Cogeco won’t be among bidders for 600 MHz spectrum

Cogeco Inc. isn’t among the list of participants in the 600 MHz auction, released by Innovation Canada Thursday. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire …

Few surprises in 600 MHz auction framework: analysts

Innovation Canada has released its framework for the 600 MHz spectrum auction, now scheduled for March 2019, and it will set aside 43 per cent of spectrum for “regional competitors and potential new market entrants,” according to a Wednesday release. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot …

Don’t allow white space devices above 608 MHz, ISED hears

Innovation Canada (ISED) is hearing from both telecoms and broadcasters that it should go ahead with its proposal to limit white space devices to bands below 608 MHz, though for very different reasons. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting …

Millimetre wave spectrum set-asides harmful to 5G potential: telcos

The issue of set-asides has resurfaced in replies to a consultation on millimetre wave spectrum (mmWave) for 5G, with telcos suggesting the technology is a new playground in which auction participants of all types are starting from an equal position, therefore making set-asides unnecessary. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in …

Size of 600 MHz set-aside, licence areas points of contention

While much of the debate around the upcoming 600 MHz spectrum auction has centered on implementing spectrum set-asides, issues like imposing a spectrum cap and the size of any set-aside, the ability of small providers to participate, and compensation for TV stations are also being hammered out in the lead-up to the action. This content …

ISED consulting on wireless microphones, white space devices

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) is asking for input on how to deal with both wireless devices that previously used some 600 MHz spectrum and new technology that will be using other portions of those airwaves. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock …

Freedom set to support older iPhones with spectrum rejig, deployment

Shaw Communications Inc. announced Thursday that it would move to redeploy existing spectrum in addition to deploying new spectrum to allow it to support older Apple Inc. iPhones — addressing a shortcoming analysts have pointed to as a limiting factor for the company. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in …

ISED consulting on spectrum strategy for next five years

Innovation Canada is initiating a consultation on its approach to spectrum over the next five years, looking at future technological developments, the kind of spectrum demand they could generate, and how spectrum bands should be released to meet that demand. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot …

Regional players shouldn’t qualify for spectrum set asides: Bell, Rogers

Two of Canada’s largest telecom companies aren’t overly enthusiastic about the government’s proposal to set aside spectrum in the upcoming 600 MHz auction, indicating that the suggested boost for new entrants is being afforded to companies that aren’t all that new. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN …

Quebecor, Shaw to benefit from 600 MHz set-asides: analysts

Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron and Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom Mobile will be the big winners if Innovation Canada goes ahead with its plans to set aside spectrum for smaller players in the upcoming 600 MHz auction, financial analysts said. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all …

ISED mulling set-asides for 600 MHz spectrum

Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada is looking to bolster wireless competition by potentially setting aside spectrum in the 600 MHz auction for a “certain sub-set of entities,” it said in a consultation document released Friday. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the …

ISED to consult on 5G, 600 MHz process to launch in ‘weeks’

TORONTO — Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains said Monday the government would launch a public consultation on “releasing spectrum to support the development and deployment of 5G mobile networks.” This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take …

Bell touts good relationship with PMO: Barclays

BCE Inc. believes the company currently has a “good working relationship” with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), according to a note from Barclays Capital analyst Phillip Huang, written following meetings last week between CEO George Cope and head of investor relations Thane Fotopoulos in New York.

ISED releases timeline, allotments for 600 MHz transition

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has released a schedule and details how it plans to shift the use of 600 MHz spectrum from over-the-air (OTA) television to wireless.

600MHz auction wraps in U.S.

A year after it began, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has completed its incentive auction of 600 MHz spectrum to be repurposed for wireless use.

The auction, which ran March 29, 2016 to March 30, 2017, grossed $19.8 billion for 70 MHz of spectrum, the United States regulator said in a press release Thursday, adding that it was “among the highest grossing auctions every conducted by the FCC.”

Equipment, resources for 600MHz transition available: ISED

Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada (ISED), has responded to concerns about the availability of equipment and manpower that will be needed as Canada and the United States both transition 600 MHz spectrum to wireless use.

600 MHz auction enters final stage in U.S.

The American telecom regulator said it is entering the final stage of its incentive auction for repurposing 600 MHz spectrum for wireless use.

In a statement Wednesday, outgoing Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Tom Wheeler said the auction “has delivered on its ambitious promise” and reaching this stage “means the benefits of the auction are indisputable.”

Auction proceeds as of the end of round three came in at almost $18.3 billion US, according to the FCC website.

Bell asks gov’t for 600 MHz revenue fund for OTA

BCE Inc. is asking the federal government to use part of the proceeds from its upcoming 600 MHz spectrum auction for a revenue fund to support local television.

Compensate broadcasters for 600 MHz transition: RABC

The Radio Advisory Board of Canada (RABC) says broadcasters should be compensated for the cost of changing channels due to the repurposing of 600 MHz spectrum for wireless use.

‘Similar hurdles’ as U.S. possible in 600 MHz auction: Desjardins

The 600 MHz spectrum auction in the United States has again been delayed after bidders failed to meet minimum prices for spectrum, and Canada could see similar problems in its own upcoming auction, Desjardins Capital Markets analyst Maher Yaghi said in a note Friday.

“The [Federal Communications Commission] will thus have to go back to TV channels for a fourth time in order to set new prices for spectrum,” Yaghi wrote.

Infrastructure, spectrum key to competition, lower prices: Bains

OTTAWA — The quality of Canada’s wireless and wireline networks is a “significant strength,” but the country can’t rest on its laurels while others catch up, Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains told attendees of the International Institute of Communications’ (IIC) Canadian conference Thursday morning.

CRTC issues TV licence-renewal outline

The CRTC has issued a “working document” to guide discussion in the upcoming public hearing on the renewal of television licences by large ownership groups.

“The inclusion of specific proposals in the working document should not be seen as an indication that the Commission has made up its mind on any issue or that it prefers one option over another,” the CRTC cautioned in a notice on its website Wednesday.

Quebecor in ‘no rush’ to get rid of 700MHz spectrum: Pruneau

Quebecor Inc.’s chief financial officer Jean-François Pruneau said Thursday the company is content to wait to sell the 700 MHz spectrum it picked up in 2014 and never deployed, given its value continues to grow with time.

Wind hits 1M subscribers in first quarterly report since 2014

On Friday, Shaw Communications Inc. released Wind Mobile’s first quarterly results since it acquired the wireless company earlier this year, which showed revenues of $132 million for the quarter, as the company assured analysts and shareholders on a conference call that its wireless strategy will take off as it launches an LTE network and obtains low-band spectrum in the future.

First round of 600 MHz auction wraps up in U.S.

The first round of an auction in the United States to convert spectrum in the 600 MHz band from TV to wireless use has wrapped up, setting a price of $86.4 billion for 126 MHz of the frequency, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced Wednesday.

But, according to Reuters, the high cost might lead to an additional round of bidding if wireless companies are unwilling to pay the sum.

Ministry was shooting for telecom spending status quo: report

The new government's first financial plan is set to be revealed March 22, but a Treasury Board report tabled this week in the House of Commons gives a glimpse at where the government department handing telecommunications policy was planning to go.

Shaw to keep Wind’s current strategy in place: exec

As it takes ownership of Wind Mobile, Shaw Communications Inc. will continue positioning Wind as a cheaper option compared to the big three national wireless carriers, according to the company’s chief operating officer.

In a wide-ranging phone interview with The Wire Report, Jay Mehr said Shaw plans to keep the same “strategy that Wind has been executing over the course of last year.”

29 local TV stations at risk of closing by 2020: report

A report from independent consultant and lawyer Peter Miller and research company Nordicity says that 50 per cent of Canada’s small- and medium-market local TV stations could close by 2020.

The report, prepared for advocacy group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting and the union Unifor, and submitted by Friends as part of the CRTC’s consultation on community and local television, found that “Canada’s local television heritage is at risk of major cutbacks and station closures.”

As OTA leaves 600 MHz, stations set for ‘difficult transition’: expert

Industry Canada will repurpose the 600 MHz spectrum band for mobile use and collaborate with the United States on the move, which means at least some over-the-air (OTA) television stations will have to find new frequencies if they want to continue broadcasting.

One question is how many of those stations will actually make the switch, Gregory Taylor, an assistant professor of mass communications at the University of Calgary, said in a phone interview.