OTTAWA – The battle between Telus and MTS Allstream over mandated wireless roaming in Manitoba continues to brew.
After Telus complained to Industry Canada earlier this month about MTS Allstream’s alleged refusal to negotiate a deal on roaming rates in Manitoba, MTS Allstream replied by asking the government to disregard Telus’ application which it says misconstrues “certain facts and has outright omitted a number of others”.
In particular, MTS Allstream claims that Telus’ application misrepresents the rationale and eligibility criteria for out-of-territory roaming, in-territory roaming and the definition of a new entrant, so that it may obtain “an even greater advantage in Manitoba”.
“In essence, Telus is asking Industry Canada to mandate MTS Allstream to provide Telus with in-territory roaming on the same basis that the government mandates such roaming for new entrants like Globalive, despite Telus’ dominant position in the national wireless market and in its home territory of BC and Alberta and the billion of dollars of revenue generated by virtue of said position”, reads MTS Allstream’s reply to Industry Canada. “Although there is a fundamental difference between the out-of-territory roaming mandated for service providers like MTS Allstream and the in-territory roaming mandated only for new entrants, Telus has persisted in its refusal to recognize the difference.”
In-territory roaming is designed to provide new entrants with the opportunity to activate new customers and ensure uninterrupted service as they build out their networks and customer base. Out-of-territory roaming ensures that all mobile wireless carriers be provided roaming outside of their licensed territory.
But MTS Allstream’s reply “misses the point of our application”, Telus said.
“Our application seeks to redress an inadvertent, inequitable application of the new conditions of licence that is preventing Telus from increasing the competitive dynamic and extending user choice in Manitoba”, Telus wrote in response. “Our application respectfully requests that the Department apply the same licence conditions for mandated roaming including mandated and binding commercial arbitration if required, to Telus as now apply to Bell and other competitors to MTS in Manitoba. That in turn will provide Telus customers in Manitoba with the same opportunity to roam in their home province as is now available to customers of every other carrier in Canada.”
Industry Canada has yet to respond publicly to the dispute.
– Lesley Hunter
