One week after Michel Bernier announced the “partial” deregulation, Bell Canada asked yesterday to deregulate the local telephony market in Montréal, along with other metropolitan areas in Québec and Ontario.
This will let them to fix their own rates and prices, and offer bundles, with no permissions to ask at CRTC. The direct competitor is of course Videotron, who has been gaining market shares in Montreal and Quebec.
Expect Bell to offer triple and quadruple-play product bundles to Montréalers in the upcoming weeks (local phone + internet + cable TV + mobile phone)
This is very good for consumers. I wish Rogers Cable and Rogers Wireless enter the price battle as well with their full weight – but it seems that the equation is still too complicated.
