Spectrum Outlook 2018 to 2022 - Language selection · Spectrum Outlook 2018 to 2022 SLPB-003-18 1...

SPECTRUM2018-2022

SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Innovation, Science andEconomic Development Canada

Innovation, Sciences etDéveloppement économique Canada

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Contents

1. Intent............................................................................................................................................................1

2. Policyobjectives...........................................................................................................................................1

3. Aprincipledapproachtoreleasingspectrum...............................................................................................2

4. Scope............................................................................................................................................................4

5. Licensing.......................................................................................................................................................45.1 Facilitatingservicesforruralandremotecommunities..................................................................55.2 Antennasitesandstructures...........................................................................................................65.3 Licensingapproachesfor5Gservices..............................................................................................7

6. Demand........................................................................................................................................................86.1 Overalldemandfordata..................................................................................................................86.2 Commercialmobileservices............................................................................................................96.3 Licence-exempt..............................................................................................................................106.4 Satellite..........................................................................................................................................126.5 Backhaul........................................................................................................................................15

7. Technology.................................................................................................................................................17

8. Frequencybandsforfuturerelease...........................................................................................................198.1 Low-bandspectrum.......................................................................................................................218.2 Mid-bandspectrum.......................................................................................................................238.3 High-bandspectrum......................................................................................................................328.4 Otherfrequencybands..................................................................................................................408.5. Priorityandtimingofspectrumreleasesfor2018to2022...........................................................41

9. Obtainingcopies.........................................................................................................................................43

SpectrumOutlook2018to2022 SLPB-003-18

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1.Intent

Innovation,ScienceandEconomicDevelopmentCanada(ISED)recognizesthatrapidgrowthofinnovativetechnologiesandservicesisdrivingthedigitizationandautomationofeverysectoroftheeconomy.InsupportofCanada’sInnovationandSkillsPlan,andwithafocusonensuringthatCanadiansbenefitfromworld-classnetworksandadvancementsinnewdigitaltechnologiesandservices,ISEDacknowledgesthatasthedemandfordigitalconnectivitygrowssowillthedemandforspectrum.Throughthereleaseofthisdocument(hereinafterreferredtoastheSpectrumOutlook),ISED,onbehalfoftheMinisterofInnovation,ScienceandEconomicDevelopment,outlinesitsoverallapproachandplanningactivitiesrelatedtothereleaseofspectrumforcommercialmobileservices,licence-exemptapplications,satelliteservicesandwirelessbackhaulservicesovertheyears2018to2022,resultingfromtheconsultationprocessSLPB-006-17,ConsultationontheSpectrumOutlook2018to2022(hereinafterreferredtoastheOutlookConsultation).AllcommentsandreplycommentsreceivedfortheOutlookConsultationareavailableonISED'swebsite.Commentsand/orreplycommentswerereceivedfromBellMobilityInc.(Bell),theBritishColumbiaBroadbandAssociation(BCBA),CanadianCableSystemsAlliance/IndependentTelecommunicationsProvidersAssociation(CCSA/ITPA),CanadianElectricityAssociation(CEA),CanadianAssociationoftheWirelessInternetServiceProviders(CanWISP),CapeBretonRegionalMunicipality,CBC/Radio-Canada(CBC),Cisco,CorridorCommunicationsInc.(CCI),CogecoCommunicationsInc.(Cogeco),CanadianWirelessTelecommunicationsAssociation(CWTA),Decawave,Dr.GregoryTaylor,DynamicSpectrumAlliance(DSA),EasternOntarioWardens’Caucus(EOWC)andEasternOntarioRegionalNetwork(EORN),EricssonCanadaInc.(Ericsson),Facebook,FireServiceAssociationofNovaScotia,FONTURInternational(FONTUR),GlobalMobileSuppliersAssociation(GSA),HuaweiTechnologiesCanadaCo.(HuaweiCanada),HughesCanada,IntelsatCorporation(Intelsat),IridiumSatelliteCanadaLtd.(Iridium),Medtronic,MichaelB.McNally,MicrosoftCorporation(Microsoft),MotorolaSolutions(Motorola),MunicipalityoftheCountyofCumberland,MunicipalityoftheCountyofAntigonish,MunicipalityoftheCountyofColchester,MunicipalityoftheCountyofRichmond,MunicipalityoftheCountyofVictoria,Nokia,QualcommIncorporated(Qualcomm),QuébecorMédiaInc.(Québecor),RadioAdvisoryBoardofCanada(RABC),RogersCommunicationsCanadaInc.(Rogers),SaskatchewanTelecommunications(SaskTel),SatelliteOperatorsCoalition,SeasideWirelessCommunications(SeasideWireless),SES,ShawCommunicationsInc.(Shaw),SogetelMobilitéInc.(Sogetel),SprintCorporation(Sprint),TelesatCanada(Telesat),TelradNetworks(Telrad),TELUSCommunicationsInc.(TELUS),TeraGoNetworksInc.(TeraGo),TerreStarSolutionsInc.(TerreStar),Wi-FiAllianceandXplornetCommunicationsInc.(Xplornet).

