Harper Government Takes Action to Support Canadian Families
Today's announcement will provide Canadian families with more choices at low prices for wireless services
(firmenpresse) - RUSSELL, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 03/14/12 -- Today, the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry, announced that the Harper Government will be taking action to provide Canadian families with more choices at low prices for wireless services.
"The Harper Government understands that Canadian families work hard for their money and that they want their government to make decisions that will help them keep more of it," said Minister Paradis. "The measures I am outlining today will ensure the timely availability of world-class wireless services at low prices for Canadian families, including those in rural areas."
Minister Paradis announced that:
This spectrum will allow telecom companies to bring the latest 4G LTE mobile networks to Canadian consumers and businesses, including those in rural areas. This means Canadians will have access to the fastest mobile speeds and latest devices, such as the newest iPad, PlayBook and smartphones. They will have access to high-definition video and video conferencing over mobile networks. Canadians will benefit from greater access to e-health, intelligent transport and other advanced applications. This will result in improved connectivity for consumers, increased business productivity and enhanced safety for Canadians.
In 2008, the Harper Government set aside spectrum for new entrants and implemented other policies to support new competitors. New entrants have since made large investments to launch services and are providing greater choice to Canadian consumers.
"Our government has taken significant action to promote competition in the wireless sector, and our decisions have helped to reduce mobile wireless prices for Canadian families by 10 percent since 2008," said Minister Paradis.
Today's announcement will provide Canadian families with more choices at low prices for wireless services. For a more detailed description of the measures to be taken as part of the policy approach to the upcoming auctions of 700 MHz and 2500 MHz spectrum, please consult the attached backgrounder.
Backgrounder
Harper Government Takes Action to Support Canadian Families
Rules for the 700 MHz and 2500 MHz Spectrum Auctions
Foreign Investment Restrictions in the Telecommunications Sector
1. Policy objectives
The Harper Government is committed to ensuring the timely availability of world-class wireless services at low prices for Canadian families, including those in rural areas.
Wireless telecommunications, and the radio frequency spectrum that enables it, are fundamental to world-class digital infrastructure, a key pillar of Canada's digital economy.
In developing the measures announced today, the Harper Government was guided by three objectives:
Decisions have also been guided by the broad principle of reliance on market forces to the maximum extent possible.
2. Context
What is spectrum and what is up for auction?
Spectrum is necessary for wireless communication. It is a finite public resource managed by the government and made available through the issuance of licences. It is divided into frequency bands and allocated to services such as broadcasting, satellite and mobile services.
The Harper Government is making additional spectrum available for mobile services to help meet the rapidly growing demand for high-speed wireless services. This includes the 700 MHz spectrum band, which the government has designated for mobile services following the transition of analog over-the-air television broadcasting signals to digital signals. This is only the second time such low-frequency spectrum, especially desirable due to its ability to propagate over long distances and penetrate buildings, has been made available for commercial wireless use. The government will also be auctioning 2500 MHz spectrum, which will further enable service providers to meet the rapidly growing demand for data by consumers and businesses.
This spectrum will allow telecom companies to bring the latest 4G LTE mobile networks to Canadian consumers and businesses, including those in rural areas. This means Canadians will have access to the fastest mobile speeds and latest devices, such as the newest iPad, PlayBook and smartphones. They will have access to high-definition video and video conferencing over mobile networks. Canadians will benefit from greater access to e-health, intelligent transport and other advanced applications. This will result in improved connectivity for consumers, increased business productivity and enhanced safety for Canadians.
Developments since 2008
The Canadian wireless landscape has changed significantly since the 2008 auctioning of Advanced Wireless Services spectrum. At that time, the government set aside spectrum for new entrants and implemented other policies to support new competitors. New entrants have since made large investments to launch services and are providing greater choice to Canadian consumers. These new entrants currently serve over 1 million Canadians. At the same time, Canadian incumbent wireless providers continued to invest in their networks. Over 98 percent of Canadians now have access to high-speed wireless services. Average Canadian mobile wireless prices have fallen by more than 10 percent since 2008.(1)
This same time period has also seen an explosive growth in demand for high-speed mobile services. Globally, the use of smartphones, tablets and other data-intensive devices has resulted in mobile data use that has tripled each year since 2008.(2) In Canada, 8 million Canadians already own a smartphone, and that number is growing rapidly. This growth is putting unprecedented demands on mobile networks.
Consultations and considerations
In developing its policies, the government considered the stakeholder views provided during multiple public consultations. These include consultations on both the 700 MHz and the 2500 MHz spectrum auctions and on options for the reform of foreign investment restrictions. In consultations, respondents expressed a range of views. For example, all stakeholders agreed on the importance of spectrum to meet growing demand and improve services. However, views diverged on whether government action was necessary to continue to promote competition. Most incumbent wireless providers argued that no special auction measures and no changes to foreign investment restrictions were required. These companies expressed a need for additional spectrum in order to meet rapidly increasing demand for data and to deploy next-generation services to rural areas. New wireless entrants cited their limited access to spectrum and called for rules that reserved spectrum for them in upcoming auctions. These companies highlighted the fact that incumbents control about 85 percent of mobile spectrum holdings and all of the low-frequency spectrum. New entrants also pointed to limits on their ability to attract capital, and many called for relaxation of Canada's foreign investment restrictions in the telecommunications sector.
