The federal government wants to bring faster 5G service to more Canadians and is taking steps to make it harder for the big telecoms to hoard all the airwaves.
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada announced new rules Tuesday for an upcoming wireless spectrum auction set for 2027. The auction will hand out licences for millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum. This is the ultra-fast 5G that’s been available in the U.S. but has been lagging behind here in Canada, since the spectrum wasn’t available yet to telecoms.
Simply put, mmWave is a high-frequency, short-range wireless technology operating between 30 GHz and 300 GHz that delivers ultra-fast data speeds and massive bandwidth for 5G networks.
To prevent incumbents such as Rogers, Telus and Bell from buying up everything, the feds are putting a cap on how much spectrum any single bidder can walk away with, giving smaller carriers a real shot at competing.
Ottawa also wants to cut down the bureaucratic headache of building new cell towers. The current approval process is slow and expensive, and the government is proposing to replace it with a digital portal where companies can file applications and locals can weigh in online. The idea is to speed things up without cutting communities out of the conversation.
“Reliable, affordable connectivity is essential to Canada’s economic growth, public safety and quality of life. By making more spectrum available and streamlining infrastructure deployment, the Government of Canada is enabling the next generation of wireless technologies while improving services for Canadians across the country,” said Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions.
The auction will put 4.8 GHz of spectrum up for grabs across the 26 GHz and 38 GHz bands, with an extra 850 MHz set aside for a separate licensing process later on. ISED says Canadians and industry players can currently weigh in on the proposed tower approval changes through an ongoing national consultation. The spectrum isn’t taking place until 2027, and after that it will take telecoms to implement, so mmWave is still years ago. Things happen a wee bit slowly in Canada, eh?
Apple first launched 5G support in 2020, starting with the iPhone 12, leveraging mmWave in the U.S. Since Canada lacked mmWave, iPhones sold here had different antenna band locations on these devices compared to Canadian models.
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