Quebecor isn’t getting its money back from Bell, according to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). The CRTC ruled Monday against Quebecor’s bid to recover millions in wholesale wireless fees, drawing a definitive line under one of the more contentious disputes to hit Canada’s wireless industry in recent years.
The fight was about Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) access, the arrangement that lets regional carriers pay to piggyback on the big three networks rather than building their own infrastructure everywhere. Quebecor, which runs Freedom Mobile and Videotron, argued it should have been paying Bell Mobility’s lower negotiated rates starting October 2023.
But since the two sides didn’t actually sign a contract until nearly a year later, Bell kept charging the higher roaming fees in the meantime. Quebecor wanted that difference refunded, and accused Bell of deliberately dragging out talks to protect its turf. The Commission didn’t buy it.
The CRTC held firm on their 2024 position: no signed contract, no discount. Yes, the negotiations took a while, but the delays weren’t squarely Bell’s fault, and nothing crossed the line into “undue preference” or anti-competitive behaviour, at least not by the CRTC’s reading.
Commissioner Bram Abramson agreed with the outcome but flagged something worth watching: the very rule that requires a signed agreement before cheaper rates apply can hand incumbents a quiet advantage. Stall long enough, and you’ve effectively charged a competitor premium rates for months without technically breaking any rules. It’s a loophole-adjacent dynamic that nobody seems eager to fix.
So what’s going to happen now? Quebecor will maintain the original September 2024 commercial launch date while absorbing all additional costs incurred during the negotiation phase. By keeping Canada’s wireless competition framework intact, the agreement reinforces a “contract first, savings second” approach for the industry.
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