that it is Cogeco’s wholesale wireless partner and will be powering the wireless launch of the company in Canada. Telus has announced that it will power Cogeco’s wireless offerings in Ontario, Quebec and the CRTC’s mobile virtual network operator framework.

Cogeco announced earlier this month that the launch of its wireless service was “underway”, starting in seven areas of Quebec and five areas of Ontario. The company aims to deploy its entire network in the fall. Telus used the announcements to take a shot against Cogeco on wholesale fibre. Telus CEO Darren Entwistle urged the same spirit of fairness for wholesale fibre access. This was in response to Cogeco’s and Eastlink’s actions.

Attempting to appeal the CRTC wholesale fibre ruling.

The wholesale fibre ruling has a core problem, however, in that it allows incumbent players such as Telus to gain access to the wholesale program. The CRTC’s final ruling in this matter was a resounding no. Smaller players had expressed concerns that allowing larger players to enter the wholesale program would harm competition. Telus was one of the few supporters of the wholesale fibre decision, which allowed Telus to launch home internet plans using Bell’s fiber network in Ontario and Quebec. Telus also launched a petition and claims that over 400,000 Canadians support it. Bell, on the other hand, has taken a different stance. It claims that the ruling will discourage infrastructure building and is pulling back its own fibre investment in response. Telus announced this week that it would invest $2 billion over a five-year period to expand its broadband footprint across Ontario and Quebec. Telus will offer its services to consumers. This is part a $70 billion plan that aims to drive innovation, affordability, and digital equity across the country.

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