Federal industry minister calls on Canada's telcos to hash out TTC wireless service
CBC
Canada's industry minister is calling on the country's major telecom companies to come to an agreement over wireless service in Toronto's subway system.
In a letter on Twitter, Francois-Philippe Champagne said he has taken note of Rogers Communications Inc.'s recent announcement that it's buying the company that owns the wireless network in the Toronto Transit Commission subway system.
The letter addressed to executives of Bell Canada, Telus Communications Inc., Quebecor Inc. and Rogers said arrangements are still not in place to ensure service is available to customers who are with a service other than Rogers.
Champagne said he wants the telecom companies to rectify the situation with urgency to reach agreements that would allow any company to access the TTC network.
He requested that the companies respond to his letter within 30 days detailing their respective statuses on the issue, as well as outlining a joint plan to offer mobile service to all customers.
BAI Communications Inc. won the contract to build and operate the TTC's public Wi-Fi and cellular network in 2012, but only Freedom Mobile signed on to provide coverage to its customers through BAI's network.
While customers not with Freedom have been unable to use BAI's network other than for 911 emergency calling for more than a decade, calls to make the system work for all Torontonians have surfaced after a spate of violent incidents on the TTC system.
As a condition of Rogers' $26-billion purchase of Shaw Communications Inc., Quebecor acquired Freedom Mobile from Shaw.
Rogers has said it will upgrade the existing network, which covers abound a quarter of the subway's underground tunnels, and will also build a 5G network for the entire system in around two years.
Rogers president and CEO Tony Staffieri said last week that his company would not attempt to prevent any of the other telecom companies from offering service to their customers on Toronto's subway system once Rogers takes control of the infrastructure.
"Rogers is committed to provide access to all TTC riders, and that's why we took action and stepped up to acquire BAI Canada to modernize this critical network and open up access for all riders," Rogers spokesman Cam Gordon said in a statement on Wednesday.
"As we have said from the outset, we are committed to working with all carriers."
Bell president and CEO Mirko Bibic responded to Champagne in his own letter on Wednesday evening. He told the minister that the company would only take part in the network if it has a chance to help build it with the other carriers, rather than have to pay access fees to Rogers in order to use the infrastructure.
"It is astounding that this important project would be awarded to one party without a transparent open-bid process," wrote Bibic, who stated Bell has urged the TTC to require Rogers to implement a joint-build model.
