TELUS and XM Canada launch Canada's first streaming mobile radio service

BY: 

Dave Forde
July 6, 2006

VANCOUVER, July 6 /CNW/ – TELUS and XM Canada(TM) today announced the
exclusive availability of TELUS Mobile Radio(TM) – powered by XM Canada, the first service to offer Canadians access to real-time streaming satellite radio programming including 100 per cent commercial-free music and the best in comedy, talk and entertainment – all from their mobile phones.
“TELUS Mobile Radio delivers the commercial-free music, talk and
entertainment radio programming clients want, when they want it, right in the
palm of their hand,” said Robert Blumenthal, TELUS senior vice president of
Products and Services. “This Canadian first is the latest addition to TELUS’
innovative line-up of SPARKTM entertainment and information services, and
another example of TELUS meeting our clients’ desire for innovative products and services.”
“This is another fantastic ‘first’ for XM Canada. The launch today
represents the first time that satellite radio will be distributed in
partnership with a wireless provider in Canada,” said Stephen Tapp, president
and COO of XM Canada. “Through TELUS Mobile Radio, XM Canada will bring TELUS clients the highest quality satellite radio programming with an incredibly deep music play list offering true variety and choice to music lovers. This partnership introduces a new option in content delivery that transcends the regular innovation XM listeners expect – it’s a revolution in mobile entertainment. It is very exciting to realize that TELUS’ wireless clients are the first in the country to have the opportunity to subscribe to XM on their handsets.”
“XM Canada’s partnership with TELUS is something we are very proud of as TELUS is one of the most recognized brands in Canada,” said Tapp. “This is a tremendous medium to bring TELUS clients the best in commercial-free music, comedy, entertainment and talk.”
Operating on TELUS’ Wireless High Speed and 1X networks, TELUS Mobile Radio offers a live digital streaming radio service, with unlimited access to 20 stations: Bluesville, BPM, Chrome, Ethel, Flight 26, Fred, High Voltage, RAW, Real Jazz, Soul Street, Suite 62, The City, The Joint, The Rhyme, The Verge, Top 20 on 20, Top Tracks, U.S. Country, XM Comedy and XM Pops. As well, TELUS Mobile Radio subscribers will receive a rich, interactive audio experience, with hosting infrastructure and radio application powered by mSpot, a pioneer in mobile multimedia entertainment.
TELUS Mobile Radio is initially available on the LG 8100 and Samsung A950 phones, two exclusive multimedia flip phones, by wirelessly downloading the application directly to the handsets. The phones also feature a wide variety of other SPARK multimedia services including TELUS Mobile Music(TM) full-track download service and TELUS Mobile TV(TM), and supports integrated MP3 playback, 1.3 megapixel digital cameras and video recorders and optional 1GB memory cards for storing a wide range of music, video, photo and other files.
The LG 8100 is available in a choice of black and white exteriors for as low
as $99.99 on a three-year contract or $349.99 without a contract. The Samsung A950 sells for as low as $99.99 on a three-year contract or $349.99 without a contract. Additional TELUS wireless phones will support TELUS Mobile Radio service in the future.
TELUS Mobile Radio is included in the SPARK 25 feature bundle or can be
added on to any voice plan for just $15 per month. Until July 31, 2006,
clients can experience TELUS Mobile Radio without fee on a two-month
introductory trial offer. For more information on TELUS Mobile Radio, please visit telusmobility.com/mobileradio.

SPARK – mobile entertainment and information in the palm of your hand

SPARK puts the world of entertainment, information and messaging services
right in the palm of your hand with services such as TELUS Mobile Music, TELUS Mobile TV, multimedia messaging, downloadable images, ringtones, videos and games, and new Web browser features, including search tools and a broad range of new online content. For more information on SPARK, please visit telusmobility.com/spark.

About mSpot

A pioneer in mobile multimedia entertainment, mSpot partners with movie
studios, music labels and media companies to produce and deliver exciting,
high-quality music and video services for mobile phones. mSpot Radio, an
all-format mobile radio service, offers nearly 100 channels of crystal-clear
music, news, sports, finance, entertainment and talk radio from popular
sources such as NPR, ESPN, Radio Disney and MarketWatch. mSpot’s
ground-breaking mobile video service, mSpot Movies, is the only service in the U.S. that streams full-length films, television and concerts to mobile phones. mSpot is available in the U.S. through Sprint and in Canada through TELUS. Founded in 2004, mSpot is a privately held company headquartered in Palo Alto, California and on the Web at www.mspot.com.

About Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.

Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings (CSR) Inc. (TSX: XSR) operates as XM
Canada(TM) through its subsidiary, Canadian Satellite Radio Inc. XM Canada is the No. 1 satellite radio service in Canada with the best coverage in Canada offering a unique lineup of premier Canadian and international programming. XM Canada offers listeners up to 100 channels and the most NHL(TM) games, PGA TOUR(TM) and Major League Baseball(TM) coverage, the deepest play list, and news, talk, sports, entertainment and children’s programming. XM Canada launched its French and English satellite channels for all of Canada and the United States to hear on November 22, 2005. After next season, XM will become the exclusive provider of NHL games coverage on satellite radio. As partners, General Motors of Canada, Honda, Nissan and Toyota will offer XM radios in
more than 80 different models of vehicles for model year 2007.
XM Canada is the only satellite radio provider in Canada to produce
unique Canadian content from a street front studio located at Avenue Road &
Davenport in Toronto as well as another broadcast studio in downtown Montréal.
XM Canada creates unique Canadian content to be broadcast via digital quality signals in Canada and the United States and has an exclusive Canadian licence from U.S.-based XM Satellite Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: XMSR), the leading satellite radio provider in the U.S. with more than 6.5 million subscribers. To find out more about Canadian Satellite Radio Inc. (TSX: XSR), visit our website at www.cdnsatrad.com. To subscribe to XM Canada online or for more information about XM Canada’s programming line-up and radio choice, visit www.xmradio.ca.

About TELUS

TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications
company in Canada, with $8.2 billion of annual revenue and 10.3 million
customer connections including 4.6 million wireless subscribers, 4.7 million
wireline network access lines and 1.0 million Internet subscribers. The
company’s strategic intent is to unleash the power of the Internet to deliver
the best solutions to Canadians at home, in the workplace and on the move.
TELUS provides customers with a wide range of wireline and wireless
communications products and services including data, Internet protocol (IP),
voice, entertainment and video services. For more information about TELUS,
please visit telus.com.

Forward Looking Statement

This news release contains statements about expected future events that
are forward-looking. By their nature forward looking statements may not prove
to be accurate and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such
statements. Such statements require the Company to make assumptions and are
subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. Please refer to TELUS’ public
disclosure documents for a review of the risk factors that may affect actual
results.

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available on
the CNW Photo Network and archived at https://photos.newswire.ca.
Additional archived images are also available on the CNW Photo Archive
website at https://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited
members of the media/

For further information: For media inquiries, please contact: Julie
Smithers, TELUS Media Relations, (416) 684-6817, [email protected]; For
more information about XM Canada, please contact: Gavin Davidson, Wilcox Group
– Toronto, (416) 203-6666, ext. 2202, [email protected]; Jason
Mercier, Wilcox Group – Vancouver, (604) 488-1100, ext. 226,
[email protected]

[tags] Telus, XM Canada, satelite radio [/tags]

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Dave Forde


Dave “The Connector” Forde has been involved in the marketing, public relations and technology industry across Canada for over 20 years in various sales and marketing roles, he launched The Connected One network of business sites which connects buyers to the right sellers. Profectio and PR In Canada covers news about the marketing and public relations industry each day helping professionals advance their career and businesses. He also serves as an advisor to a number of businesses across the country. Find Dave on LinkedIn and Twitter.


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