‘Very disappointing’: Independent ISPs say CRTC’s final wholesale access rates won’t help competition

Independent ISPs say the CRTC’s decision on the final rates telcos must pay for access to wholesale high-speed internet services on each others’ networks will do nothing to foster competition. The order, issued on April 24, is the latest update in a policy that, as of early 2025, mandates the country’s largest incumbents to provide competitors with aggregated wholesale access to their fibre networks. The incumbents are BCE Inc.’s Bell Canada, Bell Aliant, and Bell MTS, Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. (SaskTel), and Telus Corp. The wholesale regime has been highly contentious within the industry, with most companies particularly opposed to the measure allowing incumbents to sell wholesale access to each other, not just to smaller competitors. The final rates replace the existing interim rates, which the commission had set in 2024, but competitors are not happy. In an emailed statement to The Wire Report, Quebecor Inc. said it remains concerned about “regional disparity” between wholesale rates in Eastern and Western Canada. “While mobile prices are the same regardless of the province, the decision allows Telus to retain a competitive advantage at the expense of Western Canadian consumers, who will have to continue paying higher prices for internet services,” the statement said. TekSavvy Solutions Inc., called the decision “very disappointing” for Canadian consumers and small independent competitors. “In effect, the CRTC has kept the same high wholesale rates it already set years ago. After waiting three years for this decision, it is frustrating that nothing has changed to help increase real competition or lower retail prices for fibre internet,” it said in a statement to The Wire Report. In a statement published on its website, the Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC) argued “the CRTC claims today’s rates will deliver new choices for up to 8.5 million Canadian households. But its own order shows that figure rests almost entirely on Bell and TELUS entering each other’s out-of-territory markets — not on independent competitors gaining ground.” “CNOC is disappointed that the commission did not test its rates against market costs,” the statement continues, CNOC argued that incumbent flanker brands sell fibre internet “at retail prices nearly 40 per cent below what the CRTC’s final wholesale rate alone would cost an independent provider — before an independent provider adds a single dollar of its own costs.” In its decision, the CRTC said finalizing these rates “provides certainty for the industry and will allow competitors to continue offering new choices to Canadians while also ensuring Canada’s largest telephone companies are compensated fairly for the investments they make to connect Canadians to fibre.” A 30 per cent markup — designed to cover additional costs and “ensure that the incumbents maintain a financial incentive to invest in their networks for the benefit of Canadians” — is reflected in the approved final rates, the regulator noted. Bell final rates The aggregated rates for access to Bell Canada’s fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) facilities in Ontario and Quebec are $68.26 per month for three to 1500 megabits per second (Mbps), and $77.20 per month for 1501 to 8000 Mbps. The interim rates were $68.94 per month for three Mbps to 1500 Mbps, and $78.03 for 1501 Mbps to 3000 Mbps. Meanwhile, Bell Canada’s aggregated rates for fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) and FTTP on a capacity-based billing basis in Ontario and Quebec is $44.19 per month per 100 Mbps, down from $64.24 per month. The decision noted the CRTC has not yet set final rates for access to FTTP facilities operated by Bell Aliant in Atlantic Canada and Bell MTS in Manitoba because the companies “have only recently provided the information that the commission needs to finalize the rates for FTTP access and FTTP install, move, or change service charges.” The commission noted the interim rates will remain until a future order. The current interim rates for both Bell Aliant and Bell MTS aggregated FTTP access are the same as Bell Canada’s previous interim rates and speeds. The aggregated rate for FTTP access to Bell Aliant’s network on a capacity-based billing basis, however, is set to $42.85 per month per 100 megabits per second (Mbps), down from $64.24. As for Bell MTS, the FTTP access rate on a capacity-based billing basis is $20.25 per month per 100 Mbps. Previously, the rate was $64.24. The commission’s decision also made changes to the service charges associated with wholesale FTTP services. For Bell Canada, the FTTP install, move, or change fee is $10.46 without a site visit, and $240.86 with a site visit. Previously, the fees were $10.60 and $244.13, respectively. Currently, the decision does not include an FTTP install, move, or change fee for Bell Aliant or Bell MTS, but the interim fees for both providers are the same as Bell Canada’s interim fees. Telus final rates The aggregated rate for Telus FTTP access across Alberta and British Columbia is now $77.21 per month for 15 Mbps to 1500 Mbps, and $81.81 per month for 1501 Mbps to 5000 Mbps. The interim rate was $80.41 for all speeds (15 Mbps to 1.5 gigabits per second (Gbps)). For FTTP access on a capacity-based billing basis across Alberta and B.C., the aggregated rate is $42.12 per month per 100 Mbps, (previously $75.86). Telus’s aggregated FTTP access rates across Quebec are $57.86 per month for 15 Mbps