The Financial Post reports in its Tuesday edition that Canada's Big Three telcos say they have already taken action to reduce the cost of international roaming and plan to introduce more options for customers next year. A Canadian Press dispatch to the Post says Bell Canada intends to give customers more flexibility when travelling, "ultimately lowering their roaming fees," starting in early 2025. Last month, the CRTC called on Bell owner BCE, Rogers Communications and Telus to detail "concrete steps" they are taking about rising cellphone fees that consumers face when travelling abroad. The regulator had warned the companies it would launch a formal public proceeding if they failed to show "sufficient progress" on the matter. That came after Telus and Bell both raised their U.S. and international roaming rates in March, 2023. In written responses submitted last week, the companies argued against the need for regulatory intervention, saying the roaming rates they offer are already comparable with, or lower than, those offered by providers in other countries. A previous review by the CRTC found Canadian travellers often face "inflexible" roaming rates regardless of how much they use their cellphone abroad.
© 2024 Canjex Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.