Cell service must be provided by all carriers on TTC as of Oct. 3, minister says

The federal government is mandating that all wireless carriers in Canada offer cellular service on the TTC’s subway system by the beginning of October.

The federal government is mandating that all wireless carriers in Canada offer cellular service on the TTC’s subway system by the beginning of October.

During a news conference in Toronto on Monday morning, Francois-Philippe Champagne, the federal minister of innovation, science, and industry, said new spectrum licence conditions will require carriers to provide all passengers on Toronto’s subway system with access to cellular connectivity no later than Oct. 3, 2023.

“It is simply unacceptable that so many subway riders still do not have access to wireless services,” Champagne said Monday.

“Cellular connectivity on the subway is about more than just convenience. It is a critical public safety matter. TTC passengers have waited too long to access cellular services when riding the subway.”

In April, Rogers Communications Inc. bought the Canadian operations of BAI Communications, the owner of the rights to provide wireless service on the Toronto subway.

At the end of last month, Rogers rolled out high-speed 5G service to its own customers on the subway in much of the downtown core despite vowing to work with other carriers to provide access to the system.

An ongoing public consultation process was initiated by the federal government in July to provide a pathway for all carriers, including Bell and Telus, to have access to the underground system.