We must free internal trade, reform banking and telecommunications and increase incentives for retraining
By Sara MacIntyre and Marco Navarro-Genie Frontier Centre for Public Policy Canadians want change. It’s been more than a generation since we’ve felt the kind of overreaching power of government we’ve experienced in the past year. Daily freedoms have been curtailed, millions of livelihoods impaired, savings drained and countless fines and arrests created for new…
One day, you’re an unshakable fan of a company; the next day, you’re warning complete strangers to stay away
The relationship between customer and company is a delicate thing. One day, you’re an unshakable fan of a company; the next day, you’re warning complete strangers to stay away. Here are three examples of customer service and how it can go so right – or so wrong. Many years ago, my Telus internet went out.…
$15M investment focuses U of A’s innovation and commercialization capabilities, starting with precision agriculture, autonomous vehicles
The University of Alberta has announced a five-year partnership with Telus to establish a 5G “Living Lab” at the U of A that will contribute to a pipeline of new research and technology with commercial applications. It will also support the development of the talent pool needed to enhance economic recovery and diversification in Alberta.…
The higher the frequency, the more energy the wave contains and, thus, the more risk it might have for human health
The word radiation conjures up images of the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima or the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster. Our society has a strong, and not unreasonable, fear of nuclear radiation. These fears are founded on a bedrock of experience. It starts with Marie Curie, the scientist who discovered the property of radioactivity…
Price controls undermine investment, remove incentive for innovation and backfire for consumers
There’s a pervasive belief in Canada that wireless phone service prices are a ripoff. To suggest otherwise is heresy. Countless commentaries provide fodder for this belief, and every few years a politician takes on the purported problem. In the mid-2010s, for example, Industry Minister James Moore supported the entry of Verizon, although the U.S.-based prospective…
5G has the potential to leapfrog societies into more sophisticated business models and multiply jobs, and improve the quality of our lives
By Paz Gomez Research Associate Frontier Centre for Public Policy Despite concerns ranging from health risks to espionage, the fifth-generation technology for mobile connectivity (5G) has prompted a global adoption race – and there’s no going back. Contrary to conspiracy theories, it’s a necessary and positive step toward a fully digital economy. In Canada, the…
Where COVID-19 outbreaks happen in population-dense urban settings, people want to move. But they need services
With the potential for the COVID-19 to accelerate migration from cities to rural areas, it’s time for all levels of government to stop their dithering and accelerate efforts to provide broadband and cellular wireless services to rural and remote populations. The infighting between provincial, federal and municipal authorities has gone on for at least two…
Create an environment where there’s substantial value for new clients while recognizing and rewarding loyalty
I wanted to pay my Telus bill recently and because I had to update my credit card, I went to their website to contact customer service. Apparently due to COVID-19, a note on the Telus website tells customers to expect longer than normal waiting times. Last year, before the effects of COVID-19 on their service…
Given the low cost, the 10L offers impressive performance and features you may not find on phones at almost double the price
Hong Kong-based TCL recently entered the smart TV market in Canada and now they’ve unveiled a pair of premium-featured and affordable Android-based five-camera mobile phones, including the entry-level TCL 10L. TCL 10L test-drive The TCL 10L has a stylish and sleek body. Its 6.53-inch full high-definition screen displays 1,080 by 2,340 pixels at 395 pixels…
When making daunting decisions, having people who have experience in industries under discussion is invaluable
Nothing has been more vital to the functioning of Canada’s economy during the COVID-19 pandemic than the Internet. Yet recent appointments to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) reveal a government oblivious to its necessity. Nirmala Naidoo, for Alberta and the Northwest Territories, and Ellen Desmond, for the Atlantic and Nunavut, were added to…
By Sara MacIntyre and Marco Navarro-Genie Frontier Centre for Public Policy Canadians want change. It’s been more than a generation since we’ve felt the kind of overreaching power of government we’ve experienced in the past year. Daily freedoms have been curtailed, millions of livelihoods impaired, savings drained and countless fines and arrests created for new…
