Telus provides wireless to Cogeco, calls for fairness in fibre access

Telus announced that it is Cogeco’s wholesale wireless partner, powering the company’s wireless launch in Canada.

Telus says that it will power Cogeco’s wireless offerings in Ontario and Quebec through the CRTC’s mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) framework.

Earlier this month, Cogeco announced that its wireless service launch was “underway,” starting in seven areas in Quebec and five areas in Ontario. The company is aiming for a full deployment in the fall.

Telus also used the announcements as an opportunity to take a shot at Cogeco over wholesale fibre. Darren Entwistle, CEO of Telus, urged “the same spirit of fairness in wholesale fibre access.” That comes in response to Cogeco and Eastlink attempting to appeal the CRTC’s wholesale fibre ruling.

However, the core issue with the wholesale fibre ruling is that it allows larger, incumbent players like Telus to access the wholesale program. Smaller players raised concerns that allowing bigger players into the wholesale program could harm competition, but the CRTC disagreed in its final ruling on the matter.

Telus has been one of the few backers of the wholesale fibre ruling, which allowed it to launch home internet plans in Ontario and Quebec using Bell’s fibre network. The carrier also launched a petition, and claims over 400,000 Canadians are backing it. Meanwhile, Bell has taken an opposite stance, claiming the ruling will discourage building infrastructure and pulling its own fibre investments in response.

This week, Telus announced it was investing $2 billion over five years to expand its broadband footprint in Ontario and Quebec, offering consumers access to its services. This is part of $70 billion plan to drive innovation, affordability and digital equity nationwide.

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