Rogers Communications takes a gigantic leap forward, ushering in 5G services across Toronto’s subway system. While this promises enhanced network coverage and emergency call dependability, it raises concerns among competitors Bell and Telus, about potential market limitations. This unfolding drama in the Canadian telecoms industry draws the industry’s anxious gaze.
8×8 boosts Microsoft Teams with native calling integration, Opera’s iOS app adds Aria AI chatbot for content generation, Rogers clinches top spot in umlaut’s Canadian carrier study, and IoT propels enterprise transformation with 5G and eSIM adoption, per Omdia survey.
Rogers Communications Inc. has announced plans to offer full 5G connections to Toronto’s subway system, including 911 access for all users. The telecom corporation has agreed to buy BAI Canada. BAI has had exclusive rights to establish the Toronto Transit Commission wireless network since 2012. Rogers will now be able to make the investments needed to develop a comprehensive and reliable 5G network for the entire TTC subway system as a result of this transaction. 5G network construction is projected to take about two years. Rogers will collaborate with the TTC on a phased deployment strategy, including network design, architecture, and rollout logistics, for both network enhancements and growth in stations, concourses, and all subway tunnels. Extensive fiber network and radio equipment improvements are required to update the network and boost the cellular capacity of the present 3G and 4G networks. In addition, they are required to improve service…
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…
T-Mobile’s data breach affected 37 million customers A major data breach impacting 37 million T-Mobile users has been revealed. The hack, which was discovered on January 5th, is thought to have started on November 25th, 2022. An application programming interface (API) was taken advantage of by a hacker to attain unauthorized access to client data. The breach allowed access to names, billing addresses, emails, phone numbers, dates of birth and T-Mobile account numbers, but did not reveal payment card information, social security, tax, driver’s license, or other government-issued ID numbers. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/mtsr7tkm Microsoft makes a multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI Microsoft has made an undisclosed multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI, the developer of the popular artificial intelligence service ChatGPT. This expenditure is Microsoft’s largest bet on AI technology to date. The AI platform will be used with a variety of consumer and commercial products, including Office software and the Bing…
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…
Rogers apologizes for the massive service outage Rogers, a Canadian telecommunications company, experienced a widespread outage earlier this month and is now under pressure to guarantee that this does not happen again. The most damaging effect of the outage was how it disrupted crucial communications, and the Canadian government has declared that it now wants all national carriers to find a way of helping each other in such worst-case situations. Rogers has committed to investing at least CA$250 million to physically isolate its wireless and internet networks so as to add an extra layer of stability. There is also a promise to spend CA$10 billion over the next three years to extend and improve Rogers’ network. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/35dxbj4d Nokia and CityFibre sign a 10-year broadband equipment agreement A 10-year contract for XGS-PON broadband equipment with CityFibre has been announced by Nokia. This arrangement covers the purchase of access…
Zain launches voice over 5G Zain has become the first operator to commercially offer voice over 5G (Vo5G) services on its standalone 5G network. The new Vo5G service is accessible across Kuwait with statewide coverage, and on the all-new Samsung Galaxy S22 family of handsets. Phone-over-5G enables clients to experience crystal-clear voice communications over the 5G network alongside data services, all without interruption. Customers may also utilize the Internet, streaming services and data-heavy apps while having phone conversations, thanks to 5G’s stable and ultra-fast speeds. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2p8as9nu Staffbase buys a majority stake in dirico Staffbase has purchased a controlling position in 247GRAD Labs GmbH, the software business behind the dirico content collaboration platform. The dirico platform enables businesses to plan, develop, publishand evaluate content for marketing as well as internal and external communication. As a consequence, Staffbase today employs over 700 people and serves over 2,000 customers globally…
Orange launches satellite broadband service in France Orange-owned satellite broadband business Nordnet has officially launched its satellite broadband service in France. As is well known, Neosat provides broadband services of up to 100 Mbps to homes and businesses in areas with poor connectivity for less than €40 per month. Nordet launched its services just as a new generation of satellite broadband services is beginning to emerge around the globe. The company packages satellite broadband services with a fixed-line telephone service, together with unlimited calls to fixed and mobile telephones and certain other destinations. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/ap4rdryh Microsoft acquires Marsden In continuation to expand its capabilities to better serve industry verticals, Microsoft has acquired The Marsden Group, the company’s current partner focused on rapid prototyping and digital transformation for industrial customers. The acquisition of Marsden, an existing Microsoft Gold partner, will accelerate Microsoft’s capability to take advantage of its cloud,…
