GATINEAU – Late Thursday afternoon we’ll know whether or not Wi-Fi based service providers can roam onto cellular networks.
In a decision (CRTC 2017-56) on wholesale mobile wireless roaming service tariffs on March 1st of 2017, the CRTC excluded Wi-Fi providers from being able to access these rates in order to provide mobile services to Canadians beyond public Wi-Fi zones. Since they’re not facilities-based providers like the main mobile providers, they were excluded in the decision.
In June, however, the federal government asked the CRTC to re-examine that call, saying it wants to explore every option to try and bring down retail mobile rates for Canadians.
“This action could potentially open the door to companies that use innovative solutions to provide Canadians with more affordable wireless service options,” said ISED Minister Navdeep Bains last June when announcing the Order-in-Council which forced the Commission to take another look at its decision.
Should the CRTC decide differently this time, any Canadian Wi-Fi first operator would have to come to an agreement with a Canadian incumbent on roaming, which would not likely be an easy thing. Just ask Sugar Mobile, which is waiting and hoping for a positive decision on this file.
Consensus in the industry is that the CRTC has likely figured out a way, with certain conditions, to allow Wi-Fi based providers access to roaming, given the federal government’s OIC all but demanded it.
After noting Canadians “continue to pay high rates for mobile wireless telecommunications services” it asked the CRTC to judge whether: “broadening the definition of ‘home network’ to consider other forms of connectivity, such as Wi-Fi, would have a positive impact on the affordability of retail mobile wireless services to consumers in Canada; the evidence demonstrates in a sufficiently clear and significant manner that the potential negative impact on investment in wireless infrastructure from the inclusion of Wi-Fi connectivity in the definition of ‘home network’ outweighs the potential positive impact on the affordability of retail mobile wireless services to consumers from that inclusion; and impact on investment could be mitigated by imposing conditions on mandated wholesale roaming services, such as ensuring that roaming by customers of providers who offer service primarily over Wi-Fi would be incidental rather than permanent by, for example, limiting roaming in amount, subjecting such roaming services to a different tariffed wholesale rate, or both.”
We’ll find out at 4 p.m. what the decision is. A press conference with CRTC chair Ian Scott to discuss the Commission’s “continued efforts to foster investment, innovation and affordable choice in the wireless market,” said the announcement, will happen at 4:20 and we will have a story before the end of the day.