2.Policyobjectives

Theradiofrequencyspectrumisaunique,finiteresourcethatisanintegralcomponentofCanada’stelecommunicationsinfrastructure.Itprovidesaccesstoabroadrangeofprivate,commercial,consumer,defence,nationalsecurity,scientificandpublicsafetyapplicationsandservicesthatbenefitallCanadians.TheMinisterofInnovation,ScienceandEconomicDevelopment,throughtheDepartmentofIndustryAct,theRadiocommunicationActandtheRadiocommunicationRegulations,withdueregardtotheobjectivesoftheTelecommunicationsAct,isresponsibleforspectrummanagementin


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Canada.Assuch,theMinisterisresponsiblefordevelopinggoalsandnationalpoliciesforspectrumutilizationandforensuringtheeffectivemanagementoftheradiofrequencyspectrumresource.

ISEDiscommittedtodeliveringonCanada’sInnovationandSkillsPlanbyensuringthatCanadahasaworld-classtelecommunicationsinfrastructureandthatCanadianconsumers,businessesandpublicinstitutionscontinuetobenefitfromadvancedwirelesstelecommunicationsservicesandapplications.ArobustwirelesstelecommunicationsindustrydrivestheadoptionanduseofdigitaltechnologiesandenhancestheproductivityandcompetitivenessoftheCanadiandigitaleconomy.ISEDisfocusedonthethreepillarsthatmattertoCanadianfamiliesandbusinesses:

§ Quality:fasterandhigherqualitynetworkstodowhatCanadiansneedthemtodo§ Coverage:bettercoverageandreliableservicesavailabletoCanadiansnomatterwheretheyliveandwork§ Prices:affordablepricesandmorechoiceinservices

Wirelesstechnologiesplayanessentialroleinalmostallaspectsofcontemporarylife–theyarereshapingthewaypeopleliveandwork.Withtherapidandongoingpaceofadvancementinthesetechnologies,ISED’schallengeistoprepareforthefuturewhilecontinuingtosupporttheservicesthatCanadiansdependontoday.Inthenearterm,5thgeneration(5G)technologyisexpectedtosupporttheexpansionofnewwirelessapplicationsintoverticalmarketsegmentsincludingagriculture,manufacturing,healthcare,publicsafetyandtransport,whichwillhelpfostergrowthandcompetitionintheCanadianeconomy.AccordingtotheGSMAreportTheMobileEconomy2018,early5Gcommerciallaunchesareexpectedin2019and2020.Thefirstwaveof5Gdeploymentswillfocusonachievingmuchhigherdatarates,improvedconnectivityandhighersystemcapacitycomparedtoexisting4Gnetworks.Additionaladvanced5Gfeatures,suchasultra-reliablelowlatency,massivemachine-to-machinecommunicationandnetworkslicing,areexpectedtostarttobedeployedcommerciallyinlate2020orearly2021oncethestandardsarecompletedinlate2019.Theseadvanced5Gfeatureswillbeusedbyindustriesintheverticalmarkets.ISEDexpectsthattheavailabilityofequipmentforthese5Gverticalmarketsisdemanddrivenandwillbedeterminedinpartbythebusinesscasesandinvestmentplansthatarestillmaturing.Initsreport,GSMAforecastedthat49%ofmobileconnectionsinNorthAmericawillbe5Gby2025.Thislevelofconnectivitywillrequireamixofservicesandspectrumtoreachitsfullpotential:mobileandfixedwirelessaccess(FWA)toconnectconsumersandmachines,backhaulandsatellitetoprovideconnectivitytotheInternet,andlicence-exemptapplicationstoprovideextracapacityandthesupporttheInternetofThings(IoT).ThatiswhyISEDisplanningtoreleaseavarietyoflow,midandhighbandspectrumoverthenextseveralyears,ensuringthattherightspectrumisavailableattherighttimetosupportservicesthatwillbenefitCanadians.AllCanadiansshouldbenefitfromthecontinuedevolutionofwirelesscommunicationswithinaninnovativeandcompetitivemarket.Tothatend,inadditiontothereleaseofspectrum,ISEDisplanningtoreviewsomeelementsofitslicensingregimeandtechnicalrulestofacilitatetheintroductionofthesenewtechnologiesandapplicationsgoingforward.ThisSpectrumOutlooksupportsthedevelopmentofandinvestmentinCanada’sdigitaleconomyandtheobjectivesoftheInnovationandSkillsPlanbyprovidingstakeholderswithatransparentandpredictableroadmapofISED’sapproachtoensuringthatappropriatespectrumresourcesareavailabletomeetfuturedemand.

