The CRTC announced today that they are requiring the “dominant mobile providers” to grant wholesale access to their networks to resellers. In theory, this is supposed to encourage more competition, faster, for cell phone plans and help push down the current in-market prices. This is pretty similar to how the larger internet providers are required to allow third party providers to use their lines in order to provide alternate service to customers (like TekSavvy using Rogers lines in order to provide service to a customer).
In the same regulatory policy, the CRTC also announced that they are stepping in and regulating a low cost mobile wireless plan required to be carried by the national wireless carriers (and SaskTel) where they exercise market power. Their requirements are detailed below – the CRTC decision says the low cost plans must be offered within 90 days of the decision (as of April 15, 2021). With the entry of MVNOs into the market and the inclusion of this new “low cost” mobile wireless plan, it will be interesting to see what changes come into the market in the near future!
CBC article on MNVOs: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/crtc-mvno-wireless-1.5989357
CRTC Regulatory Policy: https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2021/2021-130.htm
