The CRTC has approved changes to Bell Mobility’s national wholesale roaming tariff, effective immediately, iPhone in Canada reports. The tariff sets the terms under which regional carriers like Videotron, Freedom, Eastlink and SaskTel can use Bell’s network where they don’t have their own.
The update brings Bell’s tariff in line with two earlier CRTC rulings. It adds clauses for negotiating and arbitrating rates and clarifies definitions. It doesn’t set new prices. Bell also accepted Cogeco’s request for a two-year renegotiation window, instead of the three years Bell proposed, when a carrier buys roaming and network access together.
The background matters more than the paperwork:
- In 2024, the CRTC told Bell, Rogers and Telus to renegotiate roaming rates with smaller carriers, saying the 2018 rates “may no longer be just and reasonable.” The big three charged rivals an average of $13.78 per GB, almost double the $7.21 their own customers paid in 2022.
- If the two sides can’t agree within 60 days, the CRTC picks one side’s final offer.
- In 2025, the CRTC required Bell and Telus to open their full shared networks to rivals’ roaming customers.
Why it matters: Cheaper wholesale roaming lets smaller carriers offer national coverage at lower cost, which is a big part of how they compete on price. Whether that reaches your bill depends on the deals they strike and whether they pass the savings on.
