Telecom - Secretary General Letter addressed to Mélanie Cardin (Québecor Média Inc.)
Gatineau, 21 January 2026
Reference: 1011-NOC2023-0092
BY EMAIL
Mélanie Cardin
Director, Regulatory Affairs
Telecommunications
Québecor Média Inc.
612 Saint-Jacques Street, 15th floor
Montréal (Québec) H3C 4M8
Melanie.Cardin@quebecor.com
Subject: Québecor Média Inc. central office code request on behalf of Freedom Mobile Inc.
Dear Mélanie Cardin,
We are writing to inform you of the Commission’s decision regarding your 6 November 2025 request for the approval of one additional central office (CO) code to be assigned to Québecor Média Inc. (QMI) subsidiary Freedom Mobile Inc. (Freedom). This request was made on the basis that this CO code is required to support Freedom’s mobile service expansion as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO).
On 30 October 2023, the Commission imposed an interim measure requiring Canadian carriers who require additional CO codes beyond planned levels to apply to both the Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNA) and the Commission, justifying their need for additional resources. This measure is designed to conserve and maximize the use of available telephone numbers.
Having considered your request for additional numbering resources against factors outlined in the interim measure, the Commission is satisfied that it is justified, on the basis that:
- QMI intends to employ the requested CO codes to provide wireless telephone services as an MVNO, which will help promote access to affordable telecommunications services for the Canadian population;
- QMI is not in possession of unused numbering resources from previous assignments which can be used instead; and
- The request will not adversely impact available numbering resources.
Based on the above, the Commission grants QMI, for its subsidiary Freedom, access to the additional CO code requested in your 6 November 2025 letter.
Further, the Commission notes the Canadian Steering Committee on Numbering’s recommendation that carriers promptly return unused thousand-blocks in a thousand-block pooling environment. All carriers are strongly encouraged to return any blocks that are not placed in service to the CNA once thousand-block pooling has been implemented.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Étienne Robelin, Manager, Numbering Resource Administration, Telecommunications Sector, at Etienne.Robelin@crtc.gc.ca or 819-712-0199.
Sincerely,
Original signed by
Marc Morin
Secretary General and Executive Vice-President
CC: Kelly T. Walsh, Program Manager, Canadian Numbering Administrator, Kelly.Walsh@cnac.ca
Suneil Kanjeekal, Director, Telecommunications, CRTC, Suneil.Kanjeekal@crtc.gc.ca
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