GATINEAU, Que. — Canada’s telecommunications regulator is expanding a decision that allows smaller internet providers to use rivals’ fibre networks to offer their services to customers.
The CRTC says that starting next February, large telephone companies that own fibre internet networks, such as Bell Canada and Telus Corp., must give competitors access to their networks for a fee.
The decision builds upon a ruling late last year that temporarily required Bell and Telus to provide competitors with access to their fibre-to-the-home networks only in Ontario and Quebec within six months.
The CRTC’s decision was meant to stimulate competition for internet services, as it said at the time its review could potentially make that direction permanent and apply it to other provinces.
Bell responded by reducing its network spend by $1.1 billion by 2025, saying the ruling diminished the business case for it to invest.
The CRTC says its latest decision applies only to existing networks, and any new fibre built by the large telecoms will be made available to competitors in five years, in order to give Bell and Telus “an opportunity to more quickly make a return on their investments.”