SaskTel is preparing for the eventual termination of its ISDN basic rate service, Microlink.

Last November, it applied to the CRTC for authorization to withdraw multi-year contracts for Microlink, given the age and viability of ISDN-BRI technology.

As part of the process, SaskTel sent a letter, dated November 24, to current subscribers and included

If you choose to end your contract early, you can do so without a termination charge. In addition, if you terminate a Microlink service contract and migrate to a similar service, SaskTel will waive the associated service connection charge.

But the proposed tariff pages didn’t match that offer. The tariff said:

… or customers may transition to a similar service prior to the expiry date of their contract term without incurring termination charges or any Service Connection charges associated with the similar service.

A subtle, but important difference. The letter implies an unconditional right to end the contract. The tariff language ties the waiver of termination charges to transferring to a new service. It is unclear which version was Sasktel’s original intent, but the CRTC has made the decision for them.

Looking carefully at the language in both documents and without the help of consumer intervention, earlier this week the CRTC ordered Sasktel to change the language in the tariff in order to honour the offer from the letter, without any ambiguity. Score 1 for consumers.

Technorati Tags:
CRTC, Sasktel, ISDN, Microlink

According to a study released by Accenture and the Economist Intelligence Unit, more than half of respondents believe IPTV can generate significant revenue within the first three years of service.

Dan Elron, managing director for Accenture’s Communications practice said:

The business case for IPTV, its value-added benefits and its potential remain strong. In the long-term, the key to achieving high performance through IPTV is to be visionary, ambitious and open to innovation from many sources. For the shorter term, the key is to quickly adapt to consumer feedback and jump over technology hurdles.

There will be a panel session looking in-depth at IPTV implementations at The 2007 Canadian Telecom Summit in June. In addition, Dan Elron will be a speaker at the event.

Technorati Tags:
Canadian Telecom Summit, Accenture, IPTV

My first exposure to competitive telecommunications was when I moved to Detroit in 1984 to work as a Bell Canada International consultant advising General Motors on telecommunications issues. At the time, GM was building out a global network, connecting its facilities worldwide in the wake of AT&T;’s divestiture.

Fast forward 23 years. Yesterday, GM announced one of the largest commercial contracts in AT&T;’s history, awarding a five-year global networking and management contract worth nearly $1 billion.

AT&T; will be responsible for managing the performance of key regional telecommunications providers around the world in addition to network management responsibility for participating telephone companies to drive consistent, uniform IT service delivery and support.

Many local carriers have been actively pursuing the Canadian portion of the GM network.

AT&T; will have a senior member of its leadership team addressing The 2007 Canadian Telecom Summit in June. In addition, AT&T; is sponsoring the cocktail reception on Monday June 11.

Technorati Tags:
AT&T;, GM, Canadian Telecom Summit

The National Post carried a statement from a TELUS spokesperson in relation to the mobile porn fiasco that needs some clarification. The quote says:

Telus blocks illegal child pornography sites in co-operation with Cybertip.ca, a project that protects children from sexual exploitation sponsored by Canadian Internet service providers.

“Any other material on the Web, we are not allowed to block unless a judge orders it.”

TELUS is not yet blocking Cybertip-identified content, but it is working on implementing the network equipment to effect the blocking capability. While Cybertip identifies content as likely being illegal, their process does not include a judicial finding.

A judge is not required to for TELUS to block “any other content.” The CRTC has that power.

Technorati Tags:
TELUS, illegal content, CRTC, Cybertip.ca