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. “I was in India last week and I’ve traveled to China and other jurisdictions. They are making significant investments in their infrastructure. We cannot afford to rest on our current success,” Bains said during a speech at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa. “We need to start planning and building networks that are 10 times faster than the current standard. We should be thinking not in terms of megabits, but in terms of gigabits.” Speaking to reporters following his remarks, Bains noted that further investment from the industry would be a key component of future economic success, as well as a key driver of competition. “It’s really critical we demonstrate the importance of investments because the returns are so essential for our economy. And so we’ve been very clear these investments are not only good for the consumer, but they’re good for businesses, for our cities, they’re good for rural and remote communities,” Bains said. “And if we want to have a thriving telecommunications sector, if we want to have a thriving digital economy, investments are essential.” In response to a question from an audience member, Bains also said the government is banking on these infrastructure investments as well as the drive to push out more spectrum will boost competition. “The idea is, as we do that we want to make sure that also translates into success for the consumer, so it’s about again, making sure that drives the prices down. We do recognize that is a serious issue — we hear that at the doors, I get it a lot from consumer groups as well,” he said. These investments are also necessary to close the digital divide that exists not just between urban and rural communities, but also between different socio-economic brackets, Bains said, adding that closing that divide is going to require co-operation between both the public and private sector. On Wednesday evening, Innovation, Science and Economic Development deputy minister John Knubley told a Senate committee the upcoming $500-million rural broadband program would be targeted towards indigenous and isolated rural communities. But, Bains said Thursday, that doesn’t mean that it’s up to the private sector alone to address the remaining areas of concern. “I think it’s a partnership. Even in the rural parts we recognize the government can’t go in alone,” he said. “We’re willing to do our fair share, we’re willing to be part of the solution, but we do need the support of industry as well.” In keeping with other speeches he’s given over the past few months, Bains focused heavily on the government’s development of its Innovation Agenda, saying that during the consultation process, three priorities have emerged — people, emerging technologies and companies. The use and distribution of spectrum is going to play a major role, especially in the face of smart cities and the Internet of Things (Iot), the minister said. “The right spectrum for the right application at the right time is also key to wireless innovation,” Bains said during his remarks, adding that the government is using an “innovative and evidence-based approach” to spectrum management. “We will be conducting foundational research on new ways to use and manage it,” he said. In addition to the upcoming transition of 600 MHz spectrum from TV to mobile use, Canada needs to capitalize on the emergence of 5G, Bains added. “As I’ve mentioned, countries around the world are really investing in this technology and for us in Canada to really drive our innovation agenda, to really be creating an opportunity to focus on emerging technologies, this is so critical and we’ll work very closely with industry to make sure that we partner with them to get the spectrum out there as soon as we possibly can,” Bains told reporters. However, the minister wouldn’t commit to any special considerations for new entrants, like the previous government gave, to help introduce a fourth wireless player to the market. “We really believe in competition, choice and availability of service and we’ve been very clear more competition is good for the consumer,” Bains said. “So those kinds of dynamics will be determined in the coming months, but clearly we want to see more competition.” — With reporting by Charelle Evelyn at cevelyn@thewirereport.ca and editing by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca

Infrastructure, spectrum key to competition, lower prices: Bains

News | 11/17/2016 10:16 pm EST

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