Distributel is a

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

of Bell Canada headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, founded in 1988 and offering Canadians long distance phone service. Distributel now offers a wide range of

high speed Internet In telecommunications, broadband or high speed is the wide-bandwidth data transmission that exploits signals at a wide spread of frequencies or several different simultaneous frequencies, and is used in fast Internet access. The transmission me ...

plans in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta as well as

VoIP Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also known as IP telephony, is a set of technologies used primarily for voice communication sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. VoIP enables voice calls to be transmitted as ...

Digital Home Phone service across Canada. Distributel also provides

IPTV Internet Protocol television (IPTV), also called TV over broadband, is the service delivery of television over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. Usually sold and run by a Telephone company, telecom provider, it consists of broadcast live telev ...

(Internet Protocol television) in all major markets in Ontario and Quebec. ThinkTel, the Business Services Division of Distributel, is a provider of SIP-based telecommunications and advanced voice and data services for the SMB and Enterprise markets throughout Canada.

History

Founded in 1988 by Mel Cohen, Distributel successfully fought telecommunications giant

Bell Canada Bell Canada (commonly referred to as Bell) is a Canadian telecommunications company headquartered at 1 Carrefour Alexander-Graham-Bell in the borough of Verdun, Quebec, in Canada. It is an ILEC (incumbent local exchange carrier) in the province ...

for the right to offer long-distance services through its network. The

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; ) is a public organization in Canada tasked with the mandate as a regulatory agency tribunal for various electronic communications, covering broadcasting and telecommunic ...

(CRTC) ultimately ruled in favour of Distributel, setting an important precedent for the competitive telecommunications market in Canada. With over 200,000 subscribers across Canada, Distributel has continued to evolve and expand its business through several key acquisitions and partnerships: * In 2011, Distributel acquired Acanac Inc., a provider of high-speed Internet and digital home phone (VoIP) services throughout Ontario and Quebec. * On 31 March 2014, Matt Stein joined Distributel as CEO, while Mel Cohen maintained his role as chairman. * In September 2016, Distributel acquires Yak Communications from Globalive. * In January 2017, Distributel announces a partnership with jBilling aimed at providing more flexibility to its business systems. * In October 2017, Distributel announced the acquisition of selected assets of Teliphone Navigata-Westel Communications (TNW). * In November 2017, Distributel announced that it had acquired 100% of Zazeen Inc. * In January 2018, Distributel announced a partnership with Eeyou Communications Network (ECN) to deliver high-speed Internet, home phone and television services to eight communities in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region in northern Quebec, using a new ECN fibre to the home network. * On January 19, 2021: Distributel Communications Limited announced that it has acquired Primus Canada. * In September 2022, Distributel Communications Limited is acquired by

Bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

and later amalgamated. **Bell's purchase agreement with Distributel is worth up to $335M, based on the achievement of certain performance objectives. Bell has earmarked $285M in cash disbursements in 2022, $20M in 2023, and $30M in 2025 for this purchase.

Services

Distributel offers residential telecommunication services: High-speed Internet, digital home Phone, TV and long-distance calling.

Cable Internet

Distributel provides capped and unlimited

cable Internet access In telecommunications, cable Internet access, shortened to cable Internet, is a form of broadband internet access which uses the same infrastructure as cable television. Like digital subscriber line (DSL) and fiber to the premises, cable Internet ...

via network suppliers Rogers, Videotron, Cogeco and Shaw. Depending on geographical service area, customers have access to download/upload speeds of:

Digital subscriber line (DSL)

Distributel provides capped and unlimited digital subscriber line (

DSL Digital subscriber line (DSL; originally digital subscriber loop) is a family of technologies that are used to transmit digital data over telephone lines. In telecommunications marketing, the term DSL is widely understood to mean asymmetric di ...

) and Fibre to the Home (

FTTH Fiber to the ''x'' (FTTX; also spelled "fibre") or fiber in the loop is a generic term for any broadband network architecture using optical fiber to provide all or part of the local loop used for last mile telecommunications. As fiber opt ...

) high-speed Internet options using Bell lines in Ontario and Quebec while also providing the service via Telus in Alberta and British Columbia. Depending on the underlying network supplier in their geographical service area, customers have access to download/upload speeds of:

Television

In 2015, Distributel became the first major Canadian independent Internet service provider (

ISP An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides a myriad of services related to accessing, using, managing, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non ...

) to offer Internet Protocol television (IPTV) in partnership with Zazeen Inc. To improve its ability to make long-term strategic decisions, continue developing the service and accelerate the introduction of new features and consumer benefits, Distributel acquired 100% of Zazeen Inc. in November 2017. Zazeen channel packages, which must be paired with Distributel unlimited high-speed Internet plans, range from "Starter" to "Ultimate" and are available in most English and French markets in Ontario and Quebec.

Telephone and long distance

In September 2016, Distributel acquired Yak Communications and proceeded to rebrand its Home Phone product as Yak Digital Home Phone, and retained many service advantages developed by Yak in its integrated offering. Yak Digital Home Phone is a VoIP service that transfers digital signals via an Internet connection, rather than through a traditional landline. All available packages include unlimited local calling and 12 calling features. Various plans offered include long distance minutes.

CNOC membership

Distributel is a member of the Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC) and CEO Matt Stein was the vice-chair and spokesperson for CNOC between 2020 and 2022.

Open Media

Until its purchase by

Bell Media Bell Media Inc. (Canadian French, French: ) is a Canadian media conglomerate that is the mass media subsidiary of BCE Inc. (also known as Bell Canada Enterprises, the owner of telecommunications company Bell Canada). Its operations include nati ...

, Distributel was a Platinum sponsor of Open Media.

References

External links

* {{Canadian ISP Telecommunications companies of Canada Internet service providers of Canada Telecommunications companies established in 1988 Internet technology companies of Canada