3. Aprincipledapproachtoreleasingspectrum

Indevelopingpoliciesandlicensingframeworkstomakeadditionalspectrumavailable,theMinisterisguidedbythepolicyobjectivesoftheTelecommunicationsAct,andtheSpectrumPolicyFrameworkforCanada(SPFC),whichseekstomaximizetheeconomicandsocialbenefitsthatCanadiansderivefromtheuseoftheradiofrequencyspectrumresource.These


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objectives,andtheenablingguidelineslistedintheSPFC,continuetoberelevantforguidingtheMinisterindeliveringtheirmandateofspectrummanagement.SpectrumisacriticalresourceforthetelecommunicationsindustryandforprovidingavarietyofservicestoCanadians.ISEDrecognizestheimportanceofrelyingonmarketforcesinspectrummanagement,tothemaximumextentfeasible.However,therewillalsobeaneedtomakespectrumavailableforarangeofservicesthatareinthepublicinterest,butmaynotbedrivenbymarketforces.Inparticular,spectrumwillcontinuetobemadeavailabletomeetrequirementsforsovereignty,securityandpublicsafety.ISEDalsorecognizestheimpactofmarketconditionsandcompetition,andwillconsidertheseissuesindevelopingitsapproachtospectrummanagement.Keyelementstoconsiderwhenreleasingspectrumincludethetimelinessofspectrumreleasestoensuretheyarealignedwithandreflectiveoftrendsinspectrumusage,demandandtechnology,maximizingtheuseofspectrum,andfosteringinnovation.Inordertosupporttheefficientfunctioningofmarkets,andtoberesponsivetochangingtechnologyandmarketplacedemands,spectrumshouldbemadeavailableinCanadatokeeppacewithinternationalmarketsandglobaltechnologydevelopment.Releasingtherightspectrumattherighttime,inparticularwhenthereisanexpectedradioequipmentecosystemorwhenitisclearthattherewillbeglobalstandards,allowsCanadianstobenefitfromaccesstonextgenerationsmartphonesanddevicesthatarecompetitivelypricedduetotheeconomiesofscalethatarerealizedwhenmanufacturersmakeequipmentformanymarkets.Wirelesstechnologyandnetworkscontinuetoevolvetoprovidebetterservicesandmoresophisticatedapplicationsacrossallsectors.Therefore,insupportoftheInnovationandSkillsPlan,thelong-termevolutionofhigh-qualityservicesandtechnologiesshouldbetakenintoaccountwhenreleasingadditionalspectrum.Furthermore,theprocessformakingspectrumavailableshouldbeopen,transparentandreasonedtopromotepredictabilityandthereforebusinessandinvestmentcertaintyforstakeholders.Assuch,ISED,onbehalfoftheMinister,hasandwillcontinuetoconductpublicconsultationswhenmakingchangestospectrumallocationsorwhenreleasingadditionalspectrum.Theseconsultationsofferstakeholders,includingserviceproviders,manufacturers,interestgroupsandCanadians,anopportunitytoprovidevaluableinputintotheregulatoryprocess.ConsultationsallowISEDtotakeintoconsiderationtheviewsandperspectivesofdifferentstakeholders,andtovalidateitsassumptionsandinformationonthestateoftheindustry,initsdecision-makingprocess.Asthespectrumresourceisinlimitedsupply,ISEDseekstomaximizetheuseofthespectrum.Asdemandforspectrumincreases,traditionalservicesarecompetingwithnewservicestousethesamespectrum.Today,ISEDoftenchoosestomoveexistingservicestoanotherbandtofreeupspectrumfornewuses.Inthefuture,thisapproachwillnotalwaysbepossiblegiventheextenttowhichspectrumisalreadybeingused.However,newtechnologiesandtechniques(e.g.cognitiveradio,dynamicspectrumaccess,smartantennas,andradioresourcemanagementtechniques)arebeingdevelopedthatwillchangethewayspectrumisaccessedthroughintelligentdecision-makingsolutionsandgeographic/operationalawarenessoftheradioenvironment.Thesetechnologiesandtechniquesprovidenewopportunitiesforoptimizingtheuseofspectrumandpromisetomakeitincreasinglyfeasibletosharespectrumbetweenmultipledifferentservices.ISEDwilltakeintoaccountnewapproachesandtheimpactofnewtechnologywhenassessingthepotentialchangestospectrumallocationsandwhenprioritizingspectrumreleases.


