Spectrum auction must help promote competition, PIAC tells government

OTTAWA – Encouraging competition in Canada’s wireless industry should be top of mind during future spectrum auctions, according to the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC).The consumer group said that its comments come in response to some telco incumbents requests to Industry Canada to drop the practice of reserving spectrum for new entrants during the auction of spectrum in 2500 MHz band. Noting that “the Big Three” currently hold the rights to 85% of the total available spectrum, and that Bell, Rogers and their joint affiliate Inukshuk own nearly two thirds of the 2500 MHz spectrum, PIAC said that Industry Canada must continue to...