OTTAWA – Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne has directed his department Monday to launch a consultation to help expedite service in Toronto’s subway system.
The consultation seeks answers to questions addressing how quickly service should be deployed in the underground system, which has long suffered from a lack of service, and making those rules a condition of carriers’ spectrum licences.
ISED is asking for comments on the extent and the time to deploy the network upon reaching commercial terms for access, including providing voice, text and data services.
The department is proposing that 100 per cent of Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) stations be covered within 180 days after the 100-day period of negotiations or arbitration; 80 per cent of tunnels in the system (so there’s coverage between stations) be covered within two years and all of them by three years after the 100-day negotiation or arbitration; and 100 per cent of new stations and 100 per cent of new tunnels be covered within one year of the date those stations and tunnels become operation in the future.
It is also asking about whether it should mandate commercial negotiations be completed within 30 calendar days after a decision on the consultation is made.
Comments are due August 8.
The consultation comes after Rogers in April purchased the company, BAI Communications, that owned the exclusive rights to operate the Toronto Transit Commission’s mobile wireless network. At the time only Freedom, now owned by Quebecor, struck an agreement to connect to it.
Bell and Telus have contended that the ownership of Toronto’s wireless network should be joint-owned. Rogers has said it will work with its competitors to provide access.
Rogers said that it was beefing up the network and promised to provide next generation 5G capability to the entire network within two years.
