Paul Lima

Since 1997, more than a dozen bravely optimistic competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) set sail in Canada.

When it comes to using wearable wireless technology to access data on the corporate network, Bell Canada field technicians are on top of a wave predicted to have a major impact on business.

The next time you see a Bell Canada field technician up a pole pulling wires, don't be surprised if the technician pauses, looks at a compact device on his vest, pokes at a screen with a finger or stylus and then carries on working.

Four years ago, Ryerson Polytechnic University purchased an old hotel adjacent to its campus in Toronto and converted it into a student residence. The university wanted to give students access to the campus network from the residence but the cost of conduits and cabling was prohibitive.

Major telecommunications equipment manufacturers like Nortel Networks, Lucent Technologies and Cisco Systems are talking about Internet Protocol (IP) products that unify networks and enable companies to run voice and data over one network system. They are talking about IP-phones that connect companies enterprise-wide by IP-enabled WANs. They are talking about the death of long distance and the Internet becoming the sole channel for voice and data communications.

Understanding the ins and outs of telecom billing is crucial if enterprises want to get good value for their telecom dollars.

The current push to deploy integrated customer relationship management systems will soon make the lives of network managers even more hectic.

Although the term e-business has only recently entered the lexicon, many companies and organizations, especially Fortune 1000 firms, have used computer technology since the days of mainframe computers and green screen terminals to enhance communications by electronically disseminating information.