Wireless carriers tell CRTC they already offer flexible roaming options – Winnipeg Free Press

Canada’s Big 3 telecommunications companies say they are already taking action to reduce the cost of international roaming and plan to offer customers more options next year.

Bell Canada said it plans to give customers more flexibility when traveling abroad, starting in early 2025, with options “tailored to their usage and travel times, ultimately reducing roaming charges.”

Last month, the CRTC ruled that Bell, Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. to detail “concrete steps” they are taking to respond to concerns about rising cellphone charges consumers face when traveling outside Canada.

The commission had warned that a formal civil lawsuit would be opened if the companies did not make “sufficient progress” on the issue.

In written responses last week, the companies rejected the need for regulatory intervention, saying the international roaming charges they offer are currently comparable to or lower than those offered by providers in other countries.

“In short, the Canadian market offers subscribers a similar, or in some cases better, range of (international mobile roaming) options compared to those available to subscribers in other international markets,” said Philippe Gauvin, Bell’s deputy general counsel. Posted November 4th.

More details about Bell’s planned new roaming offerings have been redacted in a copy of the company’s presentation posted on the CRTC’s website.

But Gauvin said these new proposals “should fully address any concerns” the CRTC has when it comes to international roaming costs.

“These new options will allow Canadian travelers to continue lowering roaming charges by offering additional flexibility and affordability in a highly competitive market,” he wrote.

Rogers and Telus also said they plan to offer new roaming options to customers, but details in their presentations have been adjusted.

“We will be taking a variety of actions in 2025 that will further respond to consumer interest in different and more flexible options for international roaming,” wrote Howard Slawner, Rogers vice president of regulatory telecommunications.

Rogers charges $12 and $15 for daily US and international roaming, respectively.

Last year, Telus increased the daily cost for roaming in the US from $12 to $14, and in other destinations from $15 to $16. At that time, Bell increased daily roaming in the USA from 12 dollars to 13 dollars and international roaming from 15 dollars to 16 dollars.

A previous review by the CRTC, based on studies and publicly available information on roaming as well as confidential information from Canadian mobile phone companies, found that Canadian travelers often face “inflexible” roaming rates no matter how much they use their mobile phones abroad.

Networks, Economics & Strategy Inc. One of these studies, conducted by , said Canadian circulation rates for up to three days of use were in the middle range compared to Australia, Japan and the United States. However, the report concludes that Canadian roaming rates for use beyond three days are “among the highest overall.”

It was noted that carriers in other countries offer a variety of options, including roaming plans that specify the maximum use of voice calling minutes, text messages, or data (for combination or individual services) for a certain number of days.

Telus argued in its submission that the report was “fatally flawed” and based on incomplete data and inaccurate and unclear methodology.

Telus highlighted new travel cards that provide access to data, unlimited texting and voice minutes in the US, Europe, Mexico and the US, as well as monthly plans offering international roaming at “very low rates” that it has launched in the last 18 months. Caribbean.

“The launches provide Canadians with greater flexibility to choose services tailored to their travel times and location,” Telus said in its presentation.

He warned that if the CRTC decides to regulate international roaming rates, Telus “will have to cover these input costs by increasing revenues from other services.”

Doug French, Telus’ chief financial officer, added that regulators and the federal government should take into account that overall cellphone and internet costs continue to decline, according to reports from Statistics Canada.

“We’ll continue to look at our overall pricing model, including circulation, but the decline in pricing that we’ve seen over the last 12 to 18 months has been very, very significant,” French said in an interview last week.

“Most of the price points right now are bundled offerings for North American roaming or extended roaming, so I think those bundles are already starting to be covered within the pricing regime.”