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4.Scope

ThepurposeofthisSpectrumOutlookistoprovidestakeholderswithanoverviewofISED’soverallapproachandplannedactivitiesrelatedtomeetingtheexpecteddemandforcommercialmobileservices,licence-exemptapplications,satelliteservicesandwirelessbackhaulservicesoverthenextfiveyears.ItoutlinesISED’splanstoaddressissuesrelatedtoaccesstospectrumandenablingnewtechnologies,andtomakeresourcesavailabletosupporttelecommunicationsservicesandapplicationsthatareexpectedtorequireneworadditionalspectruminthecomingyears.TheSpectrumOutlookisintendedtoreflectISED’scurrentdirectionandeffortstoprovideadditionalnecessaryspectrumforcommercialmobileservices,licence-exemptapplications,satelliteservicesandbackhaulapplications.Assuch,itmaybeupdatedfromtimetotimeinordertoreflectchangingpriorities,significanttechnologicalchangesorinternationaldevelopments.Whenmakingchangestospectrumallocationsorreleasingadditionalspectrum,ISEDhasheldandwillcontinuetoholdpublicconsultations.IntheirsubmissionsaspartoftheOutlookConsultationprocess,manystakeholdersexpressedviewspertainingtothepolicyandlicensingframeworksforpotentialfuturespectrumreleases.ThesecommentsmaybediscussedingeneraltermsinthisSpectrumOutlook;however,ISEDwillhaveseparateandcomprehensiveconsultationsbeforemakinganyspecificdecisionswithrespecttoanychangestotheuseofthefrequencybandsdiscussedinthisdocument.Stakeholdersareencouragedtoparticipateinthoseconsultations.ISEDregularlymonitorstrends,bothwithinCanadaandinternationally,inspectrumusageanddemand,technology,andmarketsinordertomakedecisionsregardingthereleaseofadditionalspectrum,orthereallocationofspectrumtonewuses.IntheOutlookConsultation,ISEDdiscusseditsassessmentsofthesetrends,andsoughtcommentsandotherinformationfromstakeholderstobetterinformtheplanningoffutureactivitiesandpriorities.ISEDhastakenintoconsiderationsubmissionsfromstakeholders,aswellasotherdevelopmentssincethepublicationoftheOutlookConsultation,toproducetheupdatedassessmentsthatcontributetotheapproachoutlinedinthisSpectrumOutlook.Sections1through4outlinetheintent,policyobjectives,principlesforspectrumrelease,andscopeofthisSpectrumOutlook.Section5addressesissuesrelatedtolicensingandaccesstospectrum.Section6providesasummaryofthediscussionregardingtheexpecteddemandforallservicesandpresentsISED’sobjectivesforeachserviceorapplication.Section7addressesissuesrelatedtotechnology.Takingintoaccounttheissues,assessments,andobjectivesdiscussedpreviously,section8laysoutISED’splansforspectrumreleasesintheperiod2018-2022.

5.Licensing

Asthespectrumresourceisinlimitedsupply,ISEDseekstomaximizetheefficiencyofspectrumuse.Asdemandforspectrumincreases,traditionalservicesarecompetingwithnewservicesforuseofthespectrum.Today,ISEDoftenmovesexistingservicestoanotherbandtofreeupspectrumforotheruses.Inthefuture,thisapproachwillbeincreasinglycomplexgiventheextenttowhichspectrumisalreadybeingused.


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ISEDsoughtcommentsonfuturechangesitshouldexamineregardingtheexistinglicensingregimetobetterplanforinnovativenewtechnologiesandapplicationsthatofferbenefitssuchasimprovedspectrumefficiency.Commentsfocusedonthreebroadareasofthelicensingregimeincluding:

a. ensuringthatthebenefitsofplannedspectrumreleasesextendtobothruralandurbancommunities, includingtheprovisionofaccesstospectrumforregionalcarriers;b. reviewingtheeffectivenessoftheregulatoryregimeasitrelatestoantennasitingandtowersharing, particularlyfor5Gservices;andc. consideringamixoflicensingapproachesforemerging5Gapplicationsandservices.

5.1 Faci l itatingservicesforrural andremotecommunitiesISED’spolicyobjectiveinmanagingspectrumistomaximizetheeconomicandsocialbenefitsthatCanadiansderivefromtheuseoftheradiofrequencyspectrum,includingruralandremoteregions.Inpursuingitspolicyobjective,ISEDiscommittedtoensuringthatCanadianconsumers,businessesandpublicinstitutionscontinuetobenefitfromaccesstohighqualitywirelessnetworksatcompetitivepricesinurbanaswellasruralandremotecommunities.Wirelesstechnology,whetherthroughfixedorsatellitebroadband,isakeycomponentofconnectivityforruralhomesandbusinesses,particularlyinareaswherewirelinesolutionsarenotfeasible.ISEDworkstoensurethatspectrumresourcesareavailableforthevariousservicesthatofferbroadbandconnectivitytoruralCanadians.AnumberofcommentstotheOutlookConsultationhighlightedthechallengesinvolvedinenablingconnectivityforCanadiansandbusinessesinruralandremotecommunities.Summaryof commentsSeveralcomments,suchasthoseofXplornet,SeasideWireless,CanWISP,BCBA,EOWC/EORN,theFireServiceAssociationofNovaScotia,theCapeBretonRegionalMunicipality,theMunicipalityofCumberlandandthemunicipalitiesofthecountiesofAntigonish,Colchester,RichmondandVictoria,underlinedtheneedforspectrumtosupportruralbroadbandservices,particularlyforFWAservices.BCBA,MichaelMcNally,SaskTel,SeasideWireless,Dr.GregoryTaylorandXplornetencouragedISEDtoexaminelicensingapproachesandpoliciestoimprovecoverage,andensurethebenefitsof5GtechnologiesaremadeavailabletoCanadiansinruralareas,inadditiontosuburbanandurbanareas.BCBA,CanWISPandXplornet,forexample,recommendedconsideringdifferentlicensingapproachesforruralandurbanareas,forexample,auctionsinurbanareasandlightlicensinginruralareas.EOWC/EORNandXplornetsuggestedthatlicenceareasbedividedtoensurethatruralandurbanareasareseparate.BCBA,CCSA/ITPA,CanWISP,Cogeco,SeasideWirelessandSogetelencouragedISEDtousesmallerlicenceareas.

