The CRTC is playing hardball with incumbent telcos that buck regulations. The Commission in April said it would appoint inspectors to see if ILECs are playing by the rules. The decision came after the CRTC found that incumbents had not complied with regulations in six incidents last year. Most recently, the Commission found that Aliant Telecom Inc. had charged below-regulation prices to Memorial University in St. John’s, Nfld. The CRTC instructed ILECs to include a clause in business customer contracts saying services are subject to Commission approval.
Generous government
Manitoba’s government is giving a Brandon-based ISP a $225,000 loan to expand into 22 rural communities. I-NetLink Inc. in April received the cash under the Manitoba Industrial Opportunities Program (MIOP). The province’s industry, trade and mines minister said I-NetLink’s Internet access would bring economic development opportunities to the communities it serves. Meanwhile in Calgary, the feds invested $8.8 million in Wi-LAN Inc. so the wireless gear maker could investigate next-generation wireless technology. The investment is repayable through royalties after March 2005, according to an April press statement.
Teleglobe makes a deal
Teleglobe Inc. in April penned a wireless global roaming agreement with Global Networks Inc., a wireless infrastructure provider, wherein Global will use Teleglobe’s signalling conversion platform to transport SMS messages around the world. The agreement will support Global’s Premium SMS services, such as wireless voting, directory listings and programs for business use. Teleglobe’s Global Roaming Service converts roaming messages between Common Channel Signalling System 7 (C7) and Signalling System 7 (SS7), circuit-switched technologies that port PSTN traffic onto wireless broadband networks.