CRTC commissioner teases future proceedings on shift away from traditional telephone network

MARKHAM—Canada’s telecommunications regulator will soon launch a consultation into shutting down elements of the country’s telephone network, according to CRTC commissioner Bram Abramson. Speaking at the annual CanWISP (Canadian Association of Wireless Internet Service Providers) conference in Markham, Ont., Abramson told telco representatives that the “ground continues to shift” in the industry, prompting the regulator to take action. “Traditionally, the telecommunication system we steward at the CRTC has been based on copper lines running a public switch telephone network (PSTN) terrestrially to fixed endpoints,” he told attendees on March 31. “ many of you have spent years building internet access businesses alongside that system. Many of you offer voice over IP-based services (VoIP) that interconnect with it at strategic points.” “The CRTC has, in the last couple of years, been receiving applications asking us to re-examine every part of that system.” CRTC commissioner Bram Abramson speaks at the annual CanWISP conference in Markham, Ont., on March 31. The Wire Report photograph by Davis Legree The PSTN, which has existed in Canada in some capacity since the late 19th century, is largely built on copper wires transmitting voice calls between locations. However, in recent years, innovations in internet telephony, which facilitates phone service through broadband connectivity, has provided a higher data capacity with generally lower maintenance costs. As such, Canada’s largest telcos have gradually started transitioning away from copper infrastructure and replacing it with VoIP or fibre-optic technology. However, this transition has prompted complaints from smaller carriers under the CRTC’s wholesale regime, which, in the hopes of bolstering competition in the sector, allows companies to access their competitors’ networks. In the latest example, the Ontario-based Fibernetics Corp. has asked the CRTC to prevent Bragg Communications Inc. (Eastlink) from decommissioning its copper network in Cape Breton, N.S., which Fibernetics uses to offer service to customers in the area. The CRTC has issued an interim decision that requires Eastlink to either delay the copper decommissioning or provide wholesale fibre-based service on an aggregated basis until the regulator has made a final decision. These types of disputes point to unanswered questions regarding what obligations telcos have when transitioning away from the PSTN, and how it might impact resellers who rely on existing networks. But Abramson said the CRTC plans to address this issue — and many more — in the near future. “It’s not just swapping out copper for fibre. It’s about a system with broadband and the internet protocol at its core,” he said. “What is the future for the PSTN? What elements remain required? What ought to be mandated going into the future? And on what providers? Should incumbent local exchange carriers remain carriers of last resort? How do we ensure every home continues to have connectivity? Does every home need a landline, or the ability to subscribe to one?” Abramson said it’s one thing to acknowledge industry trends, but the CRTC is being asked to “reorient the system entirely.” However, he continued, Canada is not the only place where these debates are unfolding. “Some might argue that we’re late to the party,” said Abramson. “Countries across Europe, for instance, have been actively engaged in copper turn down with an eye towards clear expectations, standards, and timelines for that turn down.” “They’ve been thinking about what the future of the PSTN should look like and what elements are still needed ... increasingly, so are we.” Abramson, the commissioner for Ontario, told attendees these issues would form the basis of CRTC proceedings that will “come in the future,” without providing additional details. He also reiterated the regulator’s commitment to launch consultations on combining consumer codes for internet, wireless, television providers, and landlines. “All of these codes were put in place to require consumer friendly practices…, but the lines between service providers and services are increasingly blurred,” he said. “We're not convinced it makes sense to have multiple codes applying to different aspects of what is, in many cases, the same relationship.” “The details and timing of that proceeding will be announced later this spring, but questions like service provider size, systemic importance and minimum efficient scale will all be in scope.” dlegree@thewirereport.ca

CRTC commissioner teases future proceedings on shift away from traditional telephone network

Regulatory |
By Davis Legree
|April 1, 2026

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