Canadians will see higher prices if ISED significantly increases certification costs, SaskTel warns

By Ahmad Hathout OTTAWA – SaskTel has warned Innovation Canada that if it significantly increases its costs to certify telecommunications equipment, Canadians will see higher monthly telecom prices. The department has said that new telecommunications equipment has emerged since it last conducted a certification cost study in 2007, meaning it has had to invest in new technologies to keep up. This has led to the department only recovering 8% of the cost to certify equipment, including 5G smartphones and Wi-Fi routers. As such, ISED is proposing to increase the cost of that process, including raising the $1,200 certification application fee...