Spectrum policy issues are heating up as we approach the deadline for deposits for the 700 MHz spectrum auction. Will new entrants show up with deposits? Will rural Canadians actually benefit?
There is certain to be a lively discussion of wireless issues at a panel called “Unplugged: The next generation of wireless” at The 2013 Canadian Telecom Summit.
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Unplugged: The next generation of wireless |
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Earlier today, the moderator of the panel, Rita Trichur of the Globe and Mail, tweeted
Next spectrum skirmish.. Big telcos āhoardingā spectrum, ISPs complain #CDNtech stks.co/aUFS $RCI.B.CA $RCI $BCE.CA $BCE $PCS.CA
ā Rita Trichur (@RitaTrichur) May 13, 2013
Her story looks beyond the 700 MHz auction at the issues associated with the 3500 MHz band, spectrum that has been largely unused.
Internet service providers such as Xplornet Communications Inc. are accusing Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. of āhoardingā spectrum that they have held for years but failed to use. Now that those licences are up for renewal, Xplornet argues the companiesā ongoing control of those assets is stifling competition for Internet services in rural areas, to the detriment of some two million Canadians.
In an appearance on CBC’s The Lang & O’Leary Exchange, Open Media’s executive director, Steve Anderson, referred to Canada’s wireless policy as “incoherent”. [He went on to say things about Canada’s Industry Minister Christian Paradis, including unexpectedly colourful language from a registered lobbyist. Earlier in the interview, Mr. Anderson confused Former Industry Minister Jim Prentice, who led Industry Canada at the time AWS spectrum was set aside for new entrants, with Tony Clement, the Minister who preceded Paradis.]
As I have written before, the challenge Canadians face might be better described as drifting rudderless.Ā Wireless competition and spectrum policy are among the areas that have suffered from the absence of a comprehensive national digital strategy. How does this impact investment in networks? How are Canadians competing in a global digital economy?
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