(Montreal) Quebecor is expanding its coverage territory across Canada for customers of its Videotron, Fizz and Freedom Mobile brands, in the wake of regulatory decisions which should strengthen competition, she said.

The Montreal-based company says there will be a gradual expansion of service areas for these brands as it launches its Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) service.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced a policy in 2021 allowing regional providers to compete as MVNOs across Canada using networks built by larger companies and ordered them, earlier this year, to negotiate access agreements.

Earlier this week, the CRTC ruled in an arbitration proceeding on MVNO data access rates between Quebecor and BCE, siding with the latter’s proposal, after having previously ruled in favor of Quebecor in a separate proceeding between the company and Rogers Communications.

Quebecor’s Videotron bought Freedom Mobile for $2.85 billion in April, part of Rogers’ takeover of Shaw Communications, which agreed last year to sell Freedom to allay fears of competition concerns.

Freedom later announced it would offer its first cell phone plan with nationwide coverage and add 5G capability to customers with plans costing $45 per month or more in the Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton areas and in other selected cities.

Company in this dispatch: (TSX: QBR. B, TSX: BCE, TSX: RCI. B)