Cogeco recently launched its own wireless service in Canada, but there’s a twist: the company is doing it by using Telus’ network—and fighting to prevent Telus from doing the same in internet services.
The revelation came directly from Telus, which confirmed to iPhone in Canada that it is the national carrier powering Cogeco’s wireless offering. “They’re wholesaling on us for wireless,” said a Telus spokesperson.
Cogeco is leveraging Telus’ network under a five-year Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) agreement announced in August 2024.
While Cogeco had previously said it would enter the wireless space through a wholesale deal, the company never publicly confirmed which national carrier was supplying the network—until now. When asked if this is the first time it’s been revealed, Telus told iPhone in Canada: “Yes, that’s right.”
At the same time, Cogeco has been one of the strongest opponents of the CRTC’s 2023 decision to expand wholesale access to fibre internet in Ontario and Quebec.
That policy aims to give consumers more choice and lower prices in home internet services. Telus is one of the providers looking to compete in those regions by reselling fibre connections over existing networks—including Cogeco’s. Telus points out its change.org petition launched last fall that now has the support of over 400,00 Canadians (the petition shows 320,115 verified signatures as of writing), calling for internet choice.
But Telus points to a contradiction: Cogeco is happy to benefit from wholesale rules when it helps them enter new markets like wireless, but fights against the same model when it means others could compete in their core territory.
“It raises real questions about fairness and consistency in Canadian telecom,” the Telus spokesperson added.
Cogeco’s mobile service is set to expand to 12 markets across Quebec and Ontario within the next few weeks, debuting in Alma, Magog, Rimouski, Saint-Georges, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Sauveur, and Trois-Rivières in Québec, as well as Brockville, Chatham, Cobourg, Cornwall, and Welland in Ontario. The company says it will be first available for wireline customers, with plans targeting low to mid data users.
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