According to Chinese tradition, the number eight represents wealth and good fortune. The Beijing Olympics serendipitously open tomorrow on this once-a-century date: August 8, 2008 (08/08/08).

According to CBC, there are many Chinese couples who have scheduled their weddings for this Friday.

Is TELUS looking for some supernatural inspiration by scheduling its release of second quarter results for Friday?

I noticed that TELUS has added a fourth dimension: the investor conference call is scheduled for 11 am Eastern time, which is 8 am Vancouver time.

Watch for the call to start 8 minutes and 8 seconds late.

In advance of its results release, TELUS launched the HTC Touch Diamond smartphone, available for $150 on a three year contract ($450 for no contract) with a $15 unlimited browsing / email plan.

We’ll have to wait until next quarter to see how well smart phones contribute to wealth and good fortune for TELUS.

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Update [August 7, 10:20 am]
I see that Bell is also looking for wealth and good fortune tomorrow with the launch of its new brand, coinciding with its sponsorship of Olympic coverage. Farewell to brands like ExpressVu and Sympatico and watch for Bell TV and Bell Internet. Lots of -er words on the way, with new tag-lines. While investors want new branding to translate into financial results, customers will also want to see how “Today just got better.”

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TELUS

John Roese had an OpEd in Monday’s Globe and Mail that you may have missed because of the holiday.

The piece claims that Canada’s ICT industry needs help to regain its edge, citing the various international rankings that show Canada slipping in broadband, ICT readiness, etc. Frequent readers of this blog know that I find those studies to be flawed, but the call for a national ICT strategy is sound.

How can governments help? In many ways. By making ICT a policy priority. By showcasing the abundant Canadian capabilities in next-generation technologies and applications through purchasing initiatives, especially when they are comparable in deployment and competitive in price. By moving faster to implement the next generation of wireless technologies and to make high-speed broadband connectivity available to all communities across the country. By ensuring a competitive tax environment for research and development, which will also help offset the reality that today Canada, with its strong dollar, is considered a “high-cost” place to do business. And, by getting very serious about promoting science and technology in grade schools and high schools to address the rapidly declining enrolment across the country in these disciplines at the same time that large parts of our aging work force are heading into retirement years.

OK, so you can see some self-serving calls for Canada to “buy Canadian” and provide an improved tax structure for Nortel’s R&D; department but I encourage you to read the piece deeper.

As I have asked before, how will political parties deal with telecom policy and ICT strategies as we prepare for a possible fall election?

Through the holiday weekend, I noticed that Mark Evans wrote about blogging blindly, unable to stay connected to his usual on-line news sources.

When I get away from the city, I keep my Blackberry and broadband internet close to me. Some would ask if that means I don’t ever really get away.

I was out on our boat yesterday and checked an incoming message when one of the other passengers commented “that’s why I’m glad that I don’t have one of those yet.”

My response was that my mobile internet is what enables me to spend as much time away as I do. In the past, I couldn’t conceive of being away for weeks at a time.

How do you get away?

Does being tethered enable you to be more relaxed, or would you rather toss it in the lake?

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Update [August 5, 11:20 am]
I noticed an article that says Delta Airlines will be equipping its entire domestic fleet with in-flight WiFi. Something special in the air.

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Blackberry

The National Post has a story that suggests that the wireless industry could face new regulations if Bell and TELUS don’t reconsider their plan to begin charging for incoming text messages.

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National Post, Jim Prentice, wireless regulation

The CRTC has been holding true to a recurring theme of convergence for the past few months.

Yesterday, the Commission released its first report on the communications industry – broadcasting and telecom. Prior to this year, the Commission had published separate annual monitoring reports for the two industries.

The Communications Monitoring Report [html or pdf]provides information on different sectors of the broadcasting and telecommunications industries. This year’s report also includes expanded sections covering new media trends and international perspectives.

For the first time, the CRTC’s report will only be available electronically – there are no print versions.

Last month, the CRTC announced its move to a more converged organizational structure.

In January, the CRTC began to campaign for the government to replace the Broadcast and Telecom Acts with a unified Communications Act.

What role will communications policy play in the next election?