Canadian Government Plans to Auction Additional Wireless Spectrum Licences This Summer

Today, Industry Minister James Moore announced that the Canadian government plans to auction off additional wireless spectrum licences this summer. The auction will be held this August and will feature unused spectrum licenses from the recent 700 MHz and AWS-3 auctions.

The auction will let new wireless companies compete and provide different choices to Canadians. In a statement Moore said:

“Spectrum is an essential public resource, and it is our job as a government to ensure it is allocated in such a way that encourages robust competition and choice in our wireless market. This auction, like all of our previous auctions, is designed with the interests of Canadian consumers first. We look forward to seeing consumers benefit.”

At this time last year, nearly 90 percent of the spectrum was held by Canada’s largest wireless companies (Rogers, Bell and Telus). As a result of the most recent auctions, the new and smaller wireless companies are expected to hold 25 percent of the total wireless spectrum by this summer.

The goal of the wireless auctions is to bring more competition to Canada’s wireless market, which will lead to more choice for consumers in addition to offering lower prices and better service.

[via Market Wired]