Bellus?

January 25, 2017

BellusAccording to a release from Bell, it has entered into discussions to explore the possibility of a business combination with TELUS.

I can certainly understand the desire for both sides to glean information. What would a business combination look like that could survive a review from the Competition Bureau?

The consumer wireline assets are relatively isolated geographically with little if any overlap. On the enterprise side, Bell and TELUS are each others’ most significant competitors. Would Allstream or Rogers need to be part of the deal to spin out the ‘out-of-territory’ enterprise assets?

And what about wireless? A business combination would create the largest carrier in all markets, in the most lucrative, fastest growing segment of the industry. How would this kind of combination pass scrutiny from the perspective of a lessening of competition.

Within the context of the AWS auction consultation, there are so many questions about whether 3 national facilities-based carriers provide sufficient competition. A market contraction may lead many to consider a very different conclusion.

VoIP emergency calling

June 20, 2007
CRTCLast Friday, the CRTC released a decision that will affect the cost of routing 9-1-1 calls for some VoIP service providers that offer flexible numbering to their customers, including nomadic and out-of-region number assignment. A number of these service providers have avoided use of ILEC 9-1-1 networks in their routing of emergency calls.

Bottom line:

the Commission determines that it is inappropriate for voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers to deliver 9-1-1 calls from their fixed/non-native and nomadic VoIP customers to public safety answering points (PSAPs) using low-priority telephone lines or restricted numbers.

The Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), representing the 9-1-1 service bureaus, told the CRTC that a majority of 9-1-1 emergency calls from fixed/non-native and nomadic VoIP service providers were being delivered over low-priority lines – administrative lines, lines designed for lower priority and non-emergency calls, and other inappropriate lines. Some of these lines are not staffed on a 24 hour basis and are not architected to have access to network protection during periods of high traffic loads.

The Commission notes that ILECs are the only entities that can provide telecommunications service providers with network connections to all the PSAPs in their serving territories. … Therefore, the Commission considers that [the ILECs’ zero-dialed emergency call routing service] 0-ECRS is the only emergency call routing solution on record that ensures that VoIP service providers or TPOs can obtain direct access to the appropriate PSAP anywhere in the country.

Watch for cost increases among the smaller VoIP providers. Will these translate into rising end user prices?

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Skinny-golfing

June 19, 2007
TELUSOne of the features of The Canadian Telecom Summit is the opportunity to network with colleagues in the industry that you otherwise might not get to see – to schmooze. Except that I was a little tied up at the conference.

So, I am making up for that by going to the TELUS World Skins match for a couple days this week.

Strictly business.

I promise not to have any fun.

I’ll be meeting with people and … ummm … checking on the reliability of wireless data from rural Ontario. That makes it a research trip. Yeah – that’s it.

By the way, yesterday, on the way back to my northern office from the Raven at Lora Bay golf course, we passed a sign for the “Fry Guy” advertising portions “from Small to Honkin’ Big.” We turned the car around to get a honkin’ big order – $7.40 including all taxes for the equivalent of 3 mediums. It’s a long drive to Bracebridge. If you ever find yourself on Horseshoe Valley Drive heading north of Hwy 26, look for the Fry Guy on the east side of the road. Be sure to check out the view from his gazebo.

Sometimes, you just have to stop and smell the french fries.

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Web dialogs can really suck

January 25, 2017

Last December, I wrote about the 4 degrees of impersonal communications. The posting spoke of the way some people seem to lose sight of courtesy and common sense in their communications over “new” media.

Face-to-face communications (a first degree interaction) has no record, no evidence beyond the memory of the participants. Telephony (second degree) may have a record, such as an audio voice message. Email (3rd degree) gets circulated, over and over. Thanks to search engines and web-archiving tools, the web (4th degree) offers a permanent record.

Paradoxically, we seem to take more care in communications when the conversation can most easily be private and candid. Conversely, we pay less attention to etiquette and courtesy when the audience is global and of diuturnal impact.

Many of those who write or leave comments on blogs – and especially those that don’t even have the courtesy or intestinal fortitude to use a real name – use language or tone that simply doesn’t pass for reasonable discourse except perhaps in certain TV reality shows. Every time I get a comment notification, I brace myself for a tone that is too often uncivil.

My intent is to get my reader to look at issues a little differently – I am pleased when I can inflame your interest – I guess it means that I may be inspiring your thoughts with passion.

Mark Evans looks at Mathew Ingram‘s piece about on-line defamation from the Globe.

My own experience disagrees with Mark’s statement that the blogosphere “has been fairly libel and slander-free.”

Any other viewpoints?

Free and unfettered auctions

June 17, 2007
Bangor LodgeOne of our typical summer activities is visiting auctions in Muskoka. Sometimes there are great bargains for things you had no idea that you needed. Like snowshoes. In June.

Yesterday, there was an auction at the site of Bangor Lodge – a resort that changed hands last October. Everything was sold off to the highest bidder, even the cabins. You name it, they sold it. Golf carts, dishwashers, towel folders, lawn mowers, high chairs, air conditioners, etc. Even the fence that surrounded the old tennis courts.

It got me thinking about the upcoming auction of spectrum and how some folks think that Canada needs to provide incentives for new wireless companies to get into the business.

I get the sense that Canadian hotels are more expensive than US hotels. We don’t seem to have as many motels as the US. Maybe it is because there isn’t enough competition. Not as many advanced hospitality services as well. Where is the innovation? France has hotels with automatic check-in. The US has motels with marriages performed on-site. Not just in Vegas – but coast-to-coast – even in Anchorage.

Why was there no call for a new entrant set-aside at the auction yesterday at Bangor Lodge? Some simple mechanism to help competitors get into the hotel and resort business. The prices for golf resorts in Muskoka just don’t seem competitive compared to our major trading partners. There are all sorts of advanced hotel services available in the US that aren’t in Canada.

I would love to see an analysis of Canadian lodging rooms statistics compared to the US.

At least we will likely rank ahead of Ghana.

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