Rogers disconnection would set harmful precedent: Sugar Mobile

Interventions filed opposing Ice Wireless' request for interim relief in its roaming dispute with Rogers Communications Inc. failed to properly address the relevant issues, instead focusing on "absurd" interpretations of statements Sugar Mobile CEO Samer Bishay made in media reports, the company said in a response to comments filed with the CRTC. "None of them have credibly refuted Ice Wireless' submissions to the effect that a denial of interim relief will result in irreparable harm" to the company — a subsidiary of Iristel Inc. — and its affiliate Sugar Mobile, Ice Wireless said in its reply to comments from Rogers and BCE Inc. filed with the CRTC on Monday. Ice Wireless asked the CRTC to let it continue to roam on the Rogers network while awaiting a decision on a Part 1 complaint filed after the incumbent threatened to disconnect Ice Wireless unless Sugar Mobile stopped roaming. Sugar Mobile offers a WiFi-based mobile system that roams on the Rogers network when out of the Ice Wireless coverage area in the three territories and northern Quebec. Rogers and Bell disagreed that disconnecting Sugar Mobile from the Rogers roaming network would cause "irreparable harm" because Bishay said in a media interview that there are other roaming arrangements in place. "Both Bell Mobility and Rogers must know that their contention is absurd and that they are inflating the implications of Mr. Bishay's statement," Ice Wireless said in its response, adding that Bishay was "speaking hypothetically." While "technically possible" for Sugar Mobile to continue operating in other parts of the country with other roaming agreements, "there is no reason to believe that any of these carriers would allow Sugar Mobile to roam onto their networks if Rogers is permitted to disconnect Ice Wireless, as a precedent will have been set." The agreement with Rogers is also the only national roaming agreement Ice Wireless has, the company said. Ice Wireless characterized the attempt to deny its request for interim relief as a demonstration of "the outright hostility" the carriers have for mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). In its submission to the CRTC, Bell said Sugar Mobile subscribers could purchase the service and a phone number outside of the Ice Wireless territory, which would constitute permanent roaming. But Sugar Mobile SIM cards are given phone numbers from exchanges in the Ice Wireless territory and that number, which can be from any area code, is mapped onto one selected by the end user, Ice Wireless said. The mobile wireless aspect of the service is based on that SIM card number, Ice Wireless said, adding "the fact that Sugar Mobile customers can also buy their Sugar Mobile SIM cards outside of the Ice Wireless home territory does not change this fact." The company also said that Rogers' principal argument against its request appears to be that Ice Wireless was warned about the roaming issue before Sugar Mobile launched in January. However, "Ice Wireless is not required to slavishly adhere to Rogers' interpretation of the ," the company said, adding that neither Rogers nor Bell have "a monopoly on the proper interpretation" of the CRTC's wholesale wireless policy, and its relationship to the agreement. — With reporting by Charelle Evelyn at cevelyn@thewirereport.caand editing by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca

Rogers disconnection would set harmful precedent: Sugar Mobile

News | February 24, 2016

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Rogers disconnection would set harmful precedent: Sugar Mobile

News | February 24, 2016

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