The government of Canada said that Telus, Rogers and Bell are among the qualified bidders
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has published the final list of 22 qualified applicants for an upcoming auction through which the government will award 5G licenses in the 3.8 GHz spectrum band.
In a statement, ISED said that the qualified bidders include: Rogers, Telus, Bell, Videotron, Eastlink, SaskTel, Tbaytel, Sogetel, Brooke Telecom, Bruce Telecom, CityWest, ABC Internet, Cooptel, Ecotel, Elite General Partnership, HuronTel, Indigitel, MPVWIFI, NE&W SPC, Novus, NWIC and Kingston Online Services.
The 3.8 GHz spectrum auction is scheduled to begin on October 24, 2023.
Last year, the government of Canada had announced the rules for its auction of 3.8 GHz spectrum. The government decided to impose a 100-megahertz cap on the large national providers as to how much combined 3.5 GHz and 3.8 GHz spectrum they can acquire.
The government also said it will implement strong deployment requirements ensuring companies must “use or lose” the spectrum they win.
These rules follow the government’s decision to repurpose the 3.8 MHz band to support 5G services, which was announced in 2021.
The government of Canada also recently announced an outline detailing how it plans on releasing spectrum for mobile communications services between 2023 and 2027, and the spectrum bands under consideration.
The government said that its “Spectrum Outlook 2023 to 2027” lays out the government’s spectrum release plans for the coming years, ensuring that enough spectrum is available for the provision of mobile services nationwide.
In terms of bands under consideration, the report identifies three levels of priority for various airwaves. The first priority group, for which international standards already exist or equipment is available/expected to be available, includes some bands with work already underway. That list includes the 3.8 GHz band, 3.9 GHz band, 5.9 GHz, and millimeter-wave spectrum at 24 GHz, 26 GHz, 28 GHz and 38 GHz, as well as several bands above 95 GHz.
The second priority group includes bands on which ISED expects to begin work between 2023 and 2027 to bring them to commercialization in Canada, including through sharing arrangements and addressing potential allocation changes. Those bands include 900 MHz, the L-Band at 1.4-1.5 GHz, AWS-3 unpaired at 1.695-1.710 GHz and AWS-4 in the 2 GHz range; 2.5 GHz, 23 GHz, 37 GHz, 47.2-48.2 GHz and potential backhaul bands in the range between 92 and 174.8 GHz, among others.
The third priority group will be monitored for developments during the 2023-2027 period, because there is “uncertainty about the international developments or potential equipment available for these bands.” That group includes satellite bands in the 1.5 GHz, 1.6 GHz and 2 GHz range, AWS-2, 4.9 GHz, and potential flexible use at 40-43.5 GHz, as well as additional midband spectrum at 3.1-3.45 GHz (which the U.S. also has under consideration for repurposing).
The government said it will be making more 5G spectrum available in the future, including through non-competitive local licensing and an upcoming auction for millimeter wave spectrum.