Additionalcommentsfocusedontheneedtomakespectrumavailabletoregionalcarriersinterestedinprovidingserviceinruralorremoteareas.Forexample,CanWISP,CogecoandEOWC/EORNsupportedtheuseofpro-competitivemeasuressuchasspectrumset-asidesandaggregationlimits.Additionalcommentsaddressingtheavailabilityofspectrumforruralandremoteservicefocusedondeployment.CCIandEOWC/EORNadvocatedforacceleratedandhigherdeploymentconditions,notingthatISED’spopulation-basedspectrumlicencedeploymentconditionsleadcarrierstodeployfirsttourbanareasandthen,ifatall,toless-populatedruralareas.CanWISP,SeasideWirelessandXplornetfocusedontheneedforISEDtomonitordeploymentconditionsandrequirelicenseestoprovideinformationontheirprovisionofserviceandcompliancewithdeploymentconditions.Somecommentsdiscussedtheuseofsubordinatelicensingtomakespectrumavailabletoregionalcarriers.Forexample,CCI,CCSA,Cogeco,EOWC/EORN,SeasideWirelessandXplornetencouragedISEDtoadopta“useitorloseit”approachtorequirelicenseesthathavenotdeployedtosubordinatetheirspectrum.MichaelMcNallysuggestedthatISEDconsidertheextensionofRP-019,PolicyfortheProvisionofCellularServicesbyNewPartiestootherbands.CogecosuggestedthatISEDshoulddeveloppoliciestofacilitatereassignmentofspectrum,which


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hasbeenlicensedbutnotused,forexamplethroughsubordinationatpre-determinedtariffsorthroughreassignment.CanWISPsuggestedanarbitrationprocessbeavailabletodealwithsubordinatelicensingnegotiations.Discussion ISED’sapproachtospectrumlicensinghasincludedvariousmeasurestoencouragewirelesscoveragetoruralandremoteregions.AnumberofrecentandupcomingspectrumdecisionssuchasSLPB-001-18,SpectrumLicenceRenewalProcessforAdvancedWirelessServices(AWS-1)andOtherSpectruminthe2GHzRangeandSLPB-002-18,Technical,PolicyandLicensingFrameworkforSpectruminthe600MHzBandplaceanemphasisonpromotingruralconnectivitythroughdeploymentrequirementsthatgobeyondthemajorurbanareas.AnotherelementofISED’sapproachtoencouragingwirelesscoveragetoruralandremoteareasismakingspectrumavailableatalowercost.Thisincludesprovidingadditionalspectrumforlicence-exemptusesuchaswhitespacedevices.ISEDalsonotesthebenefitsoflicensingspectrumonasharedbasis(e.g.all-come,all-servedsuchaswirelessbroadbandservice(WBS)in3650MHz),whichallowsaccesstospectrumforallentities,includingsmallproviders,non-profitproviders,andnewprovidersthatmaybeinterestedinalow-costspectrumoptionforbroadbanddeploymentinruralandremoteareas.WiththeanticipatedincreaseddemandforspectrumforthevarietyofusesdescribedintheOutlookConsultation,andthegrowingimportanceofwirelessservicesforCanadiansinallregions,ISEDwilldeveloplicensingpoliciesgivingconsiderationtoencouragingserviceprovisioninruralareastoensurethatCanadiansinallareasofthecountrybenefitfromthelatesttechnologiesincluding5G.Thesepolicieswillbedevelopedinatransparentmannerthroughconsultation.5.2 AntennasitesandstructuresSmallcellantennasarebeingincorporatedintomobilenetworkstoprovidetheincreasedcapacityandcoveragerequiredtomeettheexpectedincreaseindemandfordata.TheseantennasarecurrentlybeingdeployedinCanadatosupport4Gservices,particularlyindenselypopulatedareas.Thedeploymentofsmallcellantennasisexpectedtoacceleratetosupportnew5Gfeaturesandtheassociatedincreaseindemandfordata.Deploymentwillbesignificant,withestimatesthatthenumberofsmallcellswillbetentoonehundredtimesgreaterthanexistingcommercialmobileantennasormacrocells.ISEDfacilitatesarrangementsbetweencarriersandmunicipalitiesregardingantennasitingandpromotestheefficientandeffectiveuseoftowerandantennasitesassetoutinCPC-2-0-03,RadiocommunicationandBroadcastingAntennaSystems,whichbalancestheneedforcarrierstoconsiderlocalimpactswhileensuringthatcarriersareabletodeployantennasystemsrequiredinordertoprovideservicestoCanadians.Inaddition,throughitsCPC-2-0-17,ConditionsofLicenceforMandatoryRoamingandAntennaTowerandSiteSharingandtoProhibitExclusiveSiteArrangements,ISEDfacilitatesaccesstoexistingtowersbyrequiringthatcarriersshareantennatowersandsitesthattheyownandnotenterintoexclusivesitearrangements.Summaryof commentsCommentsonthismatterallexpressedconcernthatnegotiatingandmanagingaccesstopotentiallythousandsofsites,ownedbymunicipalgovernment,utilitycompaniesorotherowners,couldimpedethelarge-scaledeploymentofsmallcellantennas.EricssonurgedISEDtoreviseitscurrentregulationsanddeviseastrategytofacilitatesmallcelldeployment,whereasCWTA,QuébecorandRogersrecommendedthatISEDdevelopanationalframeworkofbestpracticestofacilitatesmallcelldeployment.Québecor,ShawandTELUSwereconcernedabouttheadministrativeburdenoncarriersneedingtoaccessmunicipalinfrastructure,andencouragedISEDtodeveloppoliciestostreamlinethisprocess.BellrecommendedthatISEDinstituteexclusionstoitstower-sitingproceduresforsmallcells.CommentsfromEOWC/EORN,RogersandShaw


