Rogers wants option to launch TTC service before deals struck with other carriers
BNN Bloomberg
Rogers Communications says it should be allowed to add cellular service for its own customers in the Toronto subway network without waiting for an ongoing dispute with its rival carriers to be resolved.
In a filing to Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada earlier this month, the telecommunications company said it "strongly opposes" a measure the department is considering that would prevent it from giving its customers first access to the upgraded wireless network. It was among three options floated in July by Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne.
The minister, whose portfolio includes responsibility for wireless licences, launched a consultation process last month in a bid to speed up negotiations among major carriers after Rogers bought the existing wireless network and signalled plans to further build it out earlier this year.
But Rogers remains at loggerheads with Bell Canada and Telus Corp. over the ideal technical approach to providing access for all Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway riders, and what the financial terms of that access should be.
