The tweet from Keith McIntosh at CWTA summed it up:
After 28 years, WSPs are no longer simply a customer of the phone companies.
He was referring to the CRTC decision that updates “Network interconnection for voice services”. In today’s decision, the last major telecom proceeding to be issued under the signature of Chairman Konrad von Finckenstein, the CRTC decided to treat wireless and wireline networks as peers:
Currently, independent wireless carriers are responsible for paying the entire cost of interconnection unless they allow alternative long-distance providers access to their networks. The Commission has decided that wireless carriers can interconnect with LECs for the exchange of local voice traffic on a sharedācost basis (with the billāandākeep compensation method)
This decision was made, despite the CRTC determining that it would not be in the public interest to impose equal access to alternative long distance. Prior to today’s decision, wireless companies that wanted to be treated as peers (for the purpose of sharing interconnection costs) needed to offer equal access, as well as directory listings and file details of all their service options with applicable prices and applicable service charges to the Commission.
The decision alsoĀ addressedĀ the technical aspects of evolution of interconnection circuits for competitive carriers. We’ll look at that in another post.
In many ways, today’s decision was a recognition by the Commission of the heightened level of competition present in today’s wireless space, contrary to the views of an Open Media campaign that seeks increased government intervention in the space.
In its upcoming policy for the auction of the 700 MHz band, it will be interesting to see if Industry Canada shares that view of the competitive landscape.