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suggestedaneedforISEDtofurtherfacilitateaccesstoantennasupportstructuresownedbyotherentities,particularlycertaintelecommunicationscompaniesandhydroutilities.DiscussionISEDnotestheconcernsraisedbynumerousstakeholdersregardingtheproceduralandadministrativerequirementsofitscurrentantennastructureandsitingframework.Furthermore,ISEDrecognizesthatthereisaneedtosupportthetimelydeploymentofthelargenumberofsmallcellsthatarerequiredtoprovideubiquitoushighcapacitycoverageof5Gsystems.ISEDwillassesstheantennastructureandsitingpolicieswithinitspurviewandconsult,ifrequired,onanyproposedchangestoensureitsregulatoryregimeremainseffectiveinthecontextofthewidedeploymentofsmallcellantennasfor5G.5.3 L icensingapproachesfor5Gservices

5Grepresentsthenextmajoradvancementinmobiletelecommunicationsstandards,enablingmuchhigherdatarates,massivemachine-to-machinecommunication,andultra-reliablelowlatencycommunicationssuchasthoseforemergingIoTapplications.5Gisexpectedtorequireacombinationoflicensedandlicence-exemptspectrumtosupportbothcommercialmobileandIoTdevices.Inaddition,ISEDrecognizesthatmoreflexibleuselicensingwillallowforacombinationofFWA,mobileandbackhaulcomponentstobedeployedaspartof5Gnetworks.Summaryof commentsAnumberofcommentsaddressedtheneedforspectrumtobemadeavailable,inavarietyofways,for5GservicesandIoT.EricssonandtheRABCrecommendedthatmorespectrumbemadeavailableonalicensedbasisforsuchuses.HuaweiCanadafurthersuggestedthatcertaincriticalIoTservicessuchasautonomousvehicles,factoryautomationorhospitalmedicaldevicesbeassignedspecificlicensedspectrumbands.Othercommentsfocusedontheneedforlicence-exemptspectrumtosupportIoTinruralareas,forexample,EOWC/EORNpositedthatagriculturalIoTandautonomousfarmvehicleswouldrequireaccesstolicence-exemptspectrum.Newcategoriesofspectrumusersarealsolikelytoemerge,andCiscoandFONTURnotedthatprivatenetworksandenterpriseuserswouldrequirebandsoflicensedspectrum,availableinsuitablysizedgeographicfootprints,tosupport5GapplicationsandIoT.CommentsfromBell,Sogetel,TELUSandtheWi-FiAlliancenotedthat5GandIoTapplicationswouldrequirelargerspectrumblocks(and,asTELUSobserved,morecontiguousspectrumblocks).EOWC/EORNexpressedconcernthattheallocationofspectruminlargerblockswouldfavourmajorcarriersandincreasethepotentialforspectrumtogounused.Bell,BCBA,Cogeco,CCI,EOWC/EORN,Ericsson,Facebook,HuaweiCanada,Québecor,Rogers,SaskTel,Shaw,TELUS,andXplornetsupportedtheconceptofflexibleuselicensingasameanstomaximizespectralefficiencyandallowoperatorstoprovidedifferenttypesofservices(e.g.FWAandmobile)usingthesamespectrum.Discussion ISEDnotesthecommentsthatweremadewithrespecttotheneedtosupportinnovative5GservicesandthedevelopmentofIoTapplicationsinawaythatencouragesinvestment,isminimallyrestrictive(e.g.flexibleuse)andfacilitatesprovisionoftheseservices.ISEDwilltakeintoconsiderationtechnologyandspectrummanagementdevelopmentswhenconsultingonspectrumreleaseswithaviewtoensuringthatCanadianscontinuetobenefitfromthemostadvancedtechnologyandservices.


