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by 37 1443 days ago
Canadian ISPs definitely have a stronghold on the infrastructure. Can't call it a "monopoly" because there are three of them, but a common name given is "Robelus" which is portmanteau of Rogers/Bell/Telus.

I don't have the numbers on how much they spend to lobby the government every year, but I imagine its a staggering sum.
2 comments
RandyRanderson 1443 days ago
A 'Canada' should be another word for an oligopolistic (maybe that's a word?) state.

Mobile carriers - 4 control 98+ % of the market

Internet - 4 control likely 90+ % of the internet market

Banks - 5 control 90+ % of retail banking. The rest? Credit Unions who have themselves mostly merged into https://www.central1.com/

Insurance - 6 control 89%

Media - 4 control 70%

Grocer - 5 control 60%

Movie theaters - 2 control 99%

Links:

[0] https://financialpost.com/fp-finance/megadeals-fuelling-unpr...

[1] https://financialpost.com/investing/how-canadas-oligopolies-...

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tistoon 1441 days ago
Revolut neo bank (GB) tried to enter the canadian market in November 2019. It was in beta mode for one and half year, then it has quit the canadian market!

Why? because they failed obtaining a bank licence!

It is very hard for a new bank to come to Canada. They have to "partner" with one of the 5 existing oligarch banks! Imagine.. as a business, you have to "partner" with a competing bank in order to operate!

Meawhile, Revolut has successfully opened in 10 other countries at the same time..

Tourists and strangers don't really catch how the canadian market is ruled by oligarch / oligopoly so few players/businesses.

There is NO COMPETITION here! Welcome to CanaRussia!

Sources: https://portfolioplus.com/what-happened-to-revolut-canada-wh... https://www.fintechfutures.com/2021/03/revolut-exits-canada-...

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RandyRanderson 1428 days ago
After a banking charter is given, the Canadian PM gets put on their board (after the PM leaves politics).

Definitely no quid pro quo there.

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jleyank 1443 days ago
What percentage of mobile phones in the us are not Apple or Samsung? How much wailing and gnashing of teeth would occur if Apple screws up an iOS upgrade that can’t easily be undone? Or just repeats what rogers and Facebook have done re dns?

Glass houses, eh?

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cwt137 1443 days ago
The word you are looking for is “oligopoly”. This is when a small set of firms has a monopoly on something.
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37 1443 days ago
That's a good word, but if I were to be honest, I think a better word might be "cartel" ....I looked up oligopoly and it seems like it implies no collusion..... However, when I think about the large telecoms, I feel like they are colluding with (each other, surely, but also) the government.
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RandyRanderson 1443 days ago
Investopedia were pretty sure they were:

https://web.archive.org/web/20171230012928/https://www.inves...

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