CRTC to create reporting standard for cellphone coverage to identify potential gaps

Gatineau, Canada — The country's telecommunications oversight body, the CRTC, has announced plans to establish a new reporting standard aimed at enhancing consumer understanding of cellphone coverage quality and pinpointing areas with potential coverage gaps. In a statement made on Friday, the CRTC revealed its decision to mandate service providers to disclose their mobile network coverage, encompassing outdoor signal strength at various electrical power levels.

This new requirement is expected to provide Canadians with more granular information about cellphone coverage in specific regions, facilitating easier comparisons of service options and the identification of locations where coverage maps fail to accurately represent users' experiences.

The CRTC has already been collecting coverage data from providers and sharing it with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada for its national broadband map. However, the regulator is optimistic that this new standard will elevate the accuracy of the information and create a clearer picture of connectivity requirements nationwide.

Vicky Eatridge, the chairperson and CEO of the CRTC, emphasized that by refining the reporting of cellphone coverage and empowering Canadians to pinpoint coverage gaps, the regulator aims to stimulate increased investment in areas where it is most needed.