Telecom - Secretary General Letter addressed to Paul Beaudry (Cogeco Communications Inc.)
Gatineau, 22 January 2026
Reference: 1011-NOC2023-0092
BY EMAIL
Paul Beaudry
Vice-President, Regulatory and Government Affairs
Cogeco Communications Inc.
1, Place Ville Marie, Office 3301
Montréal, Québec H3B 3B2
telecom.regulatory@cogeco.com
Subject: Cogeco Communications Inc. central office code request on behalf of Cogeco Connexion Inc.
Dear Paul Beaudry,
We are writing to inform you of the Commission’s decision regarding your 28 November 2025 request for the approval of additional central office (CO) codes to be assigned to Cogeco Communications Inc. (Cogeco), on behalf of Cogeco Connexion Inc. This request was made on the basis that these CO codes are required to expand Cogeco’s wireless services in smaller rural areas of Ontario and Quebec.
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:
- Cogeco intends to use these CO codes to expand its wireless services in remote areas of Ontario and Quebec, which will help promote access to affordable telecommunications services for the Canadian population;
- Cogeco 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 Cogeco access to the additional CO codes requested in your 28 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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