Canadian mobile operators should expect more competition, the country’s telecom regulator warned during his last week of office.
Jean-Pierre Blais, whose five-year term of office as head of the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) ends on Saturday, delivered this warning among a series of others in a speech to operators, politicians, officials and the country’s creative industry. Blais, who did not reapply for his job, told operators that “unless things change, the CRTC will need to act to increase wireless competition, which in turn will lower retail wireless rates, raise data caps and spur further innovation”.
He compared the Canadian market unfavorably with the US, where “wireless service providers do not share their networks, which results in excess capacity”. As a result, “carriers lower retail prices to bring in more customers and offer unlimited data plans to use up this capacity. In addition, this excess capacity has led to a reseller market that is supporting many mobile virtual network operators (or MVNOs) that typically target specific consumer segments.”
He said Canadian network sharing has made networks efficient, especially in a market with low population density, but “we have yet to see a level of competition that puts downward pressure on retail rates”.
Full Content: Reuters
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
Canada Targets Tech Titans with New Digital Tax in 2024
Apr 17, 2024 by
CPI
EU Privacy Watchdog Calls for Meta to Offer Ad-Free Option
Apr 17, 2024 by
CPI
Japan’s Antitrust Overhaul Targets Tech Titans Like Apple
Apr 17, 2024 by
CPI
Ryanair to Amplify Italian Presence Despite Antitrust Issues
Apr 17, 2024 by
CPI
FTC to Vote on Ban on Noncompete Clauses in Employment Contracts
Apr 17, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – China Edition – Year of the Dragon
Apr 16, 2024 by
CPI
Review Logic and Rules for Concentrations of Undertakings that Do Not Meet the Standard of Notification
Apr 16, 2024 by
CPI
China’s Review of Semiconductor Transactions
Apr 16, 2024 by
CPI
Key Challenges and Tips for Merger Control Filing in China for Listed Companies
Apr 16, 2024 by
CPI
Key Point Review: China SPC Antitrust Judgments in 2023
Apr 16, 2024 by
CPI