CRTC chooses Bell over Quebecor in MVNO decision

BCE Inc. came out the winner in a dispute with Quebecor Inc. over mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) access. In a decision released late Tuesday afternoon, the CRTC said it is adopting Bell Mobility’s offer in a final offer arbitration (FOA) ruling. “Offers were assessed based on whether they were just and reasonable and were evaluated on a number of public policy factors,” the decision stated. “Based on those factors, the commission has selected the offer proposed by Bell Mobility since it best meets the evaluation criteria.” The situation arose in June when Quebecor filed a request for an FOA decision. On July 13, the regulator accepted that request and said it would determine what length of time the rates to be determined will be in effect and what those rates are paying for. In August, both sides confirmed they were only seeking a price for data on a price-per-gigabyte basis. No numbers were listed in the ruling, as both parties filed their offers in confidence. Quebecor had argued that European roaming caps were relevant to the proceedings, as they apply to one- and two-way agreements. Bell took the opposite view, claiming that international roaming is reciprocal and MVNO is unilateral; lower population density and higher spectrum costs mean Canadian telecoms have higher capex spending than their European counterparts; and the European caps are meant to support a single market policy and not to foster competition, as the Canadian model does. “As a preliminary matter, the commission notes that it could not fully validate the costs submitted by Bell Mobility,” the ruling continued. “The commission identified and twice requested specific costing information from Bell Mobility for the purpose of assessing its costs as a service provider, which Bell Mobility declined to provide. Further, regarding the costing evidence that Bell Mobility did provide, the Commission notes that it was incomplete and that Bell Mobility did not include a sufficient explanation of its assumptions.” Despite that caveat, the CRTC said other means exist to assess the reasonableness of the rates. It urged the parties to come to an agreement as soon as possible. –Reporting by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca and editing by Jenna Cocullo at jcocullo@thewirereport.ca

CRTC chooses Bell over Quebecor in MVNO decision

News | October 10, 2023

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CRTC chooses Bell over Quebecor in MVNO decision

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