Manitoba Telecom Services
Encyclopedia
Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. , or MTS , formerly Manitoba Telephone System, is the primary telecommunications carrier in the Canadian
province
of Manitoba
and the fourth largest telecommunications provider in Canada
with 7000 employees. It provides local and long-distance phone services, television service, Internet service and wireless services including digital
PCS, cellular
, and paging. Since acquiring Allstream in 2004, the company is known as "MTS Allstream Inc."
MTS is the descendant company of Manitoba Government Telephones which went into operation in January 1908. The Crown corporation eventually absorbed all private telephone operations in the province. In 1996, the Provincial government of Premier Gary Filmon
decided to sell the Manitoba Telephone System to private shareholders. The decision to privatize was seen as controversial, as it marked a significant departure from the Progressive Conservatives'
earlier position that MTS should remain provincially-owned.
The company's head office is located in MTS Place on Main Street, in Downtown
Winnipeg
, Manitoba
.
Radiotelephone
service was added to the communities of Gimli
, Norway House, and The Pas in 1948.
MTS converted its telephone exchanges to the 2L-5N numbering plan between 1955 and 1958.
On Sunday, September 30, 1956, MTS connected to the TCTS microwave network, from the new 85 feet (25.9 m) high microwave tower built at the Fort Rouge Exchange on Corydon Ave., which meant that Winnipeggers were now able to receive non-live CBC
programming on CBWT
the same day it was broadcast in Toronto, and Montreal. Also voice long distance calls were made more efficient. There were 120 voice circuits east of Winnipeg and 96 between Winnipeg and Regina
. The television signal from CBC was sent to CBC Winnipeg via underground & submarine cable under the Assiniboine River
.
At midnight on June 21, 1959, Winnipeg was the first urban area in North America to implement the 9-9-9 Emergency Number.
Also in the late 1950s, MTS located one of its administrative offices on Empress St. near the newly opened Polo Park Shopping Centre
complex. In 2001 these employees were moved to 333 Main St., commonly known as MTS Place, where 1200 employees now work. This formed part of the Province's Downtown First strategy.
In the Spring of 1979, MTS announced that it would be a pioneer in two-way electronic information services. The trial was called Project IDA and ran from 1980 to 1981.
. Terminal equipment was manufactured by Norpak
.
They opened MTS Phone Centre stores in shopping malls to sell residential and business phones and services, and in 1984 opened two MTS Business Centre locations (Commodity Exchange Tower lobby and Empress St. office) to provide sales of business-level equipment.
In the mid-1980s, MTS started a subsidiary known as MTX, which had invested in telecommunications in Saudi Arabia. However MTX was forced to shut down after controversy about the company back in Manitoba after MTX lost $27 million on the venture.
In the late 1980s MTS launched MTS Mobility providing cellular and paging services in Manitoba.
In January 1999 MTS partnered with Bell Canada to form Intrigna, which was a company created to expand telecommunications options for the business market in Alberta and British Columbia. As part of the deal, Bell Canada gained 20% ownership of MTS. They set up a jointly operated office in Calgary. By the summer of 1999, fibre optic cable had been laid in Edmonton
and Calgary
, and later extended to Vancouver
. Intrigna was renamed Bell West.
In August 1999 MTS completed work on a new trunked (digital) radio system known as FleetNet 800, technology licensed from neighbouring SaskTel
.
In the Fall of 1999 MTS began to offer DSL high-speed Internet service in Winnipeg and Brandon, which later expanded to other areas of the province.
in early January 2000, lead MTS to initiate upgrades to the Radisson-Churchill
corridor with fibre optics and the Lynn Lake
-Thompson
corridor with a digital microwave system to replace the outdated equipment.
In 2004, MTS acquired Allstream (formerly AT&T Canada) for $1.7 billion and merged both companies.
Cellular telephone service is currently available in 97% of the province, but some areas, like Piney, Manitoba
aren't scheduled to become cellular capable until around 2009.
On December 10, 2003 MTS bought the naming rights for the True North Centre, making it the company's single largest advertising expenditure. The entertainment, sports and performing-arts facility is now known as the MTS Centre
. The company also has a long-running TV ad campaign featuring various talking bison
.
On December 7, 2005, former BCE executive Pierre Blouin was named Chief Executive Officer
of Manitoba Telecom Services and of MTS Allstream, replacing longtime CEO Bill Fraser.
