ISED’s proposed framework identifies six bands that could be repurposed as it seeks to boost mobile coverage and competition in unconnected areas
Canada proposes direct-to-device satellite connectivity in mobile spectrum bands
On 17 June 2024, the Canadian Government released a consultation on a new spectrum policy intended to be a first step towards enabling operators to use their commercial spectrum to expand mobile services via satellite. The consultation outlines the proposed licensing and technical framework for supplemental mobile coverage via satellite (SMCS). In launching the consultation with a promise of improved mobile coverage, Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada cited figures from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), which describe a persistent coverage gap for rural, remote and Indigenous households, as well as along about 12%, or 14,036km, of major roads and highways. The consultation will remain open until 13 September 2024.
The satellite framework seeks to advance a range of policy objectives including network resilience, competition and coverage
ISED identified a number of recent policy precedents for its proposed satellite strategy, including the Spectrum Policy Framework for Canada, the Canadian Digital Charter, the Connectivity Strategy and the Telecommunications Reliability Agenda. The policy objectives for the SMCS strategy are unsurprisingly linked to these broader efforts to improve digital capacity and accessibility across the country, focusing on:
Expanding mobile services in unserved and underserved areas, including rural, remote and Indigenous communities;
Promoting competition in the provision of mobile services so that consumers and businesses benefit from greater choice and competitive prices;
Supporting increased reliability and resiliency of telecoms services; and
Fostering investment and the evolution of mobile networks by enabling the development of innovative and emerging applications.
In further context for the consultation, ISED cites technological advances towards direct-to-device connectivity using spectrum allocated for mobile, effectively expanding existent network coverage, as opposed to relying on spectrum allocated specifically for satellite use. The Government also points to similar considerations for flexibility in spectrum assigned for mobile use being made in Australia, Brazil, the UK and the US in recent years as evidence of the timeliness and relevance of updating Canadian spectrum policy now.
The Government is seeking further feedback on potential issues related to geographic coverage in the spectrum identified
ISED proposes initial six spectrum bands to include in the SMCS framework: 600MHz, 700MHz, 80MHz, Personal communications systems band (1.8GHz and 1.9GHz) and Advanced wireless services bands 1 and 3 (1.7GHz and 2.1GHz). To identify these bands, the Government considered a range of factors, including:
Regional and international harmonisation;
Stakeholder (commercial) interest;
Benefit to Canadians, especially in the form of quicker deployment;
Minimising potential interference; and
Balancing technological neutrality against industry trends.
The Government is also particularly interested in feedback from stakeholders on issues related to the service area size or geographic coverage of different existing spectrum allocations and whether multiple network operators holding the same spectrum block in different service areas would pose problems for SMCS.
