Bell Canada

Bell Canada is a Canadian telecommunications company and one of the principal operating businesses of BCE Inc. Its activities span fixed-line telephone service, broadband internet, wireless communications, television distribution, enterprise connectivity and related information-technology services. The Bell name is used across a broad portfolio that includes Bell Mobility, Bell Fibe Internet, Bell Fibe TV, Bell Satellite TV and services associated with Bell Aliant. Virgin Plus operates as a Bell wireless flanker brand. The company was established in 1880 as the Bell Telephone Company of Canada, following the development and commercial exploitation of Alexander Graham Bell's telephone invention. For much of its early history, Bell Canada operated as the Canadian regional telephone company associated with the Bell System. It built and operated a large Canadian network, initially extending from the eastern provinces toward the west, although service development was concentrated in major population centres. Bell also operated research and development facilities, an important distinction from the conventional structure of some other Bell System operating companies. Bell's historical footprint changed substantially during the twentieth century. Provincial governments acquired its prairie operations in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan in the early 1900s, while various Atlantic and northern operations were later reorganized, sold, or placed in affiliated companies. Bell acquired interests in Atlantic telephone businesses during the 1960s, and those assets eventually contributed to Aliant and later Bell Aliant. BCE also acquired Northwestel, giving the broader Bell group a presence in northern Canada. In Ontario and Quebec, Bell acquired or integrated numerous independent operators, while other regional carriers remained under separate ownership. The company was renamed Bell Canada in 1968. Its historic relationship with AT&T and the wider Bell System weakened during the 1970s. AT&T divested Bell Canada in 1975 after Bell Canada had developed greater independence, including its own research capability. Northern Electric, Bell Canada's associated equipment manufacturer, became Northern Telecom and later Nortel Networks. In 1983, Bell Canada Enterprises was created as the holding company for Bell Canada and Northern Telecom; the holding company later became BCE Inc. Canadian telecommunications deregulation from the 1980s through the 1990s ended Bell's former monopoly and exposed it to stronger competition. Bell subsequently concentrated its incumbent local-exchange-carrier role in major centres in Ontario and Quebec, while affiliated companies served other regions. A 2006 restructuring transferred substantial wireline operations in parts of Ontario and Quebec to Bell Aliant and shifted wireless and retail responsibilities to Bell Canada. BCE later reacquired Manitoba's telecommunications system, now known as Bell MTS, in 2017. Today, Bell competes across Canadian telecommunications and media markets. Its principal rivals include Rogers Communications, TELUS and Quebecor's Videotron, with competition varying by province and service category. Bell's consumer proposition combines mobile connectivity, fibre and other broadband access, television, home phone and digital services. Through BCE, the wider group also owns Bell Media, whose assets include the CTV television network, although Bell Media is a distinct business from Bell Canada's core telecommunications operations. Bell remains one of Canada's largest network operators and a central participant in the country's communications infrastructure.

Bell Canada's origins lie in the Canadian commercialization of Alexander Graham Bell's telephone work during the late nineteenth century. Bell's Canadian patent rights were transferred in part to his father, Alexander Melville Bell, and Canadian telephone activity initially consisted of leased instruments and locally operated lines. In 1880, after the Canadian rights were sold to the National Bell Telephone Company, the Canadian business was reorganized as the Bell Telephone Company of Canada. Charles Fleetford Sise became its first general manager. Early manufacturing support came from Thomas C. Cowherd and James H. Cowherd in Brantford, Ontario. Their factory produced telephones to Bell's specifications for the Canadian market. Bell Canada developed from an urban telephone operator into a large regional network, serving Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime provinces and extending lines westward. By 1914, it served hundreds of thousands of subscribers and had become a major Canadian corporate institution. The company's territorial history was complex. Provincial governments acquired Bell's operations in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan in 1908 and 1909. In Atlantic Canada, Bell later acquired interests in Newfoundland Telephone, Maritime Telephone and Telegraph, Island Telephone and the company associated with NBTel. These operations were eventually consolidated into Aliant and Bell Aliant. Bell and affiliated companies also developed or acquired northern operations, including Northwestel. In Ontario and Quebec, Bell bought or integrated numerous independent carriers, although independent and competing operators continued to serve many rural and specialized markets. Bell Canada was historically connected to AT&T and the wider Bell System, while Northern Electric served as the associated Canadian equipment manufacturer. Bell acquired full ownership of Northern Electric in 1964, but the equipment business was subsequently broadened through public ownership and renamed Northern Telecom in 1976. Bell Canada's own research and development capability helped it operate with increasing independence from AT&T. AT&T's remaining ownership relationship ended in 1975. Federal telecommunications policy then moved toward deregulation and competition. Bell's former monopoly was progressively reduced between 1980 and 1997. In 1983, Bell Canada Enterprises was created as the parent company for Bell Canada and Northern Telecom, later becoming BCE Inc. BCE ultimately separated from Nortel in 2000, while retaining Bell Canada as a core operating asset. The modern Bell structure emerged through further regional consolidation and reorganization. Bell Aliant assumed much of Bell's wireline business in Atlantic Canada and selected areas of Ontario and Quebec, while Bell Canada emphasized wireless, retail and broader national services. Bell Mobility became the group's wireless arm, and Bell expanded into broadband, IPTV and satellite television. BCE's 2017 acquisition of Manitoba Telecom Services restored the Manitoba business to the group under the Bell MTS name. Bell now operates in a competitive Canadian communications market. Its incumbent local-carrier role is concentrated mainly in Ontario and Quebec, while affiliated operations and national wireless, broadband, television and enterprise businesses extend the group's reach across Canada. The Bell brand is therefore both a historical telephone identity and a contemporary multi-service communications platform.

