Industry experts say significant structural reforms are needed to promote competition in Canada’s heavily concentrated telecommunications sector.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne says Canadians from coast to coast are united in one message to telecom providers.
But industry experts say significant structural reforms are needed to promote competition in Canada’s heavily concentrated telecommunications sector, including regulatory changes and the removal of long-standing barriers to entry for new carriers. “You're talking about an industry that's extremely capital-intensive to build networks,” he said. “Canadian wireless carriers spend 50 per cent more per customer in capital compared to the rest of the G7 plus Australia. The nature of our climate and terrain and all of that adds costs."
CWTA spokesman Nick Kyonka said providers have made record investments to upgrade their networks, which are considered among the best performing globally. “Regulators need to steel their spine, take the political hits and serve the constituents that elected them and the broader view of the public interest," said Winseck.
In a statement, the CRTC said it is committed to “ensuring that Canadians have access to reliable, affordable and high-quality telecommunications services and enhancing the competitiveness of telecommunications.” The approved merger of Rogers and Shaw should raise questions for the federal government as it pursues its modernization of the act, said University of Ottawa professor Jennifer Quaid, whose expertise is in competition law.
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