Telecom - Staff Letter addressed to Stephen Schmidt (TELUS Communications Inc.)
Gatineau, 9 June 2026
Reference: 1011-NOC2016-0293, 1011-NOC2024-0294
BY EMAIL
Stephen Schmidt
Vice-President – Telecom Policy & Chief Regulatory Legal Counsel
Telus Communications Inc.
Stephen.Schmidt@telus.com
Regulatory.affairs@telus.com
Subject: Mandatory SIM purchase fee
Dear Stephen Schmidt,
I have been informed today of a new Telus practice through which customers are charged a $15 SIM purchase fee for both physical SIM cards and digital eSIM starting 11 June 2026.
As you are aware, Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2026-43, Prohibition of fees that are a barrier to switching cellphone and Internet plans, set out the type of activation, modification, and cancellation fees that are prohibited by s. 27.04 of the Telecommunications Act.
In that Regulatory Policy, which comes into effect on 12 June 2026, the Commission recognized that some fees related to optional services (e.g., Wi-Fi configuration at a customer’s premises) or products (e.g., additional equipment that is not required for the delivery of the telecommunications service to the customer’s premises) that consumers may expressly agree to purchase warranted an exemption from the prohibition because there were direct costs associated with their provision.
A SIM card or eSIM is required for the delivery of the wireless service customers are purchasing. It would not appear that the SIM purchase fee falls under the exemption considered by the Commission for optional services and products. A fee associated with providing a SIM card or eSIM may be considered to be an activation fee that is prohibited under s. 27.04 of the Act.
It is my hope that this situation can be resolved at this stage and will not require more formal regulatory action on the part of the Commission once the prohibition comes into effect.
A copy of this letter will be available on the Commission’s website and on the record of any other relevant proceeding the Commission may launch.
Sincerely,
Original signed by
Scott Hutton
Vice-President, Consumer, Analytics and Strategy
c.c.: Nanao Kachi, Director, Consumer, Analytics and Strategy, CRTC, Nanao.Kachi@crtc.gc.ca
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