Industry Canada sets mandated roaming and tower sharing rules

Industry Canada will not force new entrant wireless carriers to build a set portion of their network before requiring incumbent mobile operators to negotiate mandated roaming agreements. The department put in place new mandated roaming and antenna tower sharing rules as part of the upcoming advanced wireless services (AWS) spectrum auction, scheduled to begin in late May. The new regulations mean new mobile service providers will be able to offer national roaming to their subscribers even if they've only deployed minimal wireless network infrastructure. Report on Wireless asked Industry Canada for clarification regarding this aspect of the new mandated roaming rules as set out in a document issued last week. In that document, the department noted that roaming doesn't include resale, meaning that a new entrant has to have at least a portion of its network operating before it can offer roaming. But Industry Canada didn't specify how big the network had to be or how many people in the operating territory had to be covered by the new entrant's network before roaming could be offered. Below is the question from RoW and the answer from the department. RoW: In essence a new entrant can put up two cell phone towers and say it has a network and take advantage of mandated roaming. This may not represent the spirit of mandated roaming, but is this a correct assessment of what could happen under the current mandated roaming rules? Industry Canada: Industry Canada does not stipulate the size of the home network as networks come in all sizes based on the geographic area to be covered. Also, mandated in-territory roaming is to assist new entrants as they are building their networks. We note that mandatory in-territory roaming is time limited. Also, network build will be considered at the time of licence renewal. Simply said, a roamer must have an activated device before they can use it outside their home area. New regulations on roaming and tower sharing are just two aspects of Industry Canada's approach to an AWS spectrum auction it says is designed to stimulate more competition in the Canadian wireless sector. The department also set aside 40 MHz of spectrum for new entrants. RoW will have reaction to the rules later this week.

Industry Canada sets mandated roaming and tower sharing rules

News | March 4, 2008

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