The Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunication Commission (CRTC) approved mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) in Canada, but independent operators are not impressed.
The new decision announced on April 15 will enable regional providers — ones that have purchased wireless spectrum licences and deploy network hardware — to provide service over the infrastructures built by national carriers like Bell, Rogers and Telus for a wholesale fee.
The goal, according to the CRTC, is to increase competition and reduce mobile costs for consumers, which the Trudeau government has promised to cut by 25 per cent.
The CRTC has the final say on who can become an MVNO under several criterias, of which the most important being that the regional carrier must have purchased spectrum licenses that cover tier 4 areas or broader.