Montreal 5G pilot project coming, Rogers wants in

Rogers Communications Inc. is lobbying the City of Montreal to be involved in the city’s 5G pilot project announced last month, according to provincial lobby records, adding to the acute increase in 5G activity in recent months. The telecom registered to communicate its wish after the June 17 announcement that Montreal would be preparing to start-up a living lab to test 5G technology this summer where a number of antennas will be installed in the downtown area. According to Rogers’ lobby registration, the company is trying to understand the vision and strategy of the city with respect to 5G deployment, and specifically about next steps with respect to the pilot project. “Rogers Communications wishes to be considered as a potential participant in the laboratory project,” the registration said, according to a translation from the French. The project will include a coordination committee with key players and “participation in the development of a 5G urban laboratory in the city center,” the city’s June press release said. The project is partly subsidized by the Quebec Union of Municipalities and will allow high-tech startups and other companies to test applications. Antennas will be installed beginning in the fall and the lab will “take shape” in 2020, the Montreal Gazette reported in June. Earlier this month, a public-private partnership between the federal, Ontario and Quebec governments, in partnership with five companies including Ericsson AB and IBM Corp. announced that a wireless network used to allow companies to test 5G technology is now operational. The ENCQOR project was announced last year and received $400 million over five years. The Montreal project will explore collaboration opportunities with ENCQOR, the release noted. The city will also be launching a call for tenders for a consulting firm to “define the optimal business model” for 5G deployment, states the release, translated from French. It’s unclear in what capacity Rogers is looking to participate. In an email, Rogers spokesman Bill Killorn said the company does not have “any updates at this time” in response to a question about whether the company has been able to get involved. The City of Montreal did not respond to questions about whether Rogers has curried favour with the municipality. It’s the latest move by the telecom giant to find its way in 5G initiatives across the country. This month, the company announced an “innovation hub” with Waterloo-based tech establishment Communitech to “accelerate and launch smart city, and enterprise 5G applications.” The hub will open in September, Rogers said. In the same month Montreal announced the pilot, the information technology department in London’s city hall lobbied to approve a two-year pilot project between the city and Rogers, according to a report from the London Free Press. That project would consist of 5G devices mounted on 31 traffic light posts and traffic signals, and if approved, installation could begin this year. The London Free Press report added that Rogers customers would be the only ones benefiting from the pilot, but the city’s agreement would mean other telecoms can approach the city with their own proposals. Rogers was the largest spender earlier this year for 600 MHz spectrum when the government held an auction for the frequencies considered important for 5G. Following the winning bidders announcement, Rogers’ head Joe Natale said on a conference call with analysts that the race to 5G is between countries not other carriers in the country. Rogers is among several telecoms elbowing their way to establishing footholds ahead of 5G’s anticipated rollout, expected next year or beyond. In May, Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron and its partner Ericsson announced a 5G-enabled test site for applications and projects went live in its “open-air” lab in Montreal. That same month, Telus Corp. said it would invest $53 million in its wireless and wireline networks in greater Montreal this year as part of a five-year, $1 billion pledge to the province. As well as helping the city grow as “one of the smartest cities in Canada,” the Vancouver-based company said it wants to pave the way for the arrival of 5G technology across the province. The next-generation networks will dramatically increase wireless speeds and lower latency, and is anticipated to drive services including autonomous cars, health care, virtual reality and smart cities. Currently, however, a battle is ensuing about who should have jurisdiction over city infrastructure. The telecoms have long-complained about the issue, arguing that the utilities companies, regulated by the provinces, are escalating the price to access the poles at unreasonable rates. They argue that a federal body, such as the CRTC, should have jurisdiction over that infrastructure access. Last week, the Ontario government announced its $315-million plan to improve connectivity in the province will include a review of hydro pole attachment rates. Those issues are currently being explored by a government-appointed panel reviewing and recommending changes to Canada’s communications laws. The panel has already commissioned research for the infrastructure impasse. In its submission to the panel, the city of Montreal complained about “limited regulatory authority over the activities of telecommunications companies” and the overall lack of regulation for the deployment of telecommunications on passive infrastructure. Still, certain spectrum considered important for 5G has yet to be auctioned off. The federal government announced early last month the details of how the government would sell the 3.5 GHz spectrum, which will be sold at an auction next year. — With reporting by Ahmad Hathout at ahathout@thewirereport.ca and editing by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca

Montreal 5G pilot project coming, Rogers wants in

News | July 30, 2019

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Montreal 5G pilot project coming, Rogers wants in

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