Bell Fibe TV

Bell Fibe TV is an IP-based television service offered by Bell Canada in Ontario and Quebec. It is bundled with a FTTN or FTTH Bell Internet service, and uses the Ericsson Mediaroom platform.

Bell Fibe TV officially launched on September 13, 2010 and is currently available only in select areas of Ontario and Quebec. Service will gradually be expanded and it is expected that Fibe TV will be available to nearly 5 million households by the end of 2015.

History

Bell began researching for a new television solution in 2004 in order to penetrate into urban markets where building owners restricted the installation of satellite dishes. The launch of Bell ExpressVu for Condos (VDSL service) proved to be ineffective since that service did not allow for customers to benefit from HD programming and PVR options. In 2006, after much research was done, Bell started testing a new technology called IPTV in Toronto, Quebec City and Montreal with Bell employees using the ADSL platform. In October 2007, Bell finally launched a pilot project of IPTV branded as Bell Entertainment Service in select areas and buildings of Toronto. Most of the features that are now available with Fibe TV were offered with Bell Entertainment Service. Some key traits of Bell Entertainment Service were internet and TV charges being billed as one service, "White Glove" customer service and media sharing. After finalizing testing for the new IPTV service in the following years, Bell finally rolled out a contained launch in Toronto and Montreal under the "Fibe TV" brand name in June 2010 followed by an official launch later that year in September.

Bell Internet

Bell Internet, originally and frequently still called Sympatico, is the residential Internet service provider (ISP) division of Bell Canada. As of May 3, 2012, Bell Internet has over 3 million subscribers in Ontario and Quebec, making it the largest ISP in Canada.

History

1990s: Early years

Sympatico was launched on November 29, 1995. Originally a national service operated jointly by Canada's incumbent local exchange carriers and operational run as a content portal by MediaLinx, the companies other than Bell (including Aliant) have since retreated to their own brands.

2000s: Value-added services and rebranding

Starting in Summer 2003, Sympatico tried to differentiate its service from its competitors by adding value-added services. This meant the launch of Radial Point's (formerly Zero Knowledge) suite of antivirus, firewall and anti-spyware services. Although a fee was originally required, this is no longer the case, as Bell now provides the service at no extra charge for DSL customers. In 2004, Sympatico added a wireless modem-router hardware upgrade and Microsoft's MSN Premium software to its portfolio. In Summer 2007, Sympatico packaged its Security suite and wireless home networking modem together with its high speed offering as Sympatico Total Internet.