Ottawa says a new licensing policy will make it easier for small internet service providers and rural, remote and Indigenous communities to access 5G spectrum.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne says the non-competitive local licensing framework will provide a broad range of users, including businesses and industries, with the opportunity to acquire spectrum licences in localized areas across the country.
This will mean users benefit from improved connectivity in areas as small as a single farm, factory, university campus or shopping centre.
Ottawa says a farm could use this spectrum for a private network to bolster automated operations such as crop tracking or product traceability.
Last June, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada launched a licensing framework consultation with the goal of promoting competition and innovation in the lead-up to a spectrum auction planned for 2024.
ISED says it is working to implement the new framework for users by next year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 3, 2023.
