Canadian telco Rogers Communications has called on authorities to avoid adding restrictions to the auction of spectrum in the 700MHz band, which is due to take place next year.
In the last major auction, the authorities set aside some spectrum for new…
Canadian telco Rogers Communications has called on authorities to avoid adding restrictions to the auction of spectrum in the 700MHz band, which is due to take place next year.
In the last major auction, the authorities set aside some spectrum for new entrants. This effectively stopped the established telcos – Bell, Rogers and Telus – from acquiring that spectrum.
The next auction, which will involve the 700MHz band, is due to take place in late 2012.
In a statement yesterday, Rogers’s president of communications, Rob Bryce, argued in favour of an auction with the same rules for both established and new companies.
He said this would be crucial for Rogers’s development of an LTE network.
“Those who have suggested that companies like Rogers shouldn’t have fair and equal access to this spectrum are misguided,” Bryce said.
He added: “Restrictions on the 700MHz band auction would be unfair to our nine million wireless customers who have every right to access a truly national, robust LTE network in both urban and rural markets.”
He also called on the new industry minister, Christian Paradis, to adopt three principles for the country’s digital strategy: a regulatory regime that promotes investment; more spectrum that is available more quickly; and a “level playing field” for all companies in the market.
Last month, Telus chairman and CEO, Darren Entwistle, made a similar argument, claiming that it was crucial for the government to produce “an equitable solution” in the auction.
He had hinted that it may not expand its LTE network in rural areas unless it won licences in the spectrum auction.
700MHz is a particularly important band for the operators in the large country, because of its strong quality over long distances.
According to a Reuters report yesterday, Christian Paradis has also admitted that the country’s recent election and government reshuffle has delayed the resolution of issues surrounding the spectrum auction, as well as the separate issue of foreign ownership rules.