Canada’s leading telecom companies, Bell, Rogers, and Telus, have announced plans to introduce more flexible international roaming options starting in early 2025, aimed at reducing roaming costs for customers traveling abroad.
Bell Canada is one of the first to unveil its roadmap, promising to offer tailored roaming packages that align with customer travel duration and usage patterns. This initiative is expected to lower roaming fees, providing greater flexibility for Canadians traveling overseas.
This announcement comes after the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) urged these telecom giants to address consumer concerns over the increasing costs of international roaming. The CRTC requested the companies to detail concrete steps they would take to respond to the rising fees faced by Canadians when using their cellphones abroad.
The CRTC warned that without significant progress on the matter, it would initiate a formal public inquiry into the issue. The telecom companies, however, maintain that their roaming charges are already competitive compared to international providers.
In their official responses submitted last week, Bell, Rogers, and Telus argued that the roaming rates offered in Canada are on par with, or better than, those provided by telecom operators in other countries. Bell’s assistant general counsel, Philippe Gauvin, stated, “The Canadian market provides comparable—or in some cases better—international roaming options than what is available internationally.”
While Bell has yet to reveal full details of their upcoming roaming packages, the company emphasized that these new offers would fully address the CRTC’s concerns. According to Bell, the options will enhance affordability and provide more options for Canadian travelers, fostering greater competition in the market.
Rogers and Telus have also pledged to roll out similar initiatives in 2025. Specifics of their plans, however, have not been disclosed. Rogers has indicated that they will introduce flexible roaming options in the upcoming year, a move that could help lower the cost for international travelers. Rogers currently charges $12 for daily U.S. roaming and $15 for international roaming.
Telus has been adjusting its roaming fees over the past year, raising daily U.S. roaming costs from $12 to $14 and international roaming rates from $15 to $16. Bell also made similar hikes, increasing U.S. roaming fees from $12 to $13. These rate hikes have spurred concerns from consumers who feel that roaming charges are too high, particularly for longer trips.
In its submission to the CRTC, Telus refuted claims that Canadian roaming rates were among the highest globally. The company argued that a report used by the CRTC was flawed, based on incomplete data and unclear methodology. Telus also highlighted the introduction of new travel passes, which offer reduced rates for roaming in the U.S., Europe, Mexico, and the Caribbean. These passes are designed to give consumers more control over their roaming costs, with the flexibility to choose services based on the duration and location of travel.
The CRTC’s previous study showed that Canadian roaming rates were among the highest for trips exceeding three days, especially compared to countries like the U.S., Japan, and Australia. The report noted that while Canadian rates were comparable for shorter stays, rates for extended trips were far more expensive. This led to growing calls for more flexible roaming options similar to those offered in other international markets, where providers offer plans that cover specific limits for calls, text messages, and data.
Despite these concerns, Telus argued that if the CRTC imposes regulations on roaming rates, it could result in higher prices for other services, as the telecom companies would need to recover the costs of offering lower roaming fees. Telus CFO Doug French noted that overall mobile service costs have been decreasing over the past 12 to 18 months, citing reports from Statistics Canada showing a trend of declining mobile and internet prices.
Rogers’ Howard Slawner also pointed out that the CRTC’s study focused primarily on fixed daily rate plans and overlooked the growing popularity of bundled plans, which already include international roaming for select destinations. Since their launch in 2018, Rogers’ bundled plans have seen significant adoption and are playing a role in driving down roaming costs.
In conclusion, the Big 3 telecom companies are positioning themselves to meet consumer demand for more affordable and flexible roaming options, with changes expected to take effect in 2025. These new options could help reduce the burden of high roaming fees on Canadian travelers and make international roaming more competitive with global standards.
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