OTTAWA – Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Government of Canada closed the Canadian Telecom Summit by announcing the consultation on a proposal to triple the licence-exempt spectrum available for Wi-Fi by opening up the 6 GHz band to support greater choice and affordability of wireless broadband for Canadians. This proposal will enable new technologies and innovative licence-exempt applications by increasing speed and capacity, he said.
“Licence-exempt spectrum allows for an affordable deployment of broadband technology,” said Bains in his speech (pictured above). “With more of that type of spectrum available, rural Internet service providers will have more resources to provide broadband services in their areas.
“But these changes would not just benefit rural Canadians. More spectrum for Wi-Fi means Canadians living in densely populated cities can expect a higher quality connection.”
Plus, this will help 5G as well since “the increase in data-hungry apps expected with 5G will require large amounts of spectrum. This increased access to unlicensed spectrum in the 6 GHz band will help meet these demands,” said Bains.
With more spectrum available for Wi-Fi, Canadians can benefit from increased speed and connectivity for working from home, participating in distance education and accessing health care services remotely, too.
“This proposed increase in licence-exempt spectrum is expected to have one other benefit for Canadians: lower prices,” continued the minister. “Because wireless service providers would be able to use the 6 GHz band to off-load commercial traffic, such cost savings could be passed on to consumers in the form of lower prices.”
The launch of the consultation marks the beginning of a 60-day comment period, which will be followed by a 30-day reply period.
The proposal put forth for consultation would align Canada with the United States’ recent decision on the 6 GHz band, allowing for a common North American Wi-Fi ecosystem.