• 2017

  BCE returns to Manitoba through Bell MTS

  [1]Bell Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  BCE acquires Manitoba Telecom Services and operates the Manitoba business as Bell MTS.

• 2006

  Bell and Aliant restructure their operations

  [1]Bell Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  Wireline operations and wireless and retail responsibilities are redistributed between Bell Canada and Bell Aliant.

• 1988

  BCE acquires Northwestel

  [1]Bell Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  BCE acquires the northern Canadian telecommunications company, expanding the group's historical presence in Canada's territories.

• 1983

  BCE Inc. is created

  [1]Bell Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  Bell Canada Enterprises is formed as a parent company for Bell Canada and Northern Telecom.

• 1976

  Northern Electric becomes Northern Telecom

  [1]Bell Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  Bell Canada's equipment affiliate changes its name as it develops into the telecommunications manufacturer later known as Nortel Networks.

• 1975

  Bell Canada is separated from AT&T

  [1]Bell Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  AT&T divests Bell Canada as the Canadian company becomes more self-sufficient in research and network operations.

• 1968

  The company adopts the Bell Canada name

  [1]Bell Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  Federal legislation changes the legal name from The Bell Telephone Company of Canada, Ltd. to Bell Canada.

• 1964

  Bell obtains full ownership of Northern Electric

  [1]Bell Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  Bell Canada takes complete ownership of its Canadian telephone-equipment affiliate, which later becomes Northern Telecom and Nortel Networks.

• 1962

  Bell acquires an interest in Newfoundland Telephone

  [1]Bell Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  Bell begins a series of Atlantic Canadian investments that later contribute to the Aliant and Bell Aliant structure.

• 1914

  Bell serves a large national subscriber base

  [1]Bell Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  The company is reported to have reached approximately 237,000 telephone subscribers as its network expanded across major Canadian regions.

• 1880

  Bell Telephone Company of Canada is established

  [1]Bell Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  The Canadian Bell telephone business is reorganized as a separate company and begins building a national telephone operating base.

Integrated Canadian telecommunications operator offering bundled wireless, broadband, television, fixed-line and enterprise services.

• Mobile telecommunications

  Bell Mobility

  Bell Mobility is Bell Canada's wireless business, providing mobile voice, messaging and data services across Canada. It operates alongside Virgin Plus, a Bell-owned flanker brand positioned separately from the principal Bell consumer offer.

• Broadband internet

  Bell Fibe Internet

  Bell Fibe Internet is the company's consumer broadband offering, associated particularly with fibre-based access and high-speed home connectivity. Availability and technology vary by location, reflecting Bell's combination of fibre, DSL and other network assets.

• IP television

  Bell Fibe TV

  Bell Fibe TV is Bell's IPTV service, bundled in many markets with broadband and other household communications products. It forms part of Bell's strategy of combining connectivity with television distribution.

• Satellite television

  Bell Satellite TV

  Bell Satellite TV delivers television programming through direct-broadcast satellite technology. It complements Bell Fibe TV in locations where fixed broadband television service is unavailable or less suitable.

• Enterprise telecommunications and IT

  Bell Business Solutions

  Bell Business Solutions provides business-focused connectivity, managed communications and information-technology services. Its development reflects Bell's expansion beyond residential telephone and television into enterprise networking and integrated IT support.

• 2017

  Acquire Manitoba Telecom ServicesM&A

  Background

  BCE sought to restore direct ownership of Manitoba's telecommunications infrastructure after the province's former government-owned telephone system had become Manitoba Telecom Services.

  Action taken

  BCE acquired Manitoba Telecom Services and integrated the business under the Bell MTS identity.

  Aftermath

  The transaction expanded BCE's western Canadian telecommunications presence and returned the Manitoba operating business to the Bell group.

  Source

• 2006

  Reallocate wireline, wireless and retail operationsStrategy

  Background

  Bell and Aliant reorganized their regional telecommunications assets as the Canadian market became more competitive and the BCE group sought clearer operating responsibilities.

  Action taken

  Bell Aliant took on major wireline operations in Atlantic Canada and selected areas of Ontario and Quebec, while Bell Canada assumed Bell Aliant's wireless and retail operations.

  Aftermath

  The restructuring established a more differentiated relationship between Bell Canada's national consumer businesses and Bell Aliant's regional wireline operations.

  Source

• 2017

  BCE acquires Bell MTS[1]Bell Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  BCE regained ownership of Manitoba's telecommunications system, which operates under the Bell MTS name.

• 2006

  Bell and Aliant complete a major operating restructuring[1]Bell Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  The restructuring moved substantial wireline operations in parts of Ontario and Quebec into Bell Aliant while Bell Canada assumed responsibility for Bell Aliant's wireless and retail activities.

• 1983

  BCE is formed as Bell Canada's holding company[1]Bell Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Bell Canada Enterprises was established as the parent structure for Bell Canada and Northern Telecom during a period of telecommunications deregulation and corporate reorganization.

• 1975

  AT&T divests Bell Canada[1]Bell Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  AT&T ended its ownership relationship with Bell Canada after Bell Canada had developed greater independence in Canadian telecommunications research and operations.

• 1968

  Bell Canada is renamed under federal legislation[1]Bell Canadaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The Bell Telephone Company of Canada, Ltd. adopted the Bell Canada name, formalizing the brand used widely in everyday speech.

1. 1Bell Canadaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Bell Canada official websitebell.ca