Bell Canada, which in years past has been considered a weak player in Canada’s telecom industry, seems prepared to take a step forward.

While Bell has generally been slow in adapting to technological change, they now seem motivated to adapt to faster technologies.

The Canadian based telecom provider now has plans to bring fibre optics into their customer’s homes and expand their highly desired Internet TV.

Fibre optic cabling is a much faster data conduit than traditional telephone wiring, and should provide a much better service for their customers. The new fibre-to-home product rollout will initially happen in Quebec City, where most telephone wires are supported by telephone poles. This is ideal for Bell Canada because installing the new fibre wires on existing telephone poles is far more inexpensive than digging holes for the wires. Bell Canada also plans on introducing their new technologies to newer homes in the Ontario region.

Cusomters outside of Quebec City and Ontario won’t receive the fiber-to-home product, but instead will receive fiber-to-node connections. With these connections cables are brought near a home and then distributed with copper wiring. The fiber-to-node connection is also considered far superior over the existing network connection.

Two years ago, former Bell Canada CEO, Michael Sabia, announced that Bell Canada would not install the new fibre wiring, which drew heavy criticism from customers and shareholders.

The new CEO, George Cope, made upgrading the company’s networks his top priority and one of the first changes he has made was upgraded to the fibre networking.

Bell To Speed Things Up With More Fibre

According to Virgin Mobile President, Robert Blumenthal, the celebration and announcement of the HSPA+ network was to prove to the world that they are now a major player in the wireless world. Previously, Virgin Mobile targeted clients who were far more interested in affordable phones and pre-paid plans. Now Virgin Mobile should attract any customer who is looking for the best phone, the best network, and the best overall experience.

While Virgin still offers pre-paid plans without monthly contracts to many of their customers, those who decide to accept a monthly plan will benefit from various perks. Some of the perks include access to one of Virgin Mobile’s many technologically advanced mobile phones and access to Virgin Mobile’s vast international network.

Virgin Mobile has recently released some of the most technologically advanced mobile phones, including the BlackBerry Bold, the Apple iPhone 3GS, the BlackBerry Curve, the Samsung M330, and the Novatel Wireless MiFi. With these new advanced phone to their customer’s disposal, Virgin Mobile is sure to attract the new client base.

In early 2009, the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission began to place mandates on all Canadian cellular providers to offer location-based 911 services by February of this year. Prior to these mandates, a landline phone was easily mapped to determine where a caller was located. You could only determine an approximation of where the person was based on the nearest cell phone tower.

Now, emergency responders will be able to be accurately routed to the nearest emergency response center, which has been achieved by using GPS and triangulation technology to determine the exact longitude and latitude of a person’s whereabouts. However, the accuracy of this new technology will depend on the model of the phone, in addition to the reception in the area where that call might be made. The range will be between 10 and 300 meters of the caller, which in a rural area could have went as far as 20 kilometers prior to the 911 upgrades.

Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC, is pleased that wireless service providers have upgraded their 911 services. Now, Canada is one of a few countries where 911 operators will be able to receive location information the moment a call is made from a cellular device. Canadians’ safety will be improved as a result of these changes.

121 call centers across Canada have used the new technology, but 9 call centers are still experiencing technical issues that will be fixed within the coming weeks, according to the CRTC.

This new technology will also offer emergency responders greater ability to connect to people in the case of an emergency.

Cellular Services In Canada Improve 911 Services

Cell phone use while driving has been linked to an increased risk in fatal accidents. Yet, in most places, cellphone use is not treated as harshly as other potentially hazardous driving behaviors such as speeding and driving under the influence. However, in Ontario, a new law is now in place which hopes to crack down on the careless driving that results from cellphone use.

As of February, 2010, police officers in Ontario are required to ticket drivers using handheld cellphones, media players, personal data assistants, smart phones and portable video game players. Although this ban has been in effective since October, 2009, a three month grace period was established to help drivers adjust to the new driving regulations. This grace period ended on February 1st, meaning that Ontario drivers using cellphones and other devices now risk getting ticketed and paying hefty fines as a consequence.

According to the government of Ontario, over 3,300 warnings were issued to drivers using handheld devices during the cell phone ban’s grace period. This number is much lower than expected, and as such, the projected number of cellphone tickets to be issued from February on is relatively low. This high level of compliance with the new rules seen thus far has been attributed to the attention the new regulations have seen in the media. Most residents of Ontario are aware of the rules and willing to comply, recognizing the risks of driving while using handheld devices.

Hands free devices are still permitted for use while driving. These devices include media players plugged in to the car’s sound system, cell phones with headsets or ear pieces, and GPS devices mounted to the dashboard. Another important exception is that drivers are allowed to use cell phones to call 911 while driving, in the case of an emergency.

Cellphone Ban Now In Full Effect Across Ontario

Maine state legislator Andrea Boland isn’t willing to wait. She knows there are nearly 1 million cell phone users in her state that could be in danger. That’s why she has a proposal for as early as January 2010. If her bill passes, she wants labels on all handsets and packaging, explaining the potential risks for brain cancer. Not only that, but she wants a picture of a child’s brain next to the warning. This is her way to really hit home with her message. Anything that can potentially save lives is usually a good idea.

Cancer Warning Labels for Cell Phones?

The $6.95 charge has long been seen as a cash grab by consumers who will benefit from the removal of the fee. Although cellular plan charges are going to increase by $5.00 come November 5th, consumers will still see a savings on their bills.

This move will mean that Bell Canada will be the only cellular carrier to retain an access fee. Telus customers have long reviled the charge as a money grab by the cellular company to pad its profits by charging the fee. Telus is the first of the three Canadian cellular carriers to completely drop the fee. Rogers ended its access fee, but added a regulatory recovery fee which was meant to recoup the lost revenue.

Telus will be offering the new plans to its existing customers who will have a choice of switching to the new plan, called the Clear Choice plan, or continuing with their current coverage and continuing to pay the access fee.

Analysts are concerned that the move will end up in cutting into the telecom companies revenuess, but the potential for an increased consumer base from customers switching from their old plans to Telus’ new offerings is seen as a positive potential.

Telus Corp, in what is being called a long overdue move, is cutting the system access fee from its service plans