Telecom, Telephone, and Communications News

This must be becoming a nightmare for those of you that are customers of these shmucks.

Today MCI reiterated what it expressed over two weeks ago -- namely that it would deem a Qwest offer of $30 to be superior to the $23.10 provided under the current Verizon-MCI merger agreement -- apparently concluding that the difference was sufficient compensation for the increased risks associated with completing the transaction and executing the business plan thereafter.

Verizon believes its pending transaction with MCI creates long-term, as well as short-term, value for the shareholders of both companies by protecting the integrity of MCI's business, ensuring that MCI's customers have continuing access to the best communications services, retaining key employees, and stabilizing MCI's financial position and prospects.

Under the terms of the Verizon-MCI definitive merger agreement, Verizon may elect to require MCI to continue to finalize its proxy statement and to organize a meeting of MCI's shareholders to consider the agreed transaction with Verizon. Alternatively, Verizon may elect to terminate the agreement with MCI. Upon such a termination, Verizon would be entitled to be paid by MCI a $240 million break-up fee plus an expense reimbursement of up to $10 million, and the same amounts would be payable following an MCI shareholders meeting if the Verizon-MCI transaction were not approved and an agreement was signed with Qwest.

Full story from Verizon

By STEVE ERWIN

TORONTO (CP) - Canada's 15 million mobile-phone subscribers will soon no longer face a major obstacle to abandoning a cellphone company whose service or rates don't satisfy them: they'll be able to have the same telephone number with a different provider.

The country's mobile operators have agreed to allow customers to retain their numbers when changing networks within the same local calling area.

The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association announced the agreement on so-called number portability, which will also allow customers to keep the same phone number when transferring landline phone service to wireless service or vice versa.

"This is an important step forward for consumers," said Federal Industry Minister David Emerson, noting that number portability is common for traditional telephone service and has been introduced for wireless service in other countries around the world.

The inability to retain a phone number has been one reason many customers have been reluctant to switch service providers. Removing that barrier could further intensify competition between cellphone companies.

The deal announced Thursday includes all of the country's major mobile phone providers - Rogers Wireless, including the Fido service it bought from Microcell Communications last year, Bell Mobility, Telus Mobility, Aliant Mobility, Bruce Municipal Telephone System, MTS Mobility, SaskTel Mobility, Sogetel Mobilite, Telebec Mobilite and TBayTel Mobility.

The agreement came after the most recent federal budget included a directive calling for progress toward portability.

CWTA president Peter Barnes said an independent consultant will be hired to complete a project plan for a "massive and complex undertaking."

Barnes hopes the plan will be completed by Sept. 1, after which a common start date for portability will be established by the wireless carriers.

CWTA spokesman Marc Choma said the planning will take time because the industry wants to avoid problems encountered in other countries that have adopted number portability. He said in some cases customers have waited for days as service providers transferred numbers as well as voicemail and other services.

Barnes noted that it has taken years for the United States to reach a level of efficiency in enabling customers to retain numbers. Portability was introduced in 100 major American cities in 2003, but there are still areas of the United States where it does not apply.

American software exists to handle the exchange of numbers between companies that can be adopted in Canada with some changes, Barnes said. "That should be fairly straightforward."

The consultant will be hired from the United States or some other country that has gone through this change so that Canadian providers "know what the shortcuts and the pitfalls are," he added.

"It is complex, there's no denying that."

The February federal budget asked the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, the national regulator, to quickly deal with number portability.

"The government is pleased to see the industry moving voluntarily and expeditiously to address the issue," Emerson's statement said.

CWTA represents cellular, PCS, messaging, mobile radio, fixed wireless and mobile satellite carriers as well as developers of mobile-industry products and services.

From canoe

It's about time.