Canada’s Big 3 telecommunications companies say they’ve already taken action to reduce the cost of international roaming and plan to introduce more options for customers next year.
Bell Canada said it intends to give customers more flexibility when travelling abroad through options “tailored to their usage and travel duration, ultimately lowering their roaming fees,” starting in early 2025.
Last month, the CRTC called on Bell, Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. to detail the “concrete steps” they are taking to respond to concerns about rising cellphone fees that consumers face when travelling outside Canada.
The commission had warned it would launch a formal public proceeding if the companies didn’t show “sufficient progress” on the matter.
In their written responses submitted last week, the companies argued against the need for regulatory intervention, saying the international roaming rates they offer are already comparable to, or lower than, those offered by providers in other countries.
“In short, the Canadian market offers a comparable, or in some cases better, range of (international mobile roaming) options for subscribers compared to what is offered to subscribers in other international markets,” said Bell’s assistant general counsel Philippe Gauvin in the company’s Nov. 4 submission.
Further details of Bell’s planned new roaming offers were redacted in a copy of the company’s submission posted to the CRTC’s website.
But Gauvin said those new offers “should fully address any concerns” of the CRTC when it comes to international roaming costs.
“These new options will provide additional flexibility and affordability for Canadian travelers in a highly competitive market, allowing them to continue to lower their roaming fees,” he wrote.
Rogers and Telus also said they planned to give customers new roaming options, although specifics were redacted in their submissions as well.
“In 2025, we will take several actions that will further respond to consumers’ interest in different and more flexible options for international roaming,” wrote Rogers vice-president of regulatory telecom Howard Slawner.
Rogers charges $12 and $15 for daily U.S. and international roaming, respectively.
Last year, Telus raised the daily cost to roam in the U.S. from $12 to $14, and in other destinations from $15 to $16. Bell hiked daily U.S. roaming from $12 to $13 at the time, and international roaming from $15 to $16.
A previous review by the CRTC — which relied on confidential information from Canadian cellphone companies, along with studies and public information on roaming — found Canadian travellers often face “inflexible” roaming rates regardless of how much they use their cellphones abroad.