{"id":18703,"date":"2024-11-20T05:05:18","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T10:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mhgoldberg.com\/blog\/?p=18703"},"modified":"2024-11-18T07:12:58","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T12:12:58","slug":"network-reliability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mhgoldberg.com\/blog\/?p=18703","title":{"rendered":"Network reliability"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most of us take network reliability for granted. We expect our devices to be connected wherever we are. We expect calls to get through, emails to clear the outbox, direct messages to be received.<\/p>\n

In a survey of US mobile consumers, Opensignal reports<\/a> that reliability ranks second only to cost when deciding on a wireless carrier. Network reliability is considered twice as important as data transmission speed. <\/p>\n

And indeed, most of the time, the networks work. <\/p>\n

Still, we have all had the frustration of entering a dead zone, or experiencing a networks failure. Canadian carriers are investing billions of dollars each year improving coverage and extending network reach. As reported by PwC [pdf<\/a>, 5.5MB], Canadian mobile carriers are reinvesting 17.9\u00a2 of every dollar of revenue, a capital intensity 23% higher than that of the US (14.6\u00a2) and upwards of 50% more than Australia (11.6\u00a2).<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, I wrote about network resilience<\/a>. In that post, I referred to a White Paper<\/a> by Dr. Georg Serentschy, the former head of the Austrian telecom regulator and past chair of BEREC (Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communication). That paper included a recommendation calling for the establishment of a central coordinating body as “an important step towards overcoming the usual historically fragmented governance structures.”<\/p>\n

A few weeks ago, I took a somewhat critical look<\/a> at the CRTC’s recently released strategic plan<\/a>. A year ago, the CRTC’s action plan included a bullet point to “Work with government partners to improve the reliability of Canada\u2019s networks, including access to emergency services”. No comparable activity is listed in this year’s plan. The closest is an action calling for “issuing a decision to help improve the reliability, affordability, and competitiveness of telecommunications services in the Far North.”<\/p>\n

To me, that doesn’t go far enough. <\/p>\n

More than a year ago, the file closed for the CRTC’s consultation<\/a> on “Development of a regulatory framework to improve network reliability and resiliency”<\/a>. We still have not seen the outcome of that consultation.<\/p>\n

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada released “A Telecommunications Reliability Agenda” last year, with “three pillars at its core”:<\/p>\n