Canadian triple-play cableco Cogeco says it will consider launching a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) service if the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) implements stricter regulation regarding wholesale access to the infrastructure of national mobile network operators Rogers, Telus and Bell. As reported by Reuters, Cogeco’s CEO Louis Audet said that he hoped for new regulations to encourage MVNOs, in a statement to the press ahead of CRTC hearings on wholesale mobile services scheduled for next week. Audet told reporters that Cogeco would only move forward with an MVNO plan ‘if there is … an enforceable order to give [wholesale mobile network] access, and if the rates at which this access is provided are actually dictated by the regulator.’ However, the federal government has previously focused more heavily on encouraging facilities-based competition – aiming to have four viable network operators in every province – rather than boosting the MVNO sector.
Thanks to TeleGeography for the article.