The Jan. 3 crtc deadline for letters of intent from prospective applicants for an mmds service in southern Ontario saw two new contenders enter the ring.

Winnipeg-based Craig Broadcasting, which spearheaded Canadian mmds efforts with its Manitoba SkyCable service launched in September of 1995, has filed a letter of intent for an Ontario service.

Another letter was filed by Toronto-based Digital Television, headed by former Rogers Cable president Scott Colbran and supported by Toronto wireless company NovaNet, which will be a shareholder in the proposed service.

There are two existing mmds proposals from Toronto-based SelectView Cable Services and PowerTel tv, also based in Toronto.

The deadline for mmds applications is Feb. 3.

Meanwhile in the dth ring, Star Choice, owned by Fredericton-based Direct Choice tv, is shipping 500 demonstration systems to retailers across the country this month to allow a ‘sneak peek’ at the service and to work out any technical bugs in the system.

Star Choice has secured interim satellite space in a sublease deal with Stentor Canadian Network Management, sufficient space, says Star Choice vp Guy Skipwith, to launch a 40-channel service in February or March of this year.

The Stentor deal was approved by the crtc in late December and Skipworth says the company is actively pursuing other satellite space options. Star Choice anticipates about 66,000 subscribers for its service in year one. The benefits of buying into a Canadian system versus the u.s. services available through the gray market, says Skipworth, are cost, access to Canadian programming and sound mind regarding equipment warranties.

In December, Star Choice president Greg Walling suggested possible alliances between dth and multipoint, multichannel distribution systems suppliers, a field which has recently expanded.

Skipworth says Star Choice is talking to mmds suppliers but is focusing most of its efforts on launching its dth service later this winter.

The road to a long-term Canadian dth satellite solution became longer in the first week of this month when Industry Canada rejected its ‘fast track’ proposal for the use of Canadian orbital space.

Industry Canada had called for satellite development and operation plans, issuing a fast-track deadline of Dec. 16, but dismissed the proposals from Telesat Canada and Spar Aerospace. Both companies will submit satellite launch plans by a Feb. 28 deadline.