Telecom - Staff Letter adressed to the Distribution List
Ottawa, 25 January 2023
Our references: 8740-S22-202104610, 8740-B38-202104686, 8740-R28-202104636, 8740-T66-202104876
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Distribution List
RE: Status update on wholesale MVNO access negotiations
In Telecom Regulatory Policy 2021-130, the Commission mandated Bell Mobility Inc. (Bell Mobility), Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Rogers), TELUS Communications Inc. (TELUS), and Saskatchewan Telecommunications (SaskTel) (collectively the incumbents) to provide a wholesale mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) access service to eligible regional carriers. The rate for the service was to be subject to commercial negotiations with final offer arbitration (FOA) by the Commission as a recourse if negotiations proved unsuccessful.
On 19 October 2022, in Telecom Decision 2022-288, the Commission established the terms and conditions for the wholesale MVNO access service. The Commission directed the incumbents to begin accepting requests for wholesale MVNO access on the date that decision was issued and to enter into good-faith commercial negotiations with regional wireless carriers upon request to agree on a rate.
Commission staff is seeking information concerning the status of any negotiations between incumbents and regional carriers for this service.
By 8 February 2023, Bell Mobility, Rogers, TELUS, and SaskTel are to each provide the Commission with the following:
- A list of regional carriers who have made requests to begin negotiations for the wholesale MVNO access service or otherwise inquired about the service, and the date any such request or inquiry was made.
- The current status of any negotiations that have commenced, including whether negotiations on rates have begun.
- A timeframe for when it expects executed agreements to be in place.
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.
The implementation of wholesale MVNO access is of critical importance to support more competition in the mobile wireless sector, and it is in the interests of Canadians to have this service operationalized.
Sincerely,
Original signed by
Fiona Gilfillan
Executive Director
Telecommunications Sector
c.c.: Philippe Kent, Philippe.kent@crtc.gc.ca
Jeremy Lendvay, jeremy.lendvay@crtc.gc.ca
Attachment: Distribution List
Distribution List
telecom.regulatory@cogeco.com
Regulatory.Matters@corp.EastLink.ca
regulatory@iristel.com
jonathan.holmes@itpa.ca
kadil@legalaid.mb.ca
chkla@legalaid.mb.ca
regaffairs@quebecor.com
richard.biron@sogetel.com
scott.gibson@terrestar.ca
jfmezei@vaxination.ca
bell.regulatory@bell.ca
Regulatory@rci.rogers.com
document.control@sasktel.com
regulatory.affairs@telus.com
regulatory@corp.fibernetics.ca
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