NL Short Takes

Radwanski blasts government’s lawful access proposalsGeorge Radwanski, the privacy commissioner of Canada, sent a letter to three Cabinet ministers attacking the government’s lawful access proposals (NL, Sept. 23/02). He said the monitoring of private communications "is a highly intrusive activity that strikes at the heart of the right to privacy." DBRS downgrades cablecos because of Internet pressureCompetition from telcos in providing high-speed Internet and from satellite firms in offering television service has resulted in the downgrading of the credit ratings of several cable companies. The Dominion Bond Rating Service has lowered the ratings of Shaw Communications Inc., Cogeco Cable Inc., and Vidéotron ltée while maintaining Rogers Cable Inc. at its current level. Telecom losses hit two banks in their pocketbooksLosses in the telecom sector were cited for the disappointing results of two Canadian banks. Both CIBC and TD Bank Financial Group reported writing down losses from loans to telecom players. Fate of Ottawa telecom engineer still uncertainThe Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade is refusing to comment on the case of Maher Arar, an Ottawa telecom engineer being held in Syria (NL, Oct. 21/02). Arar’s wife wants the department to state publicly, as she says they have privately, that he is not a terrorist. Regional telcos sign up for Operation Red NoseAliant Telecom Inc. is sponsoring the Operation Red Nose campaign in New Brunswick, making sure drivers do not hit the roads after they have been drinking. In Winnipeg, Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. has joined a similar crusade. SaskTel International wins Indian contractSaskTel International will develop a telecom project in Madhya Pradesh state in central India by mid-2004. The project, valued at $6.9 million, was issued by the Canadian International Development Agency. CRTC turns down Bell’s DNA rate increase planIn Telecom Order 20002-442, the CRTC denied a request by Bell Canada to raise Aliant Telecom Inc.’s monthly DNA tariff. The proposal would have seen the rate jump from $60 a month to $85. Accelight Networks slashes workforce in Canada, U.S.Photonic switching developer Accelight Networks has cut its number of workers in Ottawa and in Pittsburgh yet again but denies it will close either of the plants. Reports say the total workforce in both countries has fallen from 210 in August to fewer than 70 now. Tech jobs available from Bell, Transcontinental unitsWorkopolis has signed a deal to be the exclusive job supplier to itbusiness.ca, the online publishing wing of IT Business Group. Workopolis is a partnership of Bell Globemedia, Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd. and Gesca Ltd., while IT Business is owned by Transcontinental Media. Hughes Network Systems wins authorization for satellitesIndustry Canada has granted approval to Hughes Network Systems Inc. to use the Spaceway satellites in Canada. It is the first international Ka-band FSS satellite operator permitted to operate in this country and will have a footprint in 80% of the nation. CCSA inks deal with Primus for LD serviceThe Canadian Cable Systems Alliance Inc. has signed an agreement with Primus Telecommunications Canada Inc. for the provision of LD and toll free service. The CCSA represents 92 independent companies for group purchases of programming, equipment and services. No phone but bills still arriving for Winnipeg residentEven though Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. cut off his phone for non-payment, Bill Geddie of Winnipeg is still getting bills with additional charges tacked on. He said he offered to pay a portion of the outstanding amount, but the telco refused his suggestion. Radiant Communications to offer aggregated DSL to SMEsToronto’s Radiant Communications Corp. is the exclusive dealer of the Turbo DSLT. The aggregated DSL product provides higher download and upload speeds and is being targeted to the SME market. Core launches home networking deviceCable OSS company Core Networks Inc. has unveiled a home networking product. The Halifax company’s CoreEnsemble device will manage IP telephony, streaming media and other packet-based services and is currently in trials with two firms. EXFO unveils channel selector for DWDM networksEXFO Electro-Optical Engineering Inc. has introduced the FTB-9310 Channel Selector for commissioning and lighting channels in DWDM networks. The product is typically used with the FTB-8000 SONET/SDH 2.5 or 10 Gb/s tester for protocol-layer testing applications. Mitel and Esna work on unified message productsMitel Networks Corp. of Ottawa has linked with Esna Technologies Inc. of Richmond Hill ON to deliver a unified messaging system for business customers. The partnership joins Mitel’s messaging platform with Esna’s telephony products. Perle Systems sells console servers to AT&T CanadaPerle Systems Ltd. is providing console servers to AT&T Canada Corp.’s Internet services and infrastructure division. The devices will manage multiple dispersed servers and will reduce service disruptions. U.S. government settles civil suit with WorldComTroubled American telco WorldCom has reached a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States over a civil suit filed by the agency. While not admitting or denying the SEC charges, WorldCom has agreed not to violate securities laws in the future and will provide reasonable training to its executives to minimize the likelihood of future violations. Finnish police arrest Sonera executive over misused recordsPolice in Finland have arrested Jari Jaakkola, executive VP of the Sonera telco, as part of an investigation into misused private phone records. Jaakkola and another employee taken into custody have been relieved of their duties in the company. EU officials meet with telecom executivesRomano Prodi, president of the European Union, and Erkki Liikanen, the EU commissioner for enterprise and information society, held discussions with senior telecom executives in Brussels. Ben Verwaayen of BT Group, Thierry Breton of France Télécom, Serge Techuruk of Alcatel, Cesar Alierta of Telefonica and Marco Tronchetti Provera of Telecom Italia lobbied for more investment in information technology and easing of regulations. Rivals seek to block France Télécom bailoutCompetitors to France Télécom are warning the French government they will seek to stop a bailout of the telco if the move appears to give the incumbent unfair advantage. The French government holds a 55% stake in the ILEC. Two companies accuse Portugal Telecom of blocking competitionTwo struggling competitors have accused Portugal Telecom of blocking the rollout of competition in the European nation. EDP’s Oni and Sonae.com’s Novis say delays by Portugal Tel have slowed the unbundling of local loops. Panamanian Supreme Court overturns VoIP restrictionsThe Supreme Court of Panama has suspended restrictions that had been placed on local ISPs to stop VoIP service (NL, Nov. 19/02). The original order was appealed by Net2Net, a division of Panama’s Alianza Viva. University of Texas recalls phone directoriesThe University of Texas is recalling all 22,000 copies of the school’s telephone directory. University president Larry Faulkner said he was "personally offended" by ads from two strip clubs in Austin.

NL Short Takes

News | December 2, 2002

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