Canada watchdog urges steps to dampen wholesale wireless roaming rates

OTTAWA, May 15 (Reuters) - Canada's competition watchdog is recommending that the country's telecoms regulator take steps to ensure that new players in the wireless market have fair access to wholesale wireless roaming services, saying the dominant players have the power to keep rates high.

The Competition Bureau provided details on Thursday on its submission to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), which is conducting a review of wholesale roaming services.

"The Bureau is therefore recommending that the CRTC adopt measures to address the incentives Canada's largest mobile wireless companies may have to raise their competitors' wholesale prices as these increases may be passed on to consumers," it said in a statement.

"The Bureau's submission supports the establishment of regulatory measures if and where they are needed, to ensure that new entrants have access to the wholesale services they need to compete effectively in Canadian mobile wireless markets." (Reporting by Louise Egan)