Maskatel submits local competition plan to CRTC

BCE Inc.’s subsidiary Maskatel Monday filed a plan for establishing local competition in Upton district, Que., with the CRTC after CoopTel notified the company it intends to compete in the area. According to a 2006 CRTC decision, small incumbent local exchange carriers (SILECs) must file an implementation plan with the commission within 30 days of receiving an expression of interest from an LEC or carrier requesting to use competitor services within a SILEC's territory. “The implementation plan should include certain details, such as when tariffs will be filed, the nature and cost basis of those tariffs, how customer transfer procedures would be managed, the timing of the implementation of local competitor services, the start-up costs to implement local competition including LNP if appropriate and how those costs will be recovered, and any other implementation issues that may be unique to that SILEC,” according to the CRTC’s 2006 decision. Maskatel filed its plan, published Tuesday, to the CRTC after Quebec-based company CoopTel sent a formal request to its competitor in mid-September. Maskatel, in its Part 1 said it plans to put in place the necessary infrastructure and procedures needed to implement LNP so local businesses and residents can keep their numbers if they switch providers. According to the commission, LNP is an essential condition for development of competition in the local services market. “In addition, we will be able to route calls to numbers transferred to CLECs that do not wish to implement their own access to a database of transferred numbers, to the extent that a mutually acceptable agreement has been reached,” the company wrote in its application, according to a translation. Maskatel estimated that it would take five months, dating from when its plan is approved by the commission, to implement the necessary changes because it is working with “relatively old technology” (a Nortel DMS-10 switch) for which the expertise “is relatively limited.” “In addition, our experience in the deployment of LNP in this type of equipment is very limited, requiring us to work with a third party company with this expertise.” Maskatel added that if the deadline were to fall between June 15 and July 15, it would have to further postpone the implementation of LNP until August due to “other work” that is carried out by the network during that time. It also said that where appropriate, CLECs may negotiate directly with Bell or call on a third-party supplier in order to obtain services such as the provision of a 911 database or a 911 transit switch, operator services and relay services. Maskatel said it will file any notice of tariff changes 30 days after its plan is approved by the commission. It may also file a cost recovery request after it completes a cost analysis for the implementation of its plan.

Maskatel submits local competition plan to CRTC

Brief | October 19, 2021

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Maskatel submits local competition plan to CRTC

Brief | October 19, 2021

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