to 1500 Mbps, and $62.45 per month for 1501 Mbps to 5000 Mbps. The previous rate was $65.25 for all speeds. For FTTP access across Quebec on a capacity-based billing basis, the aggregated rate is $42.12 per month per 100 Mbps, down from $75.86. Across Alberta, B.C., and Quebec, Telus’s FTTP install, move, or change fees are $6.71 without a site visit, and $250.67 with a site visit. Previously, they were $6.63 and $250.66, respectively. SaskTel final rates The aggregated FTTP access rate for SaskTel is $67.97 per month for all speeds (15 Mbps to 1 Gbps). Previously, it was $77.57 for up to 1 Gbps. As for FTTP access on a capacity-based billing basis, the aggregated rate is $35.76 per month per 100 Mbps, which marks no change from the interim rate. SaskTel’s service charges are now $80.38 without a site visit and $261.82 with a site visit, down from $121.36 and $301.95, respectively. SaskTel also has a monthly service enablement charge, which is $5.65 per competitor access connection per month. The charge is to be in effect for 10 years from Feb. 13, 2025 – the date SaskTel was required to begin providing access to its networks. The fee amount is unchanged from the interim decision. Retroactivity In 2023, the commission released a decision ordering Bell Canada and Telus to provide competitors with temporary access to their FTTP facilities in Ontario and Quebec. The commission never implemented final rates for that temporary decision. Because “the rates of both the temporary and the final services were based on the same company-provided cost models,” the commission said the final rates for access provided through the temporary mandate will be the same as the rates for the final service. Where there is a difference in interim and final rates for both the temporary and final services, the commission said it would be applying retroactive adjustments for aggregated wholesale FTTP access as of the date the service was made effective. For Bell Canada and Telus (Quebec), the retroactivity of rates for the temporary aggregated FTTP services is to be applied effective May 7, 2024. For the final aggregated FTTP service, the retroactivity is to be applied effective Jan. 20, 2025. For Bell Aliant, Bell MTS, SaskTel, and Telus (Alberta and B.C.), the retroactivity for the final aggregated FTTP service is to be applied effective Feb. 13, 2025. Adjusted costing models The commission made adjustments to the proposed tariffs and associated cost studies submitted by each incumbent. Notably, it adjusted Bell’s proposed company-specific bad debt, because its proposed percentage was more than double what any of the carriers proposed. “The commission recognizes that Bell Canada operates in an environment that traditionally experiences a higher level of competitive intensity and therefore may incur more bad debt,” it said. “However, such competitive intensity should not cause its bad debt percentage to be double that of the other ILECs .” The CRTC added that Bell had not provided “any evidence, explanation, calculations, or rationale to support their calculation of the proposed bad debt percentage.” Bell had also proposed rates for both FTTP and FTTN that included costs that accounted for "expected impacts from catastrophic weather events,” arguing those events were becoming increasingly more common. The commission denied the inclusion of such costs, citing a 2008 decision which ruled they should be excluded from Phase II costing submissions. In 2023, Bell argued the inclusion of catastrophic weather events warrants further discussion. The commission reiterated that “a follow-up proceeding will be necessary to determine whether its existing directives are adequate or need to be updated.” In the interim decision, the commission found Telus was double counting labour costs by proposing an installation service charge, despite already accounting for labour costs in its access rate, and removed optical network terminal (ONT) installation costs from the company’s Alberta and B.C access rate. In the final decision, the commission determined Telus had also double counted its labour costs in Quebec, and therefore removed the ONT installation labour costs from the FTTP access rate across Quebec as well. The CRTC said the labour costs will remain accounted for in the installation service charge for all three provinces. Telus’s costing model was also adjusted due to it providing low “life estimates” for the software and hardware required to provide service. The commission has previously increased the life estimate of these “causal-to-service costs” if the sum of those costs is 20 per cent or more of the total service cost. The commission had bumped up the life estimates from seven to 10 years for Telus’s capacity-based billing and FTTP access rates “because it made up a substantial portion of the Commission-adjusted rate.” In an emailed statement to The Wire Report, Sasktel said it is “reviewing the decision and its implications for our operations and investment plans.” The Wire Report also reached out to Bell and Telus for comment but did not immediately receive a response. Cogeco Inc. declined to comment on the decision. mcollins@thewirereport.ca

‘Very disappointing’: Independent ISPs say CRTC’s final wholesale access rates won’t help competition

Regulatory |
By Maria Collins
|April 24, 2026

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‘Very disappointing’: Independent ISPs say CRTC’s final wholesale access rates won’t help competition

Regulatory | By Maria Collins |April 24, 2026

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