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6.Demand

6.1 Overall demandfordata

Thedemandforradiofrequencyspectrumcontinuestoriseasaresultofgrowthinwirelessbroadbandusers,devicesandinnovativeapplications.AccordingtotheCiscoVisualNetworkingIndex(CiscoVNI),1by2021thenumberofdevicesandconnectionsisexpectedtobethreeandahalftimestheworldpopulation,comparedtojustovertwicetheworldpopulationin2016.AnnualglobalInternetprotocol(IP)trafficisexpectedtoreach3.3Zettabytes(ZB)by2021,upfrom1.2ZBin2016.CiscoalsoindicatedthattheproportionofglobalIPtrafficfromWi-Fiandmobiledeviceswillincreasefrom48%in2016to63%by2021.Itisalsoexpectedthatserviceproviderswillfaceincreasedpressuretomeetthedemandforaccesstohigh-speed,bandwidth-intensiveservicesandapplications(e.g.videoandmusicstreaming),withCiscoforecastingthat,globally,averagepercapitamonthlytrafficwillincreaseto35.5Gigabytes(GB)by2021,upfrom12.9GBpercapitain2016.AccordingtotheEricssonMobilityReport,NorthAmericamonthlymobiledatatrafficpersmartphoneisexpectedtoreach48GBbytheendof2023.

Thisoveralldemandfordataisexpectedtoimpactthespectrumrequirementsforservicesorapplicationsthatprovidewirelessdataservices.IntheOutlookConsultation,ISEDmentionedthatthevolumeofdatatobecarriedovervariousnetworksisexpectedtoincreasebetweenthree-andsix-foldby2020andthatthemostsignificantgrowthindemandfordatawillbeforcommercialmobileservices,licence-exemptapplications(largelyWi-Fi),satelliteservicesandbackhaul.Therefore,ISEDhasfocusedonthesefourservicesandapplicationsinconsideringfuturespectrumreleasesfrom2018to2022.

ISEDrecognizesthatthereareseveralvariablesthatimpactspectrumrequirements(e.g.technology,trafficgrowth,networkdesign),andthatthesecanvarysignificantlyfordifferentnetworks,applicationsandservices.Furthermore,trafficgrowthforsomeservicesandapplicationscanimpactthespectrumrequirementsofotherservices(e.g.demandforcommercialmobiletrafficcanimpactthedemandforbackhaulspectrumandduetocommercialmobileoff-loading,canimpactthedemandforlicence-exemptspectrum).Therefore,ISEDsoughtcommentsregardingspectrumdemandinCanadaandtheglobalanddomestictechnicaloroperationaladvancementsandmarkettrendsthatwillimpactthedemandforspectrumoverthenextfiveyears.

Inthecommentsreceived,therewasgeneralagreementthattechnologicaldevelopmentswillassistinaddressingtrafficdemandandcapacityneedsforcommercialmobile,licence-exempt,satelliteandbackhauloperations.However,therewasalsogeneralagreementthatadditionalspectrumwillberequiredinthefuturegiventheexpectedgrowthinusageanddemandfordata-intensiveservices.Thesectionbelowprovidesmoredetailregardingthedemandforeachofthefourservicesseparately.

1 The Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) is a collection of reports and forecasts, updated annually, regarding global fixed/mobile traffic and Internet trends.


