Canada will start auction of 3500MHz 5G spectrum

According to foreign media reports, Canada will launch an auction of 3500MHz 5G spectrum, which has been postponed for more than a year due to the impact of the epidemic.

There are no changes to the auction rules, and a total of 1,506 licenses will be available for bidding. Smaller operators are participating in the auction, and they complain that the recent regulatory rulings benefit the country's three major telecommunications companies-BCE, Telus and Rogers Communications, which together control about 90% of the market. At the same time, Canadian mobile and Internet consumers have complained for years that their bills are the most expensive in the world.

The last auction of 600 MHz  spectrum raised 3.5 billion Canadian dollars (28.7  billion US dollars). This round of auctions will have 23 companies bidding, including  Cogeco , Videotron . Legislators and analysts warned that if acquisitions continue, market concentration will increase.

It is understood that there is no scheduled end date for the auction, although the department responsible for the spectrum auction said it will announce the winner within five days after the bid is completed.

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