‘I wouldn’t fight the speed war’: Independent ISPs strategize on how to compete with big telcos at CanWISP

MARKHAM—Canada’s smaller wireless carriers are hoping reliability and community connections will help them take on the big incumbents in the struggle for telecommunications market share. During the annual CanWISP (Canadian Association of Wireless Internet Service Providers) conference in Markham, Ont., a panel of representatives from independent internet service providers (ISPs) talked strategy for fighting against telecom giants like Rogers Communications Inc., BCE Inc., and Telus Corp. Lesson number one? Don’t try to outpace the big players. “I wouldn’t fight the speed war it’s not a war we want to have,” said Jay Brennan, senior marketing manager at the Niagara-based NWIC Inc. “Fight the reliability war because that’s one that we can win.” Brennan, who found his way to NWIC after extended stints at Rogers and Cogeco Communications Inc., suggested larger carriers are focusing their marketing efforts on higher speeds for consumers, even when they’re unnecessary. “We all know that if you have 50 megs (megabits per second), 100 megs, or 200 megs, that’s good, but customers will take a gig (gigabit per second) for the same price,” he told conference attendees on March 31. “They’re leveraging speed with price. We all know this…, if we get into that race, we’re never going to win because it’s a race to the bottom with price.” According to the CRTC’s latest telecoms market report, Bell, Rogers, Telus, and Quebecor Inc., colloquially known as Canada’s ‘big four’ telcos, were responsible for 85.6 per cent of the sector’s service revenues in 2023. Brennan said smaller ISPs must “change the narrative” and shift consumer attention toward reliability, where independent carriers can compete, and often outperform, larger telcos. “Everybody’s happy with the speeds they’re getting today…, and the reliability piece is now becoming the key differentiator,” noted Brennan. “And we have a much more reliable network in the sense that we’re not susceptible to fibre cuts like the big guys.” In recent years, larger companies have faced challenges associated with maintaining physical infrastructure, as sub-sea cables have been damaged and copper wires have been stolen, oftentimes leading to service disruptions or outages. Andreas Wiatowski, who leads the fibre provider OpenTier which is offered by Wiatowski Group Inc., echoed Brenann’s reliability message. “Just provide good service,” he said. “You’ll win.” But, continued Wiatowski, smaller ISPs can also find competitive advantages in customer service and consumer connections. “A good customer service experience pays dividends over anything else,” said Wiatowski, a former vice-president at Xplorenet Communications Inc. “Don’t participate in the race to the bottom because it’s not worth it.” According to Brian McCullagh, an industry veteran who currently heads relationship management at the Ontario ISP Vianet Inc., quality customer service is often borne out of community trust. “Being local is probably one of the most important things you can do as a small company,” he said. McCullagh asked how many conference attendees had met with their local mayor, town councillors, as well as federal and provincial representatives. After a minority of the room raised their hand, he pleaded with them to introduce themselves to public officials. “You can’t market your company and make money without marketing yourself and getting people to know you,” he said. “ are very busy. They have a lot on their plate, so you have to step up. That’s the first thing you do.” McCullagh explained that, in his experience, face-to-face interactions are the best marketing strategy for smaller businesses. “We can’t outspend ,” he said. “I figure they spend more on marketing than I spend in a year, so we have to get creative.” The CanWISP conference opened on March 30 and will wrap up on April 1. dlegree@thewirereport.ca

‘I wouldn’t fight the speed war’: Independent ISPs strategize on how to compete with big telcos at CanWISP

Telecom |
By Davis Legree
|March 31, 2026

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‘I wouldn’t fight the speed war’: Independent ISPs strategize on how to compete with big telcos at CanWISP

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By Davis Legree
|March 31, 2026