On Monday June 4, 2018, these observations were part of the opening remarks, delivered by Michael Sone and me, at The 2018 Canadian Telecom Summit:

We are indeed living in heady times. The pace of technological change in networks, in devices, in computing power – it’s almost trite to say – is beyond astounding.

We humans are very good at building dynamic algorithms, designing smarter systems, and miniaturizing the heck out of everything, to make our lives more convenient & productive and wring ever-greater efficiencies out of our hectic routines. We are decidedly less competent at dealing with the ethical ramifications – let’s call them consequences – of what we’re able to accomplish in the lab. We’re great at research and development; not quite as good at sober analysis of what that portends.

It should be obvious that with every advance in technology, we encounter difficult choices. The commercialization of the Internet 20 years ago revolutionized human interaction, yet also brought with it challenges of security & privacy that were under-appreciated at the time, yet are all-too-obvious today. And we’re playing catch-up.

On the one hand, technology allows systems that harness Customer Experience Management to invest more power in the hands of consumers, yet that same technology has the ability to compromise our privacy – and then some. So, as many of you have likely thought to yourselves – just because we can do something, does that mean that we should? This applies to many walks of life – most markedly in the realm of biotechnology, but of course no less with ICT. Are we prepared to sacrifice autonomy on the altar of innovation?

Today, we are at the cusp of another revolution – one that is ushering in the era of Artificial Intelligence and next generation robotics. Self-driving vehicles have moved out of the laboratory and onto the streets. All has not gone smoothly. But is this something we should embrace or fear? Or both? Do we need to pursue this with gusto or take a step back and consider what we have wrought? Or both? No one has these answers but what we do have is the ability and opportunity to reflect & debate.

And that’s some of what we’re going to do here at The 2018 Canadian Telecom Summit.

I have had the privilege of spending the past 38 years in the telecommunications industry, and I have had the opportunity to observe – and sometimes lead – tremendous change in the structure of this critical sector. It is challenging to be in a business that is constantly in transition, requiring continuous investment in new technology and continually facing disruptive threats. It is what makes it fun, right?

For 26 years now, Canada has endorsed a policy of encouraging facilities-based competition. For the past 12 years, in accordance with a policy announced by Minister Maxime Bernier at The 2006 Canadian Telecom Summit, the CRTC has been directed to “rely on market forces to the maximum extent feasible as the means of achieving the telecommunications policy objectives, and when relying on regulation, use measures that are efficient and proportionate to their purpose and that interfere with the operation of competitive market forces to the minimum extent necessary to meet the policy objectives.”

Personally, I think there are opportunities for the CRTC to continue to improve its alignment with the Policy Direction.

In doing so, it might want to revisit its decisions on Videotron’s Unlimited Music service, on Mobile TV and on NFL Mobile. In each of those cases, no consumer has become better off following these decisions, while tens of thousands of consumers have ended up paying more or receiving less.

Contrast this with the FCC relaxing regulatory threats to AT&T’s mobile access to Direct TV, and the subsequent introduction of unlimited data plans by Verizon. When one service provider has a competitive edge with a product differentiator, the other market players develop competitive responses.

Many people in Canada want the market outcomes available in the United States, but we have been unwilling to adopt the regulatory freedoms that encourage those offers to emerge.

In my view, Canadian consumers would be better off if the Policy Direction is a guiding principle in decision making, not just a boilerplate afterthought in decision writing.

Most recently, we have seen waves of criticism levelled at the CRTC and the major carriers over the widely misunderstood low-cost data-only wireless plans. More regulation won’t deliver more competitive services. Let services providers compete – truly compete.

I’ll leave those comments to ferment in your mind until tomorrow afternoon’s Regulatory Blockbuster.

And now, it is time to look at Innovation and Disruption in ICT – reinventing and securing our business and personal lives, the theme of this year’s conference.

For the first time since 2008, my opening remarks didn’t include a reference to one of my most common recurring themes.

The Canadian Telecom Summit is taking place through June 6 in Toronto.

Telecommunications is a capital intensive business. Both wireline and wireless communications facilities require multi-billion dollar investments to upgrade technologies, extend the reach of networks and expand capacity for ever increasing demand from band-width hungry applications. A challenge for regulatory authorities is protecting consumer interests while preserving an investment climate that encourages investment by multiple market participants

In a recent blog post, former Austrian regulatory chief Georg Serentschy writes about the challenges being faced by European regulators trying to craft a new European Electronic Communications Code (EECC).

the EECC as it is taking shape is emerging as a ‘missed opportunity’ for Europe, threatening to fall far short of its original objectives. Presumably this will lead market participants to adopt a ‘wait-and-see’ attitude, with many not expecting more favourable investment conditions as a result of shifting this parallelogram of forces, through increasing state aid or other components for example.

