It’s technically not “free market”. Telecom in North America is basically oligopolies. You have a couple of giant providers that agree with each other in private (and illegally) over exclusive territory rights. And where they share territory, they basically set up almost identical plans with the same pricing. And these large providers spend millions lobbying government to get laws passed in their favour. It squeezes out any smaller competition from even starting. And when the smaller competitors can get a foothold and offer better services at a better price, they end up being bought out by one of the big companies.
There’s no competition. It’s not “free market” at all.