Bell Canada intros Internet TV, Videotron goes wireless

Cooler temperatures apparently lead to hot ideas up north in Canada where Bell Canada (NYSE: BCE) is "on the verge" of introducing an Internet-TV based service and cable operator Videotron is answering back with a wireless service that delivers heavy doses of French language programming to cable subscribers with smartphones.

Bell's Internet TV is called Bell Entertainment Service and its sole purpose is to make money by siphoning subscribers from Rogers Communications (NYSE: RCI) and Videotron. The service will run over the fiber networks the telco has put into place for its HSD service. It's been trialed and talked about for a while, but now it appears to be ready to start happening.

Videotron is answering back (although not directly) with a wireless service that lets smartphone users who are also cable customers access a wealth of content on their mobile phones. A key to the service, aside from the fact that much of the program content will be in French to assuage Videotron's base of subscriber in Quebec, is price.

"We will be the ones who (introduce) multimedia and data at a reasonable price," predicted Robert Depatie, Videotron's president-CEO. "I'm expecting reaction."

Need it be said that he can count on that?

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