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ARCHIVED - Telecom Commission Letter adressed to Distribution List

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Ottawa, 5 April 2019

Our reference: 1011-NOC2019-0057

BY EMAIL

Distribution List

RE: Review of mobile wireless services, Telecom Notice of Consultation 2019-57 – Requests for information

With the issuance of Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2019-57,Footnote1 the Commission initiated a proceeding to review mobile wireless services in Canada.
For the purposes of developing the record of this proceeding, the Canadian wireless carriers identified in the distribution list are to file responses to the questions set out in the attachment by 5 June 2019.Footnote2 These submissions must be received, not merely sent, by that date.

The present letter is not intended to address the procedural request made by the Commissioner of Competition and dated 8 March 2019, which is subject to a separate ongoing process. A determination with respect to that procedural request will be issued at a later date.

As set out in section 39 of the Telecommunications Act and in Broadcasting and Telecom Information Bulletin CRTC 2010-961, Procedures for filing confidential information and requesting its disclosure in Commission proceedings, persons may designate certain information as confidential. A person designating information as confidential must provide a detailed explanation on why the designated information is confidential and why its disclosure would not be in the public interest, including why the specific direct harm that would be likely to result from the disclosure would outweigh the public interest in disclosure. Furthermore, a person designating information as confidential must either file an abridged version of the document omitting only the information designated as confidential or provide reasons why an abridged version cannot be filed.

Yours sincerely,

Original signed by

Philippe Kent

Director, Competition and Emergency Services Policy
Telecommunications Sector

c.c.:  Jeremy Lendvay, CRTC, 819-997-4946, jeremy.lendvay@crtc.gc.ca
Adam Mills, CRTC, 819-995-4574, adam.mills@crtc.gc.ca
Sylvie Labbé, CRTC, 819-953-4945, sylvie.labbe@crtc.gc.ca
Competition Bureau, laura.sonley@canada.ca
Benjamin Klass, benjiklass@hotmail.com

Attach. (1)

Distribution List

Bell Mobility Inc. (Bell),bell.regulatory@bell.ca;
Bragg Communications Incorporated (Eastlink), regulatory.matters@corp.eastlink.ca;
Brooke Telecom Co-operative Ltd., geoff@brooketel.ca;
Execulink Telecom Inc., ian.stevens@execulink.com, martha.facey@execulink.com;
Hay Communications Co-operative Limited, a.lawrence@hay.net;
Huron Telecommunications Co-Operative Limited, grubb@hurontel.on.ca;
Mornington Communications Co-operative Limited, knaylor@mornington.ca;
Quadro Communications Co-operative Inc. regulatory@quadro.net; 
Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Rogers), rwi_gr@rci.rogers.com;
Saskatchewan Telecommunications (SaskTel), document.control@sasktel.com;
Shaw Telecom Inc (Shaw), regulatory@sjrb.ca; Sogetel Mobilité Inc., richard.biron@sogetel.com;
SSi Micro Ltd., regulatory@ssimicro.com;
TBayTel, stephen.scofich@tbaytel.com, David.Wilkie@tbaytel.com, rob.olenick@tbaytel.com;
TELUS Communications Inc. (TELUS), regulatory.affairs@telus.com;
Videotron Ltd. (Videotron), regaffairs@quebecor.com;
Ice Wireless Inc., regulatory@icewireless.ca;
Xplornet Communications Inc., xplornet.legal@corp.xplornet.com;
Wightman Telecom Ltd., regulatory@wightman.ca

