Cellphone or wireless telephone services

Rates, quality of service and business practices

The CRTC does not regulate the rates, quality of service or business practices of wireless service providers because the market for wireless services is sufficiently competitive.

The CRTC still plays a role in ensuring the confidentiality of customer information and ensuring that customers are treated fairly

Complaints about your cellphone or wireless service

Contact your service provider

If have a complaint about your service, contact your service provider directly. It’s in the company’s best interest to respond to your concerns.

Contact the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS)

If you’re not satisfied with the response, check Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) to see if your service provider is a member. If so, contact the CCTS with your complaint.

The CCTS is an independent agency that helps resolve your complaints about your telecommunications service. Contact them at:

• email: info@ccts-cprst.ca
• mail: P.O. Box 81088, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1B1
• fax: 1-877-782-2924
• toll-free telephone: 1-888-221-1687

toll-free TTY: 711 or 1-800-855-0511 (relay services); or ask the Operator to contact CCTS toll-free at 1-888-221-1687, so that you aren’t charged long-distance fees

Contact Industry Canada

You can also file a complaint through Industry Canada's Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA). On the OCA website, you’ll find the steps to file a complaint as well as contacts for the organizations or local, provincial and federal offices that provide help to consumers.

If you believe you've been misled by a company, contact Industry Canada's Competition Bureau.

• email: compbureau@cb-bc.gc.ca
• mail: 50 Victoria Street, Gatineau, Quebec, K1A 0C9
• fax: 819-997-0324
• telephone: 819-997-4282
• toll-free telephone: 1-800-348-5358
• toll-free TTY: 1-800-642-3844

Additional telephone charges

The CRTC does not approve or regulate various additional charges included in your wireless service bill including:

• system access charges
• 911 service
• contribution fees

System access charges

Contact your provider if you have questions about what makes up a “system access charge” and why you’re being billed for it.

911 service charges

The CRTC requires wireless service providers to give their customers 911 services wherever these services are available. These services are run by local governments (such as municipalities) in conjunction with the telephone companies, which give wireless providers access to the 911 network.

The CRTC has approved the rates that telephone companies charge wireless service providers for providing 911 network access; however, wireless service providers incur additional costs for 911 calls. The wireless service providers, not the CRTC, decide how to recover these costs. As a result, the CRTC does not determine or approve the 911 service charges that may appear on your wireless service bill.

Contribution charges

In 2001, the CRTC revised the plan that subsidizes residential telephone service in higher-cost rural and remote areas of Canada. All telecommunications service providers, including wireless service providers, contribute to this fund.
Some wireless companies include a separate contribution charge, while others include a contribution charge in their basic rate. The CRTC was not involved in these decisions. If you have questions about contribution charges, contact your wireless provider.

Keeping your phone number when you switch phone companies (wireless number portability)

Typically, you can keep your phone number when you switch phone companies. This feature is called wireless number portability. Find out more about wireless number portability.

Coverage areas

The CRTC doesn’t require wireless service providers to offer service in areas where wireless service is not currently available, nor does it have coverage maps.

Industry Canada is responsible for assigning frequencies for wireless services and approving communications towers. Find more information in Spectrum Management and Telecommunications.

Health and safety issues

For information on health and safety issues related to wireless communications, go to Health Canada’s Radiofrequency Fields and the Canadian Wireless Telecommunication Association.