Industry Canada to facilitate commercial digital roaming in rural and remote areas

Industry Canada wants to facilitate the development of commercial roaming agreements between the four national wireless operators’ digital networks and those of operators in rural and remote Canada, hoping to open the door to greater penetration of digital wireless services in unserved and under-served regions of Canada. Industry Canada launched the process in DGTP-007-03, the notice regarding the licensing of 3G spectrum (see related article in this issue). The process launch comes as several rural wireless operators ask the department for help. Industry Canada agrees and believes that mandating digital roaming would be in the public interest. The department is seeking comment on whether there should be preferential roaming arrangements between small rural carriers and national and regional PCS companies and what mechanisms should be used to implement the proposal. Small operators such as TBayTel Mobility and NorthernTel Mobility are now offering limited digital coverage in addition to cellular services in their operating territories. TBayTel was licensed to foster the expansion of analog cellular services to unserved and under-served areas of the country in 1998 (RoW, Nov. 9/98). Industry Canada suggests that roaming agreements can be established in both the 800 MHz and 2 GHz bands. But in both cases the department notes that roaming agreements would only be allowed in cases where the rural carriers do not compete with the national PCS players in their network serving territories. Canada’s spectrum regulator is also clear that while it is important to integrate rural wireless networks into the national telecommunications infrastructure, it won’t let these particular roaming agreements distort competition in urban centres. "New rural carriers, that do not compete in any area with national cellular or PCS carriers, warrant special consideration in reaching digital roaming agreements to assist the integration of their services with other national or regional telecommunications systems. Permitting non-competing operators to enter into preferential digital roaming arrangements with established national and regional carriers, may be justified due to their unique situation and the public interest, in view of the objectives of the Telecommunications Act," the department writes. Industry Canada is considering several mechanisms to facilitate the development of roaming between rural and national and regional PCS players, and proposes either new roaming rules for non-competitive services, or new conditions of licence for existing players. Canada’s national PCS players have already expressed concern about RP-019 as it relates to the proposed fee structure, the department is considering under DGRB-004-02 (RoW, March 31/03). Telus Mobility wrote in its initial March 14 comments that RP-019 is inconsistent with the proposed fee regime and if it were to be adopted, the policy would have to be rescinded.

Industry Canada to facilitate commercial digital roaming in rural and remote areas

News | October 21, 2003

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