He asks how regulators should respond to this ‘wait-and-see’ attitude, wondering if Europe should “start with a clean slate and put in place a clear, flexible and highly simplified regulatory framework.” He suggests “Why not dare to make investments in FTTH a matter of agreements under private law, for a limited term and subject to consistent ex-post supervision but completely free of regulation?”

Mr. Serentschy spent nearly a dozen years as CEO of RTR, the Austrian Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting and Telecommunication and was Chair of BEREC, the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communication. He will be speaking on Tuesday June 5 at The 2018 Canadian Telecom Summit.

Some of the most influential leaders of the Canadian & International ICT industry will gather in Toronto next week at The 2018 Canadian Telecom Summit.

No other event matches The 2018 Canadian Telecom Summit for the depth and breadth of topics covered and issues debated.

No other event presents as complete a picture of current and expected trends & developments.

You will see why The Canadian Telecom Summit has become the only must-attend conference.

With more opportunities than ever to learn, network and do business, if you are involved with or impacted by Canadian telecommunications, broadcasting and information technology, you need to be at The 2018 Canadian Telecom Summit.

Join your colleagues for 3 days of spirited discussion and networking, including our Monday evening Cocktail Reception sponsored by Cogeco.

Register today for The 2018 Canadian Telecom Summit. Register by May 31 to save $250.

Don’t be fooled by pretenders. The 2018 Canadian Telecom Summit is the ONLY event where you can hear from such an array of industry luminaries.

For the complete conference agenda, visit the conference website or find a brochure in my blog post: “Minister Bains to deliver closing keynote address at #CTS18“.

The 2018 Canadian Telecom Summit
June 4-6 | Toronto Congress Centre

As most of us can attest, phone calls are no longer a trusted way to communicate.

Given the epidemic of nuisance telemarketing (such as my thrice daily calls offering air duct cleaning), and truly illegal calls (like those from the fake Windows support centre), it seems a wasted effort to answer the line most of the times the phone rings.

If we can’t be certain who is calling, consumers will start to ignore the ringer.

This is not just a Canadian problem.

The telecom industries in Canada and the US have been tasked by the CRTC and the FCC, to find ways to combat nuisance calls.

At The 2018 Canadian Telecom Summit, delegates will hear about the latest regulatory developments, and industry responses such as the STIR/SHAKEN authentication standards, including implementation progress and best practices to address the problem. The objective is to get people to pick up the phone again.

Michael Cooley, VP Business Development, at Neustar will lead the discussion in the opening session on Day 2, Tuesday, June 5, “Restoring Trust in Communications: Regulations and innovations to protect consumers and optimize business engagement.”

The 2018 Canadian Telecom Summit will take place June 4-6 in Toronto. Register before the end of May to save $250. Have you registered yet?

There were some surprise results when Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada released the results of the Residual Spectrum auction last week.

Cogeco Connexions paid a little more than $24M to pick up pockets of spectrum in a variety of Ontario and Quebec communities as well as Victoria, BC for a total coverage of about 5.7M people.

Freedom Mobile picked up spectrum in BC and Alberta, covering about 3M people for $8.6M. Xplornet covered 7.5M people for $8.2M, while TELUS picked up spectrum covering New Brunswick and Northern Ontario, reaching 1.6M people for the bargain price of just $900K.

Iristel picked up spectrum in the Yukon for $100K to cover 35,000 people; Ecotel paid $1.2M to reach 1M people in a variety of northern communities.

How will the spectrum be put to use? Will we see enhanced mobile service or more fixed broadband from some of these service providers? In a report issued early this morning, Scotiabank wonders if Cogeco’s spectrum purchase is “a ploy to get Shaw/Freedom or Quebecor/Videotron to negotiate MVNO deals in Ontario and Quebec.” Scotiabank asks if Cogeco might have more leverage with the larger new entrants if there is a threat of an additional company participating in the 600MHz auction, which would increase spectrum prices.

It is interesting to try to understand some of the spectrum purchases. More discussion material for The Canadian Telecom Summit, taking place in less than 2 weeks in Toronto. Have you registered yet?