Request for information

Questions for all Canadian wireless carriers identified in the distribution list

  1. Provide the list of your commercial mobile spectrum holdings, broken down by service areas (or tiers) and by frequency band.
  2. Are there any service areas where your company holds a licence for spectrum but that spectrum is not being used?  If so, identify the service area(s), the amount and frequency of spectrum that is being unused, the reason the spectrum is unused, and any future plans to make use of that spectrum.
  3. For each of the years 2014 to 2018 as well as forecasts for each of the years 2019 and 2020, and for each province/territory, provide, for each brand your company operates, (i) the number of retail mobile wireless services subscribers; (ii) the number of retail mobile wireless services subscribers that subscribe to a plan that includes data; and (iii) your retail mobile wireless revenues. Include separate totals for prepaid and postpaid services for (i), (ii), and (iii) above. Include all assumptions used.
  4. Provide a list of the promotions with respect to retail mobile wireless services that your company offered in 2018. This list should provide the following details for each promotion:
    1. a description of the promotion;
    2. the brand under which the promotion was offered;
    3. the time the promotion was available; and
    4. the number of customers who subscribed to the promotion.
  5. Using the format in the table below, provide all the changes made to the price of your retail mobile service offerings in 2018 and in 2019 (up to this date).Footnote3 Indicate all assumptions used in relation to the data provided in your response. Use a separate table for each brand your company operates. The tables should be provided in Excel spreadsheet format.
Price changes 2018-2019
Wireless service plan Province/ RegionFootnote4 Description of Plan FeaturesFootnote5 Start Date of the Plan Stand-alone Retail PriceFootnote6 Before Change Stand-alone Retail Price After Change Date of Price Change(s)Footnote7

Questions for Bell, TELUS, Rogers, Eastlink, Videotron, Shaw, and SaskTel

  1. For each of the years 2014 to 2018 as well as forecasts for each of the years 2019 and 2020, provide your company’s total wireless operating revenues and total wireless operating expenses, broken down by major category (e.g. voice, data, wholesale services, handsets, and other operating revenues; labour, marketing, billing and administration, spectrum, network, and other operating expenses). Include all assumptions used.
  2. For each of the years 2014 to 2018 as well as forecasts for each of the years 2019 and 2020, and for each province/territory, provide your company’s total wholesale mobile wireless services revenues (including all assumptions used), broken down as follows:
    1. roaming service provided to Canadian wireless carriers, broken down by carrier;
    2. tower and site sharing arrangements with Canadian wireless carriers, broken down by carrier;
    3. arrangements to provide service to MVNOs, broken down by MVNO; and
    4. any other wholesale mobile wireless service(s) provided to other companies, broken down by company. Specify the service(s) provided.
  3. For each of the years 2014 to 2018 as well as forecasts for each of the years 2019 and 2020, and for each province/territory, provide your company’s total wholesale mobile wireless services expenses (including all assumptions used), broken down as follows:
    1. roaming service for your customers using other Canadian wireless carriers’ networks, broken down by carrier;
    2. tower and site sharing agreements with other Canadian wireless carriers, broken down by carrier.
    3. tower and site arrangements with entities that are not Canadian wireless carriers; and
    4. any other wholesale service(s) provided by Canadian wireless carriers, broken down by carrier. Specify the service(s) provided.
  4. For each of the years 2014 to 2018 as well as forecasts for each of the years 2019 and 2020, provide the following, broken down by province/territory:
    1. The number of towers and sites owned by your company in operation;
    2. The number of towers and sites owned by your company in operation that are not shared with any other wireless carrier;
    3. The number of towers and sites used by your company through sharing arrangements with other wireless carriers. Provide separate totals for each wireless carrier.
    4. The number of towers and sites used by your company and owned by an entity that is not a wireless carriers.
  5. With respect to investment in your company’s mobile wireless network, provide the following:
    1. For each of the years 2014 to 2018, a breakdown of the total capital expenditures attributed to your mobile wireless network by major categories, including for example spectrum, cell sites, backhaul, and switching. Provide a breakdown by province/territory.
    2. For each of the next five years (i.e. 2019 to 2023), a breakdown of the total capital expenditures forecast for your mobile wireless network by major categories, including for example spectrum, cell sites, backhaul, and switching. Provide a breakdown by province/territory and by type of network (e.g. 4G, 5G).
  6. Does your company share all or part of a mobile wireless network with another wireless carrier? If so, describe the arrangement(s) and provide a copy of the network sharing agreement(s).
  7. Provide a list of potential MVNOs that have approached you or that are currently negotiating with your company, since August 2018, to access your company’s wireless network(s), products and/or services. This list should include the following, as applicable:
    1. The name of the company that your company is or has been in discussions/negotiations with regarding potential access to your wireless network(s);
    2. The type of arrangement and/or network access discussed with the other company;
    3. Date on which discussions/negotiations started and/or ended; and
    4. The reason(s) these discussions/negotiations ended.
  8. For each of the years 2014 to 2018 as well as forecasts for each of the years 2019 and 2020, provide (i) average revenue per user (ARPU) for retail mobile wireless services covering all brands your company operates; and (ii) separate ARPU for retail mobile wireless services for each brand your company operates. Include separate totals for prepaid and postpaid services for (i) and (ii) above. Include all assumptions used.
  9. Provide, for each of the years 2014 to 2018, (i) your total earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) margins for your retail mobile wireless services (i.e. covering all brands your company operates); and (ii) separate EBITDA amounts for each brand your company operates. Include all assumptions used.
  10. Provide, for each of the years 2014 to 2018 and for each province/territory and for each brand your company operates (if this information is not available, provide your best estimate, including all assumptions used),
    1. the number of your retail mobile wireless service subscribers that wanted to unsubscribe to your mobile wireless services, broken down by
      1. the number of subscribers that your company successfully retained;
      2. the number of subscribers your company lost;
    2. the number of retail mobile wireless service subscribers your company gained, including the number of subscribers gained from other wireless carriers (provide separate totals for each wireless carrier);
    3. your company’s customer retention and acquisition expenditures, including a description of the type of costs included in the totals;
    4. the number of your retail mobile wireless service subscribers that received a discount from published plan rates; and
    5. the average percentage discount from published rates given to retain retail mobile wireless service subscribers that expressed an interest in switching providers.
  11. For each of the years 2014 to 2018 and for each brand your company operates, provide (i) your total data overage revenues from retail mobile wireless subscribers; (ii) the number of your retail mobile wireless subscribers that paid data overage charges at some point during the year (and what percentage of your total subscribers this represents); and (iii) what your company charges per GB of data for overages. Include separate totals for each province/territory for (i), (ii), and (iii) above. Include all assumptions used. 
  12. For each of the years 2014 to 2018 as well as forecasts for each of the years 2019 and 2020, provide the following (including all assumptions used):
    1. the average monthly mobile wireless data usage per retail mobile wireless subscriber that subscribes to a plan that includes data;
    2. the median amount of monthly mobile wireless data usage per retail subscriber that subscribes to a plan that includes data; and
    3. the average proportion (%) of your retail mobile wireless subscribers’ data plan that is consumed, broken down by the following data plan capacities – if the information is not available, provide your best estimates:
      1. less than 1 GB;
      2. 1 - 5 GB; and
      3. 5 + GB.
  13. For each of the years 2014 to 2018, provide a breakdown of the percentage of your retail mobile wireless sales that were made through each of the following distribution channels (provide a percentage in terms of both revenues and number of sales):
    1. your company’s web site(s);
    2. customers’ contacts with your call centre(s);
    3. your company’s retail stores;
    4. points of sales in third party retailer stores; and
    5. any other distribution channels, including a description of these channels.

Questions for Bell, TELUS, and Rogers

  1. Provide a copy of all agreements between your company and MVNOs (including resellers) currently using your network to provide retail mobile wireless services to their end-users.
  2. Provide a copy of all your company’s internal documentsFootnote8 created or updated in 2018 and 2019 (up to this date) that were provided to or that otherwise served to inform communications with your senior executives regarding any assessment or analysis of the impacts, costs and/or benefits of providing wholesale access services to MVNOs on your company, on your mobile wireless competitors and/or on the mobile wireless market in general.
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