONEXUS SOFTWARE: Cygcom Integrated 
Technologies has signed an agreement to distribute telephony 
and speech software tools developed by Ottawa-based Pronexus 
Inc.

TELECOM CONSULTING FIRM CLOSES: Schooley Mitchell Telecom 
Consultants, a Stratford, Ontario-based company that claimed 
to have over 150 franchises in Canada and the U.S., appears 
to have closed its doors. Individual franchisees are 
discussing how to proceed, but they tell us the head office 
is no longer operating. The company did not reply to our 
requests for comment.

COUCH POTATO REPORT AVAILABLE: An updated report on "The 
Battle for the North American Couch Potato" is now available 
from the Convergence Consulting Group.

www.convergenceonline.com

ARE INTERNET PHONES BUSINESS-READY? In the April issue of 
Telemanagement: Gerry Blackwell tests Local IP phone services 
from Primus and Vonage; John Riddell examines the latest 
trends in IP-PBXs; BCE and the Cable TV Association debate 
technology substitution and telecom regulation.

-- 
    "NEXTEL-1 IT'S NOT JUST NEXTEL"
  Note The New address 
Subscribe to Nextel-1: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL-1

  "NEXTEL2 FOR iDEN SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS"
Subscribe to Nextel2: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL2

  "WIRELESS FORUM HOMELAND SECURITY GROUP"
     The Complete Resource for Wireless Homeland Security.
Subscribe to WFHSG:  http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/WFHSG

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEXTEL-1/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
     [email-masked]

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
     http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/