Rogers and Fido have introduced a new $40 Device Setup Charge only days after Canada’s ban on wireless activation and plan-change fees came into effect.
The charge applies when customers purchase or upgrade a phone with assistance from a specialist, including transactions completed in a store, over the phone or through live chat.
Customers who complete the purchase independently online can avoid the fee.
Rogers describes the charge as payment for setting up the device. Fido says customers who pay it can visit a store within 30 days of purchase for assistance transferring information and configuring their new phone.
The timing is difficult to ignore.
Until June 12, Rogers and Fido charged an $80 Setup Service Fee for many assisted activations and upgrades. The CRTC’s new rules prohibited fees whose main purpose is activating or modifying a wireless or Internet plan.
The old $80 charge has now been replaced, for assisted device purchases, by a $40 fee attached to setting up the phone rather than activating the service.
Rogers is not alone.
Bell introduced a $40 Device Handling Charge connected to phone orders, while TELUS created a $15 SIM purchase fee that applies to physical SIM cards and eSIMs.
The CRTC is already challenging Bell and TELUS over whether those charges are simply activation fees wearing new name tags.
Rogers may now be entering the same regulatory minefield.
How the Rogers and Fido Charge Works
The $40 Device Setup Charge applies to specialist-assisted device purchases, including:
• purchases completed in a Rogers or Fido store
• phone orders completed through customer service
• purchases completed through live chat
• upgrades involving a new device and employee assistance
The charge is waived when the customer completes the transaction independently online.
Fido describes the charge as being connected to the optional purchase of a device. Customers can then receive in-store setup support within 30 days, including help transferring information from an old phone.
The central consumer question is whether that service is truly optional.
Customers are not being offered a clear separate choice between purchasing setup assistance for $40 or declining it. The fee appears to be attached automatically when the phone purchase is completed through an assisted channel.
That distinction could determine whether the charge survives regulatory scrutiny.
The CRTC’s New Rule
The CRTC’s prohibition took effect on June 12, 2026.
It prevents mobile and Internet providers from charging fees related to:
• activating a new service plan
• modifying an existing plan
• cancelling a plan when no subsidized device is involved
The regulator allows limited exceptions for physical installations and for additional products or services that customers explicitly choose to purchase.
For example, a customer can still voluntarily pay for professional Internet installation or an additional piece of equipment that is not necessary to receive the underlying service.
The dispute now centres on whether phones, SIM cards, fulfillment and setup assistance qualify as genuinely additional products and services.
Bell’s $40 Device Handling Charge
Bell replaced its previous connection charge with a $40 Device Handling Charge applied when customers order a phone.
Bell says the charge covers fulfillment costs associated with processing and delivering the device.
The company argues that buying a phone from Bell is optional because customers can instead bring their own compatible device. From Bell’s perspective, the charge is related to a separate retail purchase rather than activation of the wireless plan.
The CRTC disagrees with that interpretation, at least preliminarily.
In a letter sent to Bell, the regulator said a phone is required to receive wireless service and that a mandatory fee connected to providing the phone may therefore be considered a prohibited activation fee.
Bell responded that the charge complies with the Telecommunications Act and the Wireless Code.
The CRTC has now asked Bell to confirm by June 17 whether it has stopped charging the fee.
TELUS’ $15 SIM Fee
TELUS introduced a mandatory $15 SIM purchase fee shortly before the activation-fee prohibition took effect.
The charge reportedly applies to both physical SIM cards and digital eSIMs.
This may be the most difficult of the three fees to defend.
Unlike a new smartphone, a SIM or eSIM is directly required to connect most customers to the wireless network. Customers activating through eSIM are also not receiving a physical product that carries manufacturing, shipping or inventory costs comparable to a conventional SIM card.
The CRTC told TELUS that the SIM charge does not appear to qualify as an optional product or service.
TELUS must confirm that it has stopped charging the fee or submit a detailed explanation of why it believes the practice complies with the new rules by June 17.
Is This Legal?
That has not yet been finally decided.
The CRTC has issued formal requests for information to Bell and TELUS, but it has not published a final compliance ruling or announced penalties.
As of June 16, the regulator had also not publicly issued Rogers a letter concerning the new Device Setup Charge.
The fact that a fee appeared immediately after the ban does not automatically make it illegal.
The real legal test will likely involve several questions:
• Is the service truly optional
• Can customers decline the service without changing how they purchase the phone
• Is the charge tied to activating or modifying a wireless plan
• Does the provider face a genuine direct cost
• Is the phone, SIM or setup service necessary to receive wireless service
• Is the customer explicitly agreeing to buy something additional
The Rogers model may be easier to defend than TELUS’ SIM fee because customers can avoid it by purchasing online.
However, forcing customers to use a digital self-service channel to avoid a charge could still raise accessibility and consumer-protection concerns, particularly for seniors, people with disabilities and customers who need assistance.
What Consumers Can Do
Customers purchasing a device from Rogers or Fido should complete the transaction online when possible to avoid the $40 charge.
Another option is to purchase the phone directly from Apple, Google, Samsung or another retailer and bring it to the carrier.
Customers should also examine the final checkout page and service agreement before confirming an order.
The monthly promotional device price may look attractive, but the complete cost can include:
• device setup or handling charges
• shipping costs
• deferred phone-return balances
• trade-in requirements
• mandatory premium plans
• taxes calculated on the phone’s full price
Anyone charged a fee they believe violates the new rules should first dispute it with the provider and keep screenshots, receipts and copies of the offer.
Important Caveat
It is tempting to describe every new charge as a renamed activation fee.
That conclusion has not yet been legally established.
Bell, Rogers and TELUS are attempting to distinguish these charges from activation by connecting them to devices, fulfillment, setup services or SIM products.
The CRTC must now determine whether those distinctions reflect genuine optional services or whether they preserve the same barrier to switching under different labels.
The June 17 responses from Bell and TELUS could provide the first indication of how aggressively the regulator intends to enforce the new prohibition.
