Canada looking to move away from spectrum auctions: official

As spectrum demand continues to increase in Canada and across the globe, the federal government is planning to transition away from the auctioning process that has historically guided the distribution of spectrum licences. Speaking at the 6G Global Summit in Ottawa, Chris Padfield, a senior assistant deputy minister at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), said growing reliance on telecommunications and new capabilities from emerging technologies has prompted the government to reconsider how various spectrum bands are allotted. “We're aware of the ongoing demand for more spectrum,” said Padfield during a keynote address on Thursday. “Demand from all corners is increasing and the resource remains finite.” “As we look forward with 6G, we continue to look to sharing and mixing of licence processes, rather than full band-clearing and auctions of the past.” 6G refers to the next generation of technology, which some experts think could help combine terrestrial and satellite networks to create ubiquitous coverage in Canada and beyond. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which counts 194 members, including Canada, released a definition of 6G in 2023, along with several “usage scenarios,” emphasizing AI-powered applications, expanded use of the ‘Internet of Things,’ and eliminating the digital divide in rural and remote areas. Industry leaders generally believe 6G technologies won’t be available for commercial deployment until the 2030s. “Our government is committed to continued collaboration with industry and undertaking to develop and deploy the networks of tomorrow that are going to be reliable and resilient,” Padfield told attendees at the National Arts Centre. “We're committing to supporting our industry's need for 5G technologies now, and we're making it possible for them to benefit from the transformational advancements of 6G promises in the future.” Dating back to 1999, Canada has held auctions to determine who holds spectrum licences, with large telcos often paying hundreds of millions for prime frequency bands. Guidelines for these auctions were published in the government’s most recent five-year spectrum policy outlook, released in 2023. Last week, Ottawa announced ISED will open up millimetre wave spectrum in the 26 gigahertz (GHz) and 38 GHz bands via an auction scheduled for October 2027. ISED has been working for nearly a decade on how to facilitate spectrum sharing, which would allow multiple operators to use the same frequency band, as opposed to reserving a full band for a specific entity, therefore maximizing spectrum efficiency. In 2018, ISED wrote that spectrum sharing will be “a key enabler for meeting the anticipated high demand for spectrum.” Spectrum, which enables all wireless communications, including mobile and satellite service, is finite, meaning it is not possible to create additional spectrum. Some industry groups have raised concerns about future spectrum “bottlenecks,” if the resource is not efficiently distributed. Padfield did not provide an exact timeline for transitioning away from spectrum auctions, though Canada’s spectrum policy outlook is set to be renewed after 2027. “We’re following the international discussions of spectrum for 6G as we’re nearing the end of our current spectrum outlook and considering priorities over the next five years,” he said. “Things are evolving quickly, and we continue to work with the ITU to develop harmonized international rules for terrestrial and satellite services.” Ottawa is hosting the fifth edition of the 6G Global Summit, which is being held in cooperation with ISED, marking the first time the event has been held in the Americas. The summit’s organizers have said 250 people are expected to participate in-person during the two-day event, while an additional 600 registrants from more than 60 different countries are joining virtually. The conference is set to conclude on Friday. dlegree@thewirereport.ca

Canada looking to move away from spectrum auctions: official

Regulatory |
By Davis Legree
|May 21, 2026

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