TORONTO – If there’s one thing on which all Canadian wireless players agree, it’s that more wireless spectrum is needed and needed right now.
Speaking at the Canadian Telecom Summit here on Wednesday afternoon, three wireless carriers, one public safety agency and one major technology supplier all said demand for mobile spectrum is far outstripping supply. Despite continued complaints by smaller carriers that the larger providers are hoarding unused spectrum and differences over set-aside rules, they all urged the federal government to release fresh swaths of spectrum as quickly as possible over the next couple of years.
Bruce Rodin, vice president of wireless technology for Bell Canada, said his company needs both more capacity and more coverage bands to offer expanded LTE service across the nation. He said these twin needs are driving Bell’s interest in the 700 MHz spectrum, which Industry Canada will likely auction off to bidders early next year. He cited such expected LTE deployment benefits as greater spectral efficiency, higher data speeds, larger channel sizes and the recycling of spectrum from legacy bands.
Jim Nikopoulous, vice president of corporate development and general counsel for TeraGo Networks, said his company could use additional spectrum to support the broadband and backhaul needs of the small-to-midsized businesses (SMBs) and wireless carriers that it serves. He called for Industry Canada to create a 10-year blueprint for releasing spectrum, greater enforcement of spectrum implementation conditions to prevent hoarding and structured spectrum fees to reward carriers that are actually using their allocated bands, among other things.
“We’re extremely happy there are new entrants in the market,” said Nikopoulous, whose company provides backhaul services to all three new carriers. “There is a lot of spectrum out there in the hands of the Big Three…. We’d like to see a level playing field.”
Allison Lenehan, chief strategy officer for satellite and wireless broadband company Xplornet Communications, said his company needs more spectrum to serve its rural base of consumers and businesses. He urged Ottawa to revise the auction rules so that providers can bid on rural spectrum separate from urban spectrum.
“There’s no cost-effective access to rural spectrum because urban and rural areas are bundled together in licenses now,” he said. “Spectrum allocation is a tremendous balancing act. But the current framework is biased against rural providers, particularly fixed wireless providers serving homes and businesses.”
Michael Sullivan, division chief for Ottawa Fire Service, said his agency is in the much-envied position of already possessing 10 MHz of 700 MHz spectrum, with another 10 MHz still in the works. But, he said, Ottawa Fire will need to share that spectrum with commercial wireless partners because it doesn’t have the funding to build the network infrastructure itself.
“There is no pot at the end of the rainbow,” he said. “There is no money in public safety. There’s going to have to be a partnership, there is no question… We are asking for help to create this system.” Sullivan also noted that even that 20 MHz in precious 700 MHz spectrum may not be enough to meet the department’s needs in a major fire emergency. “So there will be spillover into the commercial world,” he said.
Dean Brenner, vice president of government affairs for Qualcomm, said his company sees the need for more wireless spectrum as well. He said Qualcomm, the world’s largest supplier of silicon chips for wireless devices, can’t keep up with the “excessive demand” for new smartphones and other mobile devices.
“We’re supply-constrained for the first time,” he said. He noted that Qualcomm’s foundry partners, who actually produce the chips that the company designs, “don’t have enough capacity to keep up with the demand.”
– Cartt.ca staff
