CRTC Urges Canada’s Major Telecoms to Reduce International Roaming Charges

Travellers collect their luggage at baggage claim after arriving at O'Hare International Airport on March 11, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

Canada’s telecommunications authority is instructing the country’s three largest cellphone carriers to make affordability a priority by reducing their international roaming charges.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) directive issued on Oct. 7 targets Bell Mobility, Rogers Communications Inc., and Telus Corp.

The CRTC has given the companies a Nov. 4 deadline to develop “concrete steps” to address concerns about rising cellphone fees that Canadians encounter when travelling outside the country.

“Canadians need to stay connected when they travel, but often come home to high cellphone bills,” CRTC chair and CEO Vicky Eatrides said in an Oct. 7 statement.

“The CRTC is taking action to help reduce roaming fees and is ready to launch a formal public proceeding if Canadians’ concerns are not addressed.”

Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne asked the regulator last year to investigate wireless roaming fees, citing his concern that Canadian companies are raising their rates while phone bills in other regions are typically decreasing.

The request came after Telus and Bell raised their U.S. and international roaming rates in March 2023. Telus rates rose from $12 to $14 daily to roam in the U.S., while those visiting other destinations were charged $16, marking a $1 increase.

Bell users are now subject to a daily roaming fee of $13 in the United States, an increase from the previous charge of $12, while the fee for other countries has risen to $16 from $15. Rogers charges $12 for daily roaming in the U.S. and $15 for international roaming.

Under the CRTC’s Wireless Code, service providers are not allowed to charge more than $100 for domestic and international data roaming within a month, or per billing cycle.

The CRTC said its review—which used confidential data from Canadian cellphone companies, in addition to studies and public information on roaming—found Canadian travellers frequently face “inflexible” roaming rates regardless of their level of cellphone usage abroad.

Canadians should have the flexibility to choose a reasonably priced plan that addresses their individual needs, the agency said.

Domestic Rates

The agency said it is also taking steps to make it more affordable for Canadians to use their phones while travelling within Canada by requiring providers to set new domestic wholesale roaming rates.

These are the fees cellphone service providers pay when their customers travel outside of the provider’s coverage area and are a “key factor” providers use to set cellphone plans pricing.

“Many agreements that set the wholesale roaming rates between cellphone service providers are several years old with rates that do not reflect today’s market,” the agency said in its statement. “The CRTC is therefore requiring providers to set new rates through timely negotiations with each other.”

If an agreement isn’t forged, the CRTC said it will set the rates itself.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.