Canada’s Massive 3 telecommunications corporations say they’ve already taken motion to cut back the price of worldwide roaming and plan to introduce extra choices for purchasers subsequent yr.
Canada’s Massive 3 telecommunications corporations say they’ve already taken motion to cut back the price of worldwide roaming and plan to introduce extra choices for purchasers subsequent yr.
Bell Canada stated it intends to provide clients extra flexibility when travelling overseas by way of choices “tailor-made to their utilization and journey length, in the end reducing their roaming charges,” beginning in early 2025.
Final month, the CRTC referred to as on Bell, Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. to element the “concrete steps” they’re taking to reply to considerations about rising cellphone charges that buyers face when travelling outdoors Canada.
The fee had warned it could launch a proper public continuing if the businesses did not present “adequate progress” on the matter.
Of their written responses submitted final week, the businesses argued in opposition to the necessity for regulatory intervention, saying the worldwide roaming charges they provide are already akin to, or decrease than, these supplied by suppliers in different nations.
“In brief, the Canadian market gives a comparable, or in some instances higher, vary of (worldwide cellular roaming) choices for subscribers in contrast to what’s supplied to subscribers in different worldwide markets,” stated Bell’s assistant basic counsel Philippe Gauvin within the firm’s Nov. 4 submission.
Additional particulars of Bell’s deliberate new roaming gives have been redacted in a duplicate of the corporate’s submission posted to the CRTC’s web site.
However Gauvin stated these new gives “ought to totally handle any considerations” of the CRTC on the subject of worldwide roaming prices.
“These new choices will present extra flexibility and affordability for Canadian vacationers in a extremely aggressive market, permitting them to proceed to decrease their roaming charges,” he wrote.
Rogers and Telus additionally stated they deliberate to provide clients new roaming choices, though specifics have been redacted of their submissions as nicely.
“In 2025, we are going to take a number of actions that can additional reply to shoppers’ curiosity in several and extra versatile choices for worldwide roaming,” wrote Rogers vice-president of regulatory telecom Howard Slawner.
Rogers charges $12 and $15 for every day U.S. and worldwide roaming, respectively.
Final yr, Telus raised the every day value to roam within the U.S. from $12 to $14, and in different locations from $15 to $16. Bell hiked every day U.S. roaming from $12 to $13 on the time, and worldwide roaming from $15 to $16.
A earlier evaluation by the CRTC — which relied on confidential info from Canadian cellphone corporations, together with research and public info on roaming — discovered Canadian travellers usually face “rigid” roaming charges no matter how a lot they use their cellphones overseas.
A kind of research, carried out by Networks, Economics & Technique Inc., stated Canadian roaming charges have been among the many center of the pack in contrast with Australia, Japan and the U.S. for utilization as much as three days. Nevertheless, for utilization exceeding three days, Canadian roaming charges “are typically among the many highest,” the report concluded.
It stated carriers in different nations supply varied choices, together with roaming plans that specify most utilization of voice name minutes, textual content messages or information — both as a mix or for particular person companies — over a sure variety of days.
In its submission, Telus argued that report was “fatally flawed,” saying it relied on incomplete information and incorrect and unclear methodology.
Telus pointed to month-to-month plans it has launched prior to now 18 months that supply worldwide roaming “at extremely decreased charges,” together with new journey passes that present entry to information and limitless textual content messages and voice minutes within the U.S., Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean.
“The launches present Canadians with extra flexibility to decide on companies tailor-made to their length and placement of journey,” stated Telus’ submission.
It warned that if the CRTC decides to control worldwide roaming charges, Telus “must cowl these enter prices by way of elevating revenues from different companies.”
Telus chief monetary officer Doug French added that regulators and the federal authorities ought to contemplate that general cellphone and web prices proceed to say no, in response to stories from Statistics Canada.
“We’ll proceed to have a look at our general pricing mannequin, together with roaming, however the lower in pricing that we have seen over the previous 12 to 18 months has been very, very important,” French stated in an interview final week.
“Numerous the value factors in the mean time are a bundled providing for North American roaming or expanded roaming, so I believe it is beginning to be addressed already inside that pricing regime of these bundles.”
Slawner stated the examine commissioned by the CRTC targeted on mounted every day charge plans for roaming, however didn’t sufficiently emphasize the rising adoption of bundled roaming plans — home month-to-month plans that already embody worldwide roaming to pick out nations.
He stated such plans supplied by Rogers have seen “significant adoption” since they first launched in 2018.
“The expansion of those plans must be acknowledged as they proceed to assist drive down roaming prices for shoppers,” stated Slawner.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Nov. 11, 2024.
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Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press
