One of the recurring questions being raised at the CRTC’s Network Interconnection hearing has been equal access to competitive long distance services.
In some countries, prefix digits are dialled to select the long distance carrier that will route the call; in Canada, such equal access has not been mandated, except where the mobile carrier has CLEC status, such as Fido.
Under questioning, MTS suggested that prices have been coming down as a result of competition in the mobile marketplace. Responding to the vice-chair, MTS said that ad hoc long distance from mobile phones is actually less expensive than calling long distance without a plan on its wireline network.
In practice, people have choices beyond their mobile services carrier, such as prepaid calling cards or specialized mobile long distance plans from alternate carriers such as Yak.
Long distance bills can cause some real angst among consumers who haven’t shopped around for lower cost alternatives; do we need better consumer education or increased regulatory intervention?