Bell to sunset emergency landline service after split CRTC decision

The CRTC has approved a request from BCE Inc. and its subsidiaries to terminate its ‘call break-in’ service, which allows landline users to connect with operators and determine whether a called line is in use or busy. The service, used historically in emergency situations, also gives operators the ability to interrupt conservations on in-use lines. Citing limited usage and technological advancements, Bell filed an application with the commission to withdraw the service from applicable tariffs last year. The company said the declining usage was partly attributable to the decreasing number of landlines in Canada, as well as the service’s reliance on copper lines, adding that the offering is not supported by fibre networks. Bell also noted that customers attempting to reach another person during emergencies now have various tools at their disposal, including email and social media. “Bell Canada… added that the decreasing number of requests despite the service being available to millions of subscribers makes it clear that customers are already successfully using alternative measures to reach each other when a landline is busy,” read the commission’s decision released on Friday. In its public filing to the commission, Bell did not disclose how many times the service had been used in recent years. Bell did not immediately respond to The Wire Report’s request for comment. A period for stakeholder comments was open between July 2 and Sept. 29, 2025, though no interventions were received, which Bell suggested was a product of the service’s limited usefulness. It should be noted that the commission’s approval was a split decision, as Ontario commissioner Bram Abramson provided a dissenting opinion that took issue with the company’s rationale. “Call Break-in… is not an ordinary retail feature,” wrote Abramson. “One does not browse for it while shopping for a phone plan. Rather, it is an operator-assisted emergency landline override, designed to force reachability.” Abramson noted that those most-likely to use the service (and landline phones) are also the least-likely people to be equipped with e-mail, social media, and other digital tools. He also argued that the commission’s judgements should not be founded on what technology an offering requires, adding that copper infrastructure remains dominant in rural and remote parts of the country. “The question on this application is not whether Call Break-in is used often by callers… whether eliminating a last-resort emergency capability is justified,” he continued. “For a safety-adjacent service likely relied on, in the absence of contrary evidence by landline-dependent and less technologically sophisticated populations, the assumptions required to approve withdrawal are not justified.” news@thewirereport.ca

Bell to sunset emergency landline service after split CRTC decision

Regulatory |
By Wire Report Staff
|February 6, 2026

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Bell to sunset emergency landline service after split CRTC decision

Regulatory | By Wire Report Staff |February 6, 2026

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Regulatory |
By Wire Report Staff
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