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6.2 Commercial mobileservicesTheevolutionofmobilecommunicationshashadasignificantimpactonallsectorsoftheeconomyandcontinuestocontributetotheeconomicandsocialwell-beingofCanadians.Canadianswanthigh-qualityservices,ubiquitouscoverageandaffordablepricesfromtheirtelecommunicationserviceproviders.Smartphones,tablets,wearabledevices,machine-to-machine(M2M)devicesandtheapplicationsthatrunonthemarechangingthewaythatCanadianswork,liveandplay.MobilecommunicationshavebecomeintegratedintothedailylivesofCanadiansastheyincreasinglyrelyonmobileservicestoaccessavarietyofapplications,suchasmulti-mediaservices,socialnetworkingandInternetbrowsing,onaday-to-daybasistodobusiness,connectwithothers,andtomanagefinances,healthandhomes.Commercialmobilespectrumrequirementsdependonthetotalamountoftrafficandthenumberofsubscribersaccessingthenetworkatpeakperiods,aswellasthenetworkdesign.Inaddition,commercialmobilenetworksareoftenmadeupofamixoftechnologies(e.g.highspeedpacketaccess,LTEandinthenearfuture5G),whichhavedifferentspectralefficiencyintermsoftheamountoftraffictheycancarryoveraparticularbandwidth.Inthefuture,theresponsetoadditionaltrafficdemandsisexpectedtobemorechallenging,duetotheuseofmorebandwidth-intensiveapplicationsandinnovativeusesformobilespectrum.ISEDconsideredthreefactorstoassessthefuturespectrumrequirementsforcommercialmobileservices:subscribership,trafficgrowthandtechnologyadvancements.IntheOutlookConsultation,ISED’sassessmentwasthat,basedonanumberofstudies,allregionsandmarketsareexpectedtocontinuetoexperiencegrowthinmobilesubscribership.Italsoconcludedthatassubscribershipcontinuestoincreaseinallregions,sowillglobalmonthlytraffic.ISEDrecognizedthatthecontinuedgrowthindatatrafficgeneratedbyanincreasingnumberofusersinvarioussectorsandthedata-intensiveapplicationsrunningonmobilenetworksmaynotbesustainablewiththeuseofexistingmobilespectrumalone.ISEDfurtherconcludedthatthenewapplicationsandservicesthatareexpectedtobemadeavailablethrough5Gtechnologieswilllikelyrequirespectrumindifferentfrequencyranges.Summaryof commentsStakeholdersgenerallyagreedwithISED’sassessmentthatCanadawillexperienceasubstantialincreaseindemandforcommercialmobileservices.Morespecifically,Bell,CanWISP,Cisco,CCI,Cogeco,CWTA,DSA,Ericsson,GSA,Québecor,RABC,Rogers,SaskTel,SeasideWireless,Sogetel,Telrad,TELUSandTeraGoagreedwithISED’sassessment.Somestakeholderscommentedthat,ifanything,ISEDmaybeunderestimatingdemand.RogersstatedthatitbelievestheactualgrowthindemandformobilespectrumfarexceedsISED’scurrentandplannedfuturespectrumreleasesandthatthegrowthisexponential,whichmakesconventionalapproachestocapacityplanningimpractical.Shawmentionedthat,basedonitsownprojections,thedemandassessmentsintheOutlookConsultationmayunderestimatefuturedemand.TELUSwasoftheviewthatISEDmustproactivelyplantoaddressdemandbeyondtheforecastsprovidedbyCisco’sVNIandotherstudiesbyallocatingspectrumforall5GusecasestoensurethatnetworksareabletoaddressthedemandcreatedbyunforeseenapplicationsthatwillaccompanyCanada’s5Gfuture.GSAmentionedthatthecombinationofthecapabilityofa5Gnetworkwiththeexpectedreductioninthecostofdevicesisexpectedtoleadtoubiquitousconnectivity.Itfurthermentionedthatanalystsestimatethat44zettabytesofdatawillbegeneratedby2020and180zettabytesby2025.WithrespecttothedemanddriversidentifiedbyISEDintheOutlookConsultation,somestakeholdersadvancedothercommercialmobiledemanddrivers,whileothersemphasizedtheimportanceofparticulardriversintheircomments.TelradagreedingeneralwithISED’sassessmentintheOutlookConsultation,butmentionedthattheywouldagreecompletelywiththeassessmentifISEDconsidersFWAasacomponentofmobileduetofixedandmobileconvergence.Xplornetacknowledgedthatdemandformobilebandwidthisincreasing,butcautionedISEDnottofocusonmobiletotheexclusionoffixed,becauseasmobiletrafficgrows,sodoesfixedtraffic.BellmentionedfixedwirelessinternetconnectivityandHighDefinition/4KvideoasdemanddriverswhileEricsson,RABCandShawmentionedthatnewtechnologiessuchas


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AugmentedRealityand/orVirtualRealitywilldrivedemandandputpressureonexistingspectrum.Rogersstatedthatitbelievesvehicle-to-everything(V2X)servicesaregoingtodriveadditionaldemandforspectrumgoingforward.DiscussionMobileoperatorshaveseveraloptionsavailabletooptimizetheuseoftheirspectrumholdingstomeetincreasedtrafficdemand,suchasdensifyingtheirnetworks,deployingefficientequipmentandemployingmoresophisticatedtrafficmanagementtechniques.However,ISEDrecognizesthatthecontinuedgrowthindatatrafficgeneratedbyanincreasingnumberofusersandexpectednewuses(e.g.augmentedandvirtualrealityandV2X)invarioussectorsandthedata-intensiveapplicationsrunningonmobilenetworksmaynotbesustainablewiththeuseofexistingcommercialmