Bell plans to begin offering internet service in Western Canada for the first time—and it’s doing so by using Telus’s fibre network, reports The Globe and Mail.
The move marks a major shift in Canada’s telecom landscape, as Bell takes advantage of new federal rules that require large carriers to share their fibre infrastructure with competitors. The company will start introducing its new internet packages over Telus’s network in the coming weeks, according to the report, first in B.C. and Alberta. That will put Bell into the mix with Rogers (after they acquired Shaw) and Telus internet in Western Canada. Will we see competitive pricing finally?
The expansion gives Bell access to roughly 3.4 million homes and businesses already connected to Telus’s fibre system across Western Canada. That opens the door for Bell to offer its usual service bundles — including internet, mobile, and TV streaming — to a new group of customers in what has long been Telus’s home territory.
Bell’s CEO Mirko Bibic told The Globe and Mail that the company intends to approach the expansion carefully: “We’ll do it in a way that makes sense for the consumer, that protects and grows our wireless base, and that’s financially disciplined for Bell and our investors.”
The announcement was part of Bell’s Investor Day, its first in more than a decade. The company also used the event to update financial targets and outline plans for its business markets division, while also updated us on its fibre and 5G buildouts.
The development is significant because Bell and Telus have been on opposite sides of the debate over fibre network sharing. Telus has supported the policy and already moved into Bell’s Ontario and Quebec markets under the same framework. Bell, meanwhile, has opposed the rules and said they could discourage future network investment.
In the past, Bell called out Telus for not building its own fibre network, as per the CRTC’s wholesale internet policy. Well, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, right?
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There won't be any competitive pricing for customers. After all we're in a 3rd world country where the Telcos rip off the people. There is still not enough competition
How is this going to be any more competitive than the network share agreement they have over their cellular spectrum? This is literally stagnation over a national footprint rather than a regional one.
It's two aging dinosaurs agreeing they can hunt on each other's prey. Oh Canada. Is it time to let the American telcos in yet?
American telcos have no interest coming here.
I find it funny getting cheaper rates on the Ontario on Quebec networks and now is doing the same with BC and Alberta. Look over here. I'm over there. I know what's going on. I'm still going to get screwed by whatever company I decide to use with my telecommunication needs.