Hasta La Gadget!

Oh, Canada. Just one day after we received word of the CRTC’s new wireless code, Industry Canada — its government’s equivalent of the FCC — announced further postponements of the country’s pending 700MHz spectrum auction. Already delayed from the first half of this year to November, IC is pushing the auction back yet another two months to January 14th, 2014, while the application deadline has been reset for September 17th of this year. The main reason for the setback? This morning, the government denied Telus’ request to transfer AWS spectrum from Mobilicity — one of the most important factors in the potential merger of the two networks. As a result, IC decided to allow more time for the affected companies to figure out what to do next; more than likely, Telus will need the extra two months to pull an AT&T and rethink its acquisition strategy. Read the release below for a few more details behind the rationale.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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Via: MobileSyrup (1), (2)

Source: Marketwire

It’s spent the past few months soliciting feedback from Canadian wireless users, and the CRTC has now announced the details of a new wireless code that it says “addresses the main frustrations that Canadians shared with the CRTC.” At the top of that list is the length of cellphone contracts, which will now effectively be capped at two years — carriers may still be able to offer longer terms, but you’ll be able to cancel your contract after two years with no cancellation fees. The code also places some significant new caps on data fees: excess data charges will be capped at $50 per month, while international roaming charges will be capped at $100 per month.

Beyond that, Canadians will now be able to get their phones unlocked after 90 days (or sooner if you’ve bought the device outright, although the actual unlocking fee isn’t specified), and they’ll be entitled to a 15-day trial period, during which they can return their phone and cancel their contract if they’re unhappy with their service. The code also promises to enforce “plain language” in contracts — ensuring, for instance, that you don’t pay any extra charges for services described as “unlimited.” Notably, however, the code doesn’t immediately cover all current cellphone users. It only applies to new (or extended) contracts starting on December 2nd of this year. In the meantime, you can read up on all the finer details at the source link below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: CRTC Wireless Code

Some Canadians can get multi-room TV through their providers, but a truly wire-free option has never been on the table — no doubt a disappointment for backyard viewing parties. Bell is filling that void today with what it says is the first carrier-supplied wireless TV package in Canada. Fibe TV subscribers can now pick up as many as five Wireless Receivers (really, Motorola VIP2502 boxes) to extend their HD viewing and DVR control to the whole home without cables. It sounds easy; the real challenge, we figure, will be getting a Wireless Receiver in the first place. Customers have to live in Montreal, Quebec City or Toronto for Fibe TV to even be an option, while each Wireless Receiver costs either $7 per month or $199 up front.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals, HD

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Source: Bell

The biggest news of the day made its way out of Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters a few hours ago, but there’s plenty more to see just 150 miles to the north in Vancouver, British Columbia. SID’s Display Week exhibition kicked off this morning, giving us an opportunity to get hands-on with some pretty nifty prototypes from LG and Samsung, including that first manufacturer’s 5-inch flexible plastic OLED panel and a brilliant 3,200 x 1,800-pixel laptop display from the latter. We’ll be scouring the floor over the days to come, on the hunt for similar innovations, many of which will likely find their way into our smartphones, laptops and living rooms later this year and beyond.

Protip: Use our “SID2013” tag to see this week’s hottest Display Week news!

Filed under: Displays

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Regulators in Canada have been making a push to enhance competition in the mobile space, with Industry Minister Christian Paradis going so far as to lay out a set of rules for the nation’s upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction that he promises will give citizens “more choices and more access at better prices.” Granted, that ideal world only works if the carriers can stay afloat long enough to bid. According to William Aziz, Mobilicity’s own chief restructuring officer, the operator has been “losing a significant amount of money every month.” To that end, he reckons that an “acquisition by Telus is the best alternative,” and he seems to think that the $380 million deal will receive a hasty approval considering the circumstances.

The purchase price is thought to be high enough to cover the debts looming over Mobilicity, and it’ll give its 150 employees a secure job at Telus. If it sails through, a quarter-million Mobilicity customers should see no interruption in service as the integration takes place. Of course, a secondary benefit for Telus is gaining access to the spectrum Mobilicity currently uses. The end result for customers in the world’s nicest country? We’d love to say that one fewer player will result in better service, lower prices and greater fulfillment for all… but something tells us that’s probably wishing for a bit much.

[Image credit: Andrew Currie, Flickr]

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: Telus