Many governments are supporting competition in mobile telecommunications services through auction rules and other requirements. For example, France, Germany, Italy and the U.K. have adopted spectrum auction caps, which limit the amount of spectrum that a company can acquire. These countries also require spectrum holders to deploy to rural areas within a certain time frame.
3. Summary of decisions
Reform of foreign investment restrictions under the Telecommunications Act
The government will amend the Telecommunications Act to exempt telecommunications companies with less than 10 percent of total telecommunications Canadian market revenue from foreign investment restrictions in that Act. This change will promote competition by improving access to capital. In order to encourage long-term investment in Canada's telecommunications industry, companies that are successful in growing their market shares in excess of 10 percent of total Canadian telecommunications market revenues other than by way of merger or acquisitions will continue to be exempt from the restrictions. Restrictions on foreign ownership under the Broadcasting Act would remain for all companies with broadcasting distribution activities. As is the case with any direct foreign investment, the provisions of the Investment Canada Act will continue to apply.
Spectrum caps in upcoming 700 MHz and 2500 MHz auctions
The government will apply caps in the upcoming spectrum auctions that will enable four or more service providers in each region to obtain spectrum in both the 700 MHz and the 2500 MHz bands. In the case of the 700 MHz spectrum, a limit on prime spectrum will be imposed on incumbents, which, like a set-aside, will effectively reserve prime spectrum for new entrants and regional providers. Unlike a set-aside, the measures will not require Industry Canada to identify specific blocks of spectrum, allowing companies to bid according to their business plans. We plan to hold the 700 MHz auction in the first half of 2013, to be followed by the 2500 MHz auction within a year.
It is the government's expectation that companies will begin rolling out network coverage-and delivering benefits to Canadians-in a timely fashion after acquiring this new spectrum.
Spectrum licence obligations
Rural services
The government will require companies having access to two or more blocks of paired spectrum in the 700 MHz band, through auction licences or through spectrum sharing, to cover 90 percent of the population of their current high-speed population coverage within five years and 97 percent within seven years of licensing. The obligations imposed on spectrum licensees are to support the deployment of next-generation services to rural Canadians in a timely fashion. In addition, general rollout requirements will be applied to both the 700 and the 2500 MHz bands, as in previous auctions, requiring between 20- and 50-percent population coverage, depending on the region, within 10 years.
Roaming policies
Roaming allows subscribers to use services from another service provider when travelling outside of the coverage of their service provider's network. In 2008, as part of the government's policies to encourage new competition in the wireless sector, Industry Canada required all carriers to offer roaming, including some provisions that were only available to new entrant service providers. These requirements were put in place for five years and will begin to expire in 2013. In order to support competition and continued access to roaming for customers of new entrants, Industry Canada intends to improve and extend these roaming policies through the following:
Antenna tower sharing
In 2008, Industry Canada also mandated antenna tower and site sharing. This policy was introduced to reduce the proliferation of antenna towers and to facilitate the entry of new competition into the wireless market. In order to further advance these objectives, Industry Canada is proposing changes to improve the current tower sharing policies including:
Stakeholder input will be sought on the proposed changes to roaming and tower sharing policies.
Designating spectrum for public safety
The public safety community has an increasing need for access to mobile broadband applications and has unique requirements for reliable coverage, including in underground areas and within buildings. The Government of Canada is designating spectrum in the 700 MHz band for public safety broadband use. This follows a similar designation in the U.S. and will allow for cross-border interoperability between public safety agencies. Industry Canada also consulted on the possible designation of an additional block for public safety broadband use. A decision on this block will be made following a review of the recent U.S. decision on the matter and further consultation.
4. Conclusion
Canadians have recently benefitted from greater competition, low prices and increased choice in wireless telecommunications services. This has been the result of factors including measures introduced by the government in 2008 to support the entry of new competitors. The measures announced today build on these actions, supporting competition and robust investment in the sector and the availability of advanced wireless services in rural areas.
Below are links to relevant documents:
Policy and Technical Framework: Mobile Broadband Services (MBS) - 700 MHz, Broadband Radio Service (BRS) - 2500 MHz Band
Proposed Revisions to the Frameworks for Mandatory Roaming and Antenna Tower and Site Sharing
(1) Price comparison study conducted for the CRTC in April 2011 by Wall Communications Inc. and is based on an average of three monthly usage baskets in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Regina and Vancouver.
(2) Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update 2010-2015.
Contacts:
Richard Walker
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Christian Paradis
Minister of Industry
613-995-9001
Media Relations
Industry Canada
613-943-2502
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Datum: 14.03.2012 - 15:35 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 1092967
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