The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that there is finally some good news for cash-strapped consumers: Wireless prices are falling in Canada. The Globe's Rita Trichur writes that even though inflation is still eroding our purchasing power because of higher prices for food, gas and other essentials, our cellphone bills are actually coming down. Consumer prices for cellular services decreased by 17.2 per cent in September, 2023, compared with the same month last year, according to Statistics Canada. The federal agency's cellular-services index measures price changes for local and long-distance calls, text messages and data. This is certainly a win for the Trudeau government, especially Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne. The federal Liberals vowed to make wireless services more affordable during the 2019 election campaign. The competitive landscape has shifted after Rogers's acquisition of Shaw and Quebecor's takeover of Freedom Mobile. All carriers are facing higher costs for labour, equipment and capital as they build out their 5G networks. Although each telco is responsible for managing those challenges, Ottawa should do its part by providing regulatory certainty through its spectrum policies.
© 2025 Canjex Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.