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Ottawa is setting aside a block of wireless spectrum for an upcoming auction in an attempt to bolster smaller providers and draw new companies into the Canadian telecom industry.
The federal government announced July 7 it would set aside a 30-MHz block of AWS-3 spectrum specifically for new entrants, similar to what it did in 2008.
A 30 MHz block of spectrum will be set aside for the more recent entrants in the Canadian mobile market, and the awarded licences will be subject to “strict provisions” on their transfer, to ensure the AWS-3 spectrum does not end up in the hands of the dominant operators. In total, 50 MHz of paired spectrum will be available in the auction.
The AWS-3 spectrum is adjacent to the AWS spectrum auctioned in 2008, which led to the entrance of new players such as Wind, Mobilicity and Public Mobile in the market. Consultations on the licensing of the new spectrum will begin this summer. Wind Mobile welcomed the government’s announcement and said it looks forward to participating in the consultation.
Agencies/Canadajournal
