Shaw Communications Inc, Canada's second-largest cable-TV provider recently announced a deal with telecommunications giant Bell Canada to offer voice over internet protocol telephone services. Bell will be providing wholesales services including access to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and long distance facilities.
Canadian consumers are being offered a variety of services in this technology area as more companies begin offering service. Vonage recently expanded it's service offering from the US into Canada and Primus currently offers their TalkBroadband product. Calgary based Shift Networks offers services targeted at small to mid size businesses providing telephone lines and related services over high speed internet lines.
These new services mean both increased competition for telephone companies such as Telus and Bell Canada, but also represent a variety of exciting features and flexibility for consumers and businesses.