The Enterprise Solutions division, which operates under the Allstream brand nationally and under the MTS Allstream brand in Manitoba, is in the national business and wholesale markets. This division offers Internet protocol connectivity, unified communications, IT consulting and security services, and voice and data connectivity services. The Consumer Markets division leads every telecommunications market segment in Manitoba, selling next generation wireless, high-speed Internet and data, digital television and wireline voice services under the MTS brand, as well as small business services in Canada under the Allstream brand, and security and alarm monitoring services through the company’s subsidiary AAA Alarm Systems Ltd., which also operates in other western provinces. The company’s national broadband fibre optic network spans more than 24,300 kilometres, and provides international connections through strategic alliances and interconnection agreements with other international service providers. Manitoba Telecom Services Inc.’s common shares are listed on The Toronto Stock Exchange (trading symbol: MBT). In October 2008, MTS Allstream was named one of Manitoba's Top Employers
, which was announced by the Winnipeg Free Press
newspaper.,
Allstream provides IT Consulting services in Information Management, IT Infrastructure, Enterprise Applications and Security.
In January 2011 MTS officially launches an announcement webpage on their website stating that their new HSPA+ wireless network is to launch on 31 March 2011, along with the support Apple's iPhone 4 shortly after. The new wireless network will make use of Simcard technology, and will provide data speeds up to 21Mbits/s. MTS' current CDMA network will continue to work with current handsets. MTS is also allowing the use of unlocked HSPA+ devices which support the HSPA 850Mhz signal.
The MTS Long Distance Gateway is located in the J. F. Mills Building on Corydon Avenue near what is locally known as Confusion Corner
. One of its functions is to transmit local television signals from Winnipeg to retransmitters throughout the province.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
of Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
and the fourth largest telecommunications provider in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
with 7000 employees. It provides local and long-distance phone services, television service, Internet service and wireless services including digital
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
PCS, cellular
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
, and paging. Since acquiring Allstream in 2004, the company is known as "MTS Allstream Inc."
MTS is the descendant company of Manitoba Government Telephones which went into operation in January 1908. The Crown corporation eventually absorbed all private telephone operations in the province. In 1996, the Provincial government of Premier Gary Filmon
Gary Filmon
Gary Albert Filmon, PC, OC, OM is a Manitoba politician. He was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba from 1983 to 2000, and served as the 19th Premier from 1988 to 1999.-Early life and municipal career:...
decided to sell the Manitoba Telephone System to private shareholders. The decision to privatize was seen as controversial, as it marked a significant departure from the Progressive Conservatives'
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
earlier position that MTS should remain provincially-owned.
The company's head office is located in MTS Place on Main Street, in Downtown
Downtown Winnipeg
Downtown Winnipeg is centred around Portage Avenue and Main Street, and is bounded by the Assiniboine River on the south, Colony and Balmoral Streets on the west, Notre Dame Avenue, Princess Street, and Logan Avenue on the north, and the Red River on the east. It includes the Exchange District,...
Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
.
Early 1900s
In 1908, the Province of Manitoba assumed responsibility for telephone service in the province, purchasing the Bell system from Bell Telephone Company of Canada for $3.3 million.Radiotelephone
Radiotelephone
A radiotelephone is a communications system for transmission of speech over radio. Radiotelephone systems are not necessarily interconnected with the public "land line" telephone network. "Radiotelephone" is often used to describe the usage of radio spectrum where it is important to distinguish the...
service was added to the communities of Gimli
Gimli, Manitoba
Gimli is a a rural municipality located in the Interlake region of south-central Manitoba, Canada, on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg. It is about north of the provincial capital Winnipeg...
, Norway House, and The Pas in 1948.
1950s
A new wing was built at the Fort Rouge Exchange in 1950, and automatic switching equipment was installed in the same year. This was the first of its kind in North America.MTS converted its telephone exchanges to the 2L-5N numbering plan between 1955 and 1958.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
programming on CBWT
CBWT
CBWT is the CBC's television station in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the only CBC station in Manitoba, since Brandon's CKX-TV closed on October 2, 2009....
the same day it was broadcast in Toronto, and Montreal. Also voice long distance calls were made more efficient. There were 120 voice circuits east of Winnipeg and 96 between Winnipeg and Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
. The television signal from CBC was sent to CBC Winnipeg via underground & submarine cable under the Assiniboine River
Assiniboine River
The Assiniboine River is a river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked within a flat, shallow valley in some places and a steep valley in...
.
At midnight on June 21, 1959, Winnipeg was the first urban area in North America to implement the 9-9-9 Emergency Number.
Also in the late 1950s, MTS located one of its administrative offices on Empress St. near the newly opened Polo Park Shopping Centre
Polo Park
Polo Park is Winnipeg's largest retail and entertainment district. It is the largest mall out of the eight malls in the city. Situated on the former Polo Park Racetrack, the Polo Park Mall was built in 1959. It was the first enclosed shopping mall in Winnipeg when a roof was added in 1963...
complex. In 2001 these employees were moved to 333 Main St., commonly known as MTS Place, where 1200 employees now work. This formed part of the Province's Downtown First strategy.
1970s
In the late 1970s, similar to policy changes implemented by AT&T in the U.S., MTS allowed its customers to purchase their own telephone equipment and with this, provided free installation of RJ11 telephone jacks.In the Spring of 1979, MTS announced that it would be a pioneer in two-way electronic information services. The trial was called Project IDA and ran from 1980 to 1981.
1980s
MTS was a pioneer in offering videotex at the commercial level. In 1981, it partnered with Infomart (then owned by the Torstar and Southam newspaper chains) to create the Grassroots service, providing information relevant to farmers on the Canadian prairies. Customers paid $47.50 per month to subscribe to Grassroots, plus connection fees to DATAPACDATAPAC
DATAPAC was Canada's packet switched X.25-equivalent data network. Operated first by Trans-Canada Telephone System, then Telecom Canada, then the Stentor Alliance, it finally reverted to Bell Canada when the Stentor Alliance was dissolved.-Use:...
. Terminal equipment was manufactured by Norpak
Norpak
Norpak Corporation was a company headquartered in Kanata, Ontario, Canada, that specialized in the development of systems for television-based data transmission...
.
They opened MTS Phone Centre stores in shopping malls to sell residential and business phones and services, and in 1984 opened two MTS Business Centre locations (Commodity Exchange Tower lobby and Empress St. office) to provide sales of business-level equipment.
In the mid-1980s, MTS started a subsidiary known as MTX, which had invested in telecommunications in Saudi Arabia. However MTX was forced to shut down after controversy about the company back in Manitoba after MTX lost $27 million on the venture.
In the late 1980s MTS launched MTS Mobility providing cellular and paging services in Manitoba.
1990s
In 1996 in a controversial decision, the Provincial government decided to sell the Manitoba Telephone System to private shareholders. The vote to privatize MTS was held in early December 1996.In January 1999 MTS partnered with Bell Canada to form Intrigna, which was a company created to expand telecommunications options for the business market in Alberta and British Columbia. As part of the deal, Bell Canada gained 20% ownership of MTS. They set up a jointly operated office in Calgary. By the summer of 1999, fibre optic cable had been laid in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
and Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, and later extended to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. Intrigna was renamed Bell West.
In August 1999 MTS completed work on a new trunked (digital) radio system known as FleetNet 800, technology licensed from neighbouring SaskTel
SaskTel
Saskatchewan Telecommunications is a provincial Crown Corporation operating under the authority of the Saskatchewan Telecommunications Act. It is the only remaining Crown Corporation in the Canadian telecommunications industry....
.
In the Fall of 1999 MTS began to offer DSL high-speed Internet service in Winnipeg and Brandon, which later expanded to other areas of the province.
2000s
The CRTC met with the various telecommunications providers in Canada and required of them to implement a Service Improvement Plan (SIP). This meant that MTS had to improve service to northern remote areas that even by the 21st century had poor quality phone service. Customers in northern Manitoba complained that the microwave system could not handle data communications (modem, fax) well. This, as well as the collapse of a microwave relay tower linking ChurchillChurchill, Manitoba
Churchill is a town on the shore of Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada. It is most famous for the many polar bears that move toward the shore from inland in the autumn, leading to the nickname "Polar Bear Capital of the World" that has helped its growing tourism industry.-History:A variety of nomadic...
in early January 2000, lead MTS to initiate upgrades to the Radisson-Churchill
Churchill, Manitoba
Churchill is a town on the shore of Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada. It is most famous for the many polar bears that move toward the shore from inland in the autumn, leading to the nickname "Polar Bear Capital of the World" that has helped its growing tourism industry.-History:A variety of nomadic...
corridor with fibre optics and the Lynn Lake
Lynn Lake, Manitoba
Lynn Lake is a small town in the northwest region of Manitoba, Canada, 1,071 km from Winnipeg. The town was named after Lynn Smith, chief engineer of Sherritt Gordon Mines Ltd. There are numerous outfitters in the Lynn Lake area...
-Thompson
Thompson, Manitoba
Thompson is a city in northern Manitoba. As the "Hub of the North" it serves as the regional trade and service centre of northern Manitoba. Thompson is located north of the Canada – United States border, north of the provincial capital of Winnipeg, and is northeast of Flin Flon...
corridor with a digital microwave system to replace the outdated equipment.
In 2004, MTS acquired Allstream (formerly AT&T Canada) for $1.7 billion and merged both companies.
Cellular telephone service is currently available in 97% of the province, but some areas, like Piney, Manitoba
Piney, Manitoba
The Rural Municipality of Piney is a rural municipality in southeastern Manitoba, Canada, along the border with Minnesota in the United States. The population was 1,755 at the 2006 census.-Geography:...
aren't scheduled to become cellular capable until around 2009.
On December 10, 2003 MTS bought the naming rights for the True North Centre, making it the company's single largest advertising expenditure. The entertainment, sports and performing-arts facility is now known as the MTS Centre
MTS Centre
The MTS Centre is an indoor sports arena and entertainment venue in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and home of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League. It is located on the former Eaton's site and is owned and operated by True North Sports & Entertainment. The 440,000 square feet ...
. The company also has a long-running TV ad campaign featuring various talking bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
.
On December 7, 2005, former BCE executive Pierre Blouin was named Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Manitoba Telecom Services and of MTS Allstream, replacing longtime CEO Bill Fraser.
The Enterprise Solutions division, which operates under the Allstream brand nationally and under the MTS Allstream brand in Manitoba, is in the national business and wholesale markets. This division offers Internet protocol connectivity, unified communications, IT consulting and security services, and voice and data connectivity services. The Consumer Markets division leads every telecommunications market segment in Manitoba, selling next generation wireless, high-speed Internet and data, digital television and wireline voice services under the MTS brand, as well as small business services in Canada under the Allstream brand, and security and alarm monitoring services through the company’s subsidiary AAA Alarm Systems Ltd., which also operates in other western provinces. The company’s national broadband fibre optic network spans more than 24,300 kilometres, and provides international connections through strategic alliances and interconnection agreements with other international service providers. Manitoba Telecom Services Inc.’s common shares are listed on The Toronto Stock Exchange (trading symbol: MBT). In October 2008, MTS Allstream was named one of Manitoba's Top Employers
Manitoba's Top Employers
Manitoba's Top Employers is an annual competition that recognizes the best places to work in Manitoba. Published annually since October 2006, the designation singles out the employers in the province that lead their industries in creating forward-thinking workplaces with progressive human...
, which was announced by the Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
newspaper.,
Allstream provides IT Consulting services in Information Management, IT Infrastructure, Enterprise Applications and Security.
In January 2011 MTS officially launches an announcement webpage on their website stating that their new HSPA+ wireless network is to launch on 31 March 2011, along with the support Apple's iPhone 4 shortly after. The new wireless network will make use of Simcard technology, and will provide data speeds up to 21Mbits/s. MTS' current CDMA network will continue to work with current handsets. MTS is also allowing the use of unlocked HSPA+ devices which support the HSPA 850Mhz signal.
Facilities
The administration offices are located at 333 Main St., in the former Bestlands Building. The complex is now known as MTS Place.The MTS Long Distance Gateway is located in the J. F. Mills Building on Corydon Avenue near what is locally known as Confusion Corner
Confusion Corner
Osborne Junction, more commonly known as Confusion Corner, is a street intersection in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Located at the junction of City Route 62 and City Route 42 in the city's Fort Rouge neighbourhood, the intersection is a major traffic hub through which most traffic between downtown and the...
. One of its functions is to transmit local television signals from Winnipeg to retransmitters throughout the province.