Another day, another new market for Shaw Communications' cable telephony service. Shaw is now offering service in Winnipeg - putting it head to head in telephony and TV with Manitoba Telecom Services, which has enjoyed growing success with its digital TV service in the past 18 months. Shaw, which has signed up more than 20,000 telephony customers since February in Edmonton and Calgary, is offering a discount of up to $15 on telephone service to customers who also buy its digital TV and high-speed Internet products.

At the height of the telecom boom in 2000, BCE Inc. CEO Jean Monty suddenly decided to spend $7.4-billion to acquire the 77% of Teleglobe Inc. that BCE didn't already own. It was another part of his ambitious convergence strategy that would marry networks with content. In hindsight, it was a disasterous move and BCE was eventually forced to walk away from Teleglobe, which went into bankruptcy protection. Teleglobe has popped back into the spotlight today on news India's Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd. has made a $239-million bid for the global network operator. For people unfamiliar with VSNL, it is one of the India's leading ISPs, Web hosting firms and its incumbent international carrier. The folks at Light Reading believe the deal is significant because: - VSNL claims it will become the third biggest global player in the international voice market, behind AT&T and MCI. - it bolsters VSNL's international business in light of its previous acquisition of Tyco International's global submarine telecom network. - VSNL is also buying a VOIP wholesale business formerly known as ITXC. Does it seem somewhat ironic the deal is being hailed as a brilliant move by VSNL while it's seen as Jean Monty's Waterloo? It probably has to do with the fact VSNL paid about 2.4% of what Monty did for Teleglobe. To be fair, Monty's convergence strategy wasn't flawed as much as it was probably ahead of its time. For some good insight into the VSNL-Teleglobe deal, check out Om Malik, Ronald Gruia and Light Reading.