Bell Canada
...n February 1, 1881, the first public phone was connected in Hamilton, Ontario. Later, Montreal and Vancouver had been connected by telephone in 1916. More connections between provinces would soon follow. (Bell Canada, 2002). The structure of the telephone was improved to a more user friendly version called a handset in 1927. 1945 marked a milestone for the company, when Bell installed their one millionth telephone 65 years after the company was first established. In 1953, the company linked television programs from Buffalo, New York, Toronto, and eventually Montreal. In 1956, some distance calling was made availible without the help of operators. Seven-diget phone numbers were introduced in 1960, followed by the introduction of touch-tone phones in 1964. In 1974, Bell Canada in London, Ontario, was the first to introduce a 911 emergency service. In 1985, Bell began to offer cellular system services. Finally, Bell launched their first website in 1995. (Bell Canada, 2002). Divisions Bell Canada provides many different communication services. For that reason, Bell Canada is divided into smaller companies to serve the needs of Canadians with more attention to detail. Divisions of Bell Canada include several communication companies such as Bell Nexxia, Bell Mobility, Bell Express Vu, and Bell Actimedia. Bell Nexxia provides services for small buisnesses, such as internet connection and e-busniess solutions. Bell Mobility provides cellular connections, as well providing cell phones and pagers for costomers. Bell ExpressVu provides sattilite television services. Lastly Bell Actimedia provides web directories as well as publishes the Yellow Pages. (Bell Canada, 2002). Present Day Issues Present day issues are an important factor in the future of Bell Canada, as it is with any company. Bell Canada is a very successful company in Central and Eastern Canada, although Telus Mobility takes over in the West of Canada. Recently, Bell Canada (including Bell Mobility) launched television, radio, mail and other promotions to publisise the company in Edmonton, Vancouver, and Calgary. Bell Mobility's taget market is people aged 25 to 35 years old, but also youths 14 years old and older. The company's plan is not working too well as Telus Mobility is gaining more success in central and eastern Canada than Bell is in the west. (Lazarus, 2002). Nortel and Bell signed an agreement worth $180 million to ensure that Bell Mobility could extend it's digital PCS network into British Columbia and Alberta. This agreement allows Bell Mobility customers the same services provided in central and eastern Canada. (Fruitman, 1997). Another recent issue happened in May of 2002. Teleglobe (a division of Bell Canada Enterprises) filed protection from creditors under Companies Creditors Arrangement Act. This is the equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Despite these struggles to fight competition, Bell Canada Enterprises shows no signes of slowing down soon. The company and its devisions continue to grow and serve people on a daily basis. People No company would exist without the people who run and de...