“Unlimited” is a wonderfully simple word until a wireless company puts it on a bill. Canadians have spent years navigating plans that promise unlimited data but slow down sharply after a certain amount of use. This week, that distinction became a $15-million problem for Rogers.
On October 28, 2026, the Competition Tribunal ruled in favour of Canada’s Competition Bureau in a case concerning the marketing of Rogers Infinite wireless plans. According to the Bureau’s statement, the Tribunal ordered Rogers to pay a $15-million penalty, publish a corrective notice and cover the Bureau’s legal costs. The Bureau argued that describing these plans as unlimited was misleading because speeds dropped significantly after customers used a set amount of data.
Unlimited data is not the same as unlimited speed
There is a practical difference between a connection that continues working and one that continues working at the speed you thought you bought. A throttled plan might still handle a message or a simple web page, but streaming, navigation updates and uploading a video can be a very different experience. The issue is not that every wireless plan must deliver maximum speed forever. It is whether customers are told clearly what they are purchasing.
The Bureau first filed its case in December 2024. At the time, it said the plans could see speed reductions of more than 99% after customers crossed their high-speed data allotment. The Tribunal heard the matter between March 30 and May 1, 2026, before issuing this week’s ruling.
What the ruling does—and does not—settle yet
The penalty and corrective-notice order are confirmed. But the Bureau says the Tribunal’s detailed reasons are still forthcoming, so it would be premature to declare that every question about the decision has been answered. The Bureau’s statement does not announce a general customer-refund program, either.
For Canadians comparing wireless plans, the useful habit remains the same: look for the full-speed data allowance, the speed after that allowance, and any conditions attached to an “unlimited” label. Those details tell you more about how a plan will behave than the biggest word in the advertisement.
For the wider telecom industry, the message is harder to ignore. A plan can be technically usable after its fast data runs out and still leave customers with the wrong impression. If the fine print changes the meaning of the headline, the headline deserves scrutiny.
Sources: Competition Bureau statement, October 29, 2026; Competition Bureau’s original filing announcement, December 23, 2024.
