Long wait for approval of Bell’s new wholesale speed tier highlights ‘timing loophole’ in CRTC speed-matching rule, says Abramson

The CRTC has approved BCE Inc.’s application to introduce an eight gigabit per second (Gbps) speed tier for wholesale internet services from Bell Canada, allowing the company to charge the same rates it applies to its three Gbps tier. Although Ontario CRTC commissioner Bram Abramson agreed with the regulator’s decision, he issued a concurring opinion to voice his concerns about the “long-standing timing loophole” that it shines a “spotlight” on, something he argues wholesale providers have been able to take advantage of for years. In an order issued Friday, Dec. 5, the CRTC approved the new speed tier on an interim basis for both Bell’s aggregated and disaggregated wholesale services. Like the interim rates set by the commission last October, the rates for this new tier are also temporary, and will be subject to the final wholesale fibre access rates that the CRTC will eventually set. Under the approved interim rates, Bell will charge wholesalers $78.03 per month for its aggregated service and $121.79 per month for the disaggregated service. These are the same rates that were set for Bell’s three Gbps tier. Bell reintroduced the eight Gbps speed tier for its own retail residential customers on Feb. 28, shortly after the mandated deadline for the company to begin offering wholesale competitors access to its networks. The company filed its wholesale tariff application the same day to comply with the commission's speed-matching rules, which require telcos to provide wholesale access to the same speeds that they offer their retail customers. Commissioner Abramson pointed to the “long gap” between when Bell filed its tariff application and when the CRTC finally approved it, describing it as a “structural lag without policy logic.” Telecom companies are only required to file their wholesale tariff application at the same time as when they introduce a new retail internet speed tier. This means that the speed does not actually become available to wholesale customers until the CRTC processes and approves the tariff application, which in this case took over nine months. Abramson argued that this gave Bell a “head start” over its wholesale competitors, allowing it to build a subscriber base around its eight Gbps speed tier when no wholesale match was required. Bell had originally introduced an eight Gbps speed tier back in 2022, but stopped offering it following the CRTC’s 2023 interim decision mandating wholesale access to aggregated fibre. Bell also cut network investments, petitioned cabinet to overrule the CRTC, and announced 4,800 layoffs along with radio and news closures. That stop-and-go, including the eventual reintroduction of the eight Gbps tier this February, gave Bell an even greater head start, allowing the “highest-speed tier in the market for years,” said Abramson. “Whether or not Bell Canada engaged in strategic behaviour, the outcome shows the latitude a provider has to exploit this timing gap,” he continued. “If speed-matching is to be mandated, then it must work in practice, not just in principle. Closing the gap would restore the symmetry the framework presumes and strengthen the credibility of our broader competition policy architecture, even when larger questions remain resolved.” phalentm@thewirereport.ca

Long wait for approval of Bell’s new wholesale speed tier highlights ‘timing loophole’ in CRTC speed-matching rule, says Abramson

Regulatory |
By Phalen Tynes-MacDonald
|December 8, 2025

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Long wait for approval of Bell’s new wholesale speed tier highlights ‘timing loophole’ in CRTC speed-matching rule, says Abramson

Regulatory | By Phalen Tynes-MacDonald |December 8, 2025

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Regulatory |
By Phalen Tynes-MacDonald
|December 8, 2025