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Canada’s three main mobile players, namely Rogers Communications Inc, BCE Inc or Telus Corp, will be excluded from bidding on the protected reserve
The Canadian government has said that it will restrict bidding on 43 per cent of spectrum in its forthcoming 600MHz auction to small or new-to-market operators.
By restricting the country’s traditional big three players to bidding on just 57 per cent of the available spectrum, Canada hopes to inject some competition into its telecoms market as it rolls out 5G.
"The fact that we have an auction that will set aside 43 per cent of the spectrum demonstrates our commitment to competition, which will provide more options to consumers which ultimately means better price points," Canada’s federal innovation minister, Navdeep Bains, told news site The Globe and Mail.
The auction is set to take place in March 2019 and will provide access to some of the first spectrum to be used in 5G applications in North America. The 600MHz frequency is capable of travelling long distances and can also penetrate solid structures and buildings, making it ideal for nationwide deployment.
