News Summary

Bell Canada is significantly reducing its fibre network expansion plans following a decision by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) that it claims unfairly benefits its competitor, Telus. The ruling allows Telus and other large telcos to resell Bell’s fibre network in areas where they do not own infrastructure, which Bell’s CEO, Mirko Bibic, argues disincentivizes investment in new network infrastructure. Consequently, Bell will not meet its target of expanding fibre to 8.3 million homes by 2025 and has already reduced its network investment by $1 billion last year. Despite these setbacks in Canada, Bell is proceeding with a $5 billion acquisition of U.S. fibre provider Ziply Fiber to compete in markets where companies build their own infrastructure.