Facilities-based competition is good policy and a worthwhile “obsession” (en anglaise seulement)
Read the full Op-ed by Robert Ghiz here: Facilities-based competition is good policy and a worthwhile “obsession”
Canada’s regulators have long recognized that facilities-based competition is the best way to achieve the objectives of high-quality services, wide network coverage, and affordable prices. Favouring facilities-based competition has resulted in billions of dollars of private investment, building the fastest mobile wireless networks in the world. Even in rural areas Canada’s networks perform better than the overall networks in most other countries. This combination of quality and coverage, together with an intensely competitive mobile wireless market evidenced by a steady decline in prices, is why a recent report commissioned by the U.S. wireless industry association actually ranked Canada’s wireless offerings first for value among the G7 and Australia.
Looking ahead, the massive investments required to meet the increasing demand for wireless services, expand coverage to underserved communities, and introduce the next-generation of wireless services, 5G, to Canadians is a key reason not to deviate from policies that prefer facilities-based competition. Yet there remain those who advocate for a deviation from the policies that have produced these positive outcomes.
[Op-Ed originally published by Cartt on December 1st, 2020].