CRTC’s recent ruling mandates Canada’s major mobile network operators to provide MVNO access to regional competitors, aiming to accelerate competition and affordable options. However, this hybrid MVNO approach excludes smaller players without spectrum ownership or networks.
A historic milestone for the Canadian telecommunications sector was realized as Rogers Communications Inc. announced it had successfully concluded its merger with Shaw Communications Inc. The merger unites two famous Canadian companies that have been connecting Canadians for over five decades. The merger creates a coast-to-coast nationwide company which has fiber-powered internet that is accessible to nearly 70% of Canadian households. The newly combined company plans to bundle more products and services, including internet, television, phone, smart home monitoring, wireless services, credit card offers and sports and media content. In the next five years, the company intends to spend billions of dollars to offer fast, reliable networks in additional towns across Western Canada. Rogers will invest $1 billion in the four Western provinces to link rural, remote and Indigenous communities, as well as unserved distant routes. The business also intends to invest $2.5 billion to expand and strengthen…
Canada’s merger court has ruled in favor of Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications in a major antitrust case, removing one of the final barriers to the merger of two of the country’s largest telecommunications companies. The decision follows a month-long hearing that included evidence from 45 witnesses and thousands of pages of documentation. The merger of Rogers and Shaw has been in the works for almost two years and was always expected to face scrutiny from competition authorities. One key concern was the consolidation of the Canadian mobile sector through Rogers’ acquisition of Shaw’s Freedom Mobile. To address this, the companies pledged to sell Freedom Mobile to the smaller mobile network operator, Videotron. After considering this concession, the Canadian Competition Tribunal ruled that the acquisition could proceed, provided that Shaw first completes the disposition of Freedom Mobile. The Competition Bureau had requested that the tribunal block the merger…
A multibillion-dollar merger between Shaw Communications and Rogers Communications Inc., two of the biggest telecommunications businesses in Canada, was officially rejected by the federal industry minister. “Today, I officially denied that request. My decision formally closes that chapter of the original proposed transaction,” said Canadian Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne. The US$19 billion merger between the two businesses was revealed in March, but it was met with opposition because it may limit consumer choice and drive up mobile costs. Shaw’s wireless spectrum licenses would have been completely transferred to Rogers as a result of the acquisition. Shaw’s ownership of Freedom Mobile has been largely viewed as the biggest impediment to the deal’s ratification. Videotron, located in Montreal, agreed to purchase it for $2.1 billion earlier this year. Champagne stated that he wanted two specific commitments before approving the Videotron merger. Videotron would have to agree to maintain the…
Hosting and colocation service provider Equinix has announced an agreement to purchase a portfolio of 13 data center sites across Canada from BCE Inc., the massive telecommunications and media conglomerate, and the corporate parent of Bell MTS and Bell Canada. The company expects to close this USD 750 million deal in the second half of 2020. The 13 data center sites that will join California-based Equinix’s portfolio represent 25 individual facilities and are expected to generate annual revenues of approximately USD 105 million. In addition to cementing a stronger foothold in the third-largest economy in the Americas, Equinix will also gain more than 600 customers that are currently operating within the Bell data centers. Equinix is already the world’s largest data center and colocation provider, with a network of more than 210 facilities across 55 metros. The company’s main business is hosting the technology infrastructure of third party organizations. “Canadian businesses…
Microsoft has announced the launch of a new phone system for business customers, Microsoft 365 Business Voice, which is now available in Canada and the UK. This phone system combines calling, chats, meetings, calendar and e-mail functions. The solution also deploys Microsoft artificial intelligence (AI) technology to automatically transcribe voicemail, translate chat messages, and add captions to meetings in real time. According to the announcement, Microsoft 365 Business Voice is a cloud-based system that has been designed as a complete cooperation package for enterprises with up to 300 users. The phone system integrates with Office 365 and uses Microsoft Teams in order to function across computers, desk phones and smartphones, allowing customers to make calls from anywhere. “Today’s businesses need communication and collaboration tools that are easy to use and designed to work together,” Microsoft stated in a blog post. “That’s why we built Microsoft 365 Business Voice, a…
The IDT owned VoIP communication service provider net2phone has announced the acquisition of the SaaS-based business phone and communication solutions provider Versature. The two companies will join forces and continue to provide Canadian companies with innovative communication services. “This transaction will accelerate Versature’s growth trajectory in Canada through a powerful alignment of values and innovative technology for voice and call analytics combined with ready access to capital. As a result, Versature will scale Canadian operations by attracting top talent while continuing to innovate and aggressively pursue opportunities in the Canadian market,” commented Versature’s President and COO, Jonathon Moody. With the addition of Versature, net2phone has expanded its operational coverage, which now includes Canada, the US, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Spain and Hong Kong. Moreover, the combined revenues of both companies for May, June and July totaled over $5 million. “We continue to be very pleased by the trajectory of net2phone’s…
The city of Kitchener, in Canada, Ontario, is home of a new app called OpenPhone. Its ambition is to help small entrepreneurs stopping the blurred line between private and business phone calls. Many services already exist in this specific field, like Phone.com or Grasshopper, but OpenPhone’s main feature is to simplify the process and focus and ease of use. As of today, the app let user share one phone number across several phone, using VoIP technology. Still in its beta version and available on the Appstore since January, the company expects to launch in a couple of months a final version. An Android version hit the Google platform in June. OpenPhone will allow customers to make concurrent calls on several devices, transcribed voicemail and call forwarding. This way, small businesses will have the opportunity to have a better communication between customers and entrepreneurs.
