Rogers CEO pledges to work with rival companies to provide TTC cell service

Rogers Communications Inc. president and CEO Tony Staffieri says his company will not attempt to prevent any of its rivals from offering cellphone service to their customers on Toronto's subway system once Rogers takes control of the wireless infrastructure.

Speaking Wednesday at a lunch hosted by Canadian Club Toronto, Staffieri pledged the network "will work for everybody."

"We really need to figure out and implement on a timely basis 911 emergency calling throughout the subway transit system and it doesn't matter who you're on. It could be us, Bell, Telus, Videotron it doesn't matter," he said.

"We think it's important for not just our customers but for Torontonians, and that was our intent in doing this. If Bell, Telus want to step up and join in, we're happy and open to having those discussions with them."

Bell, Telus had expressed concern

Bell and Telus had expressed concern over whether their customers would be able to use wireless service on the transit system after Rogers announced it had acquired BAI Communications' Canadian arm, which has held the rights to the Toronto Transit Commission's wireless network since 2012.

Staffieri said talks with BAI began around a year ago as Rogers heard from customers, many of whom were returning to downtown offices amid the pandemic, that they wanted connectivity on the subway.

He said those negotiations became more timely recently in light of a wave of violence on the TTC that prompted calls for the three major telecom companies to sign on to BAI's service.

Rogers plans to upgrade BAI's existing network, which covers around one-quarter of the subway's underground tunnels, to ensure 5G capacity over the next nine months, he said.

Staffieri said it will take around two years for Rogers to also build a 5G network for the entire subway system, with construction only possible for two to three hours per night when trains do not run.

He said the system will come online in "bits and pieces" over that time frame, with 911 calling first, followed by text messages, voice calling and video streaming.

"The TTC has committed to give us as much access as possible," said Staffieri. "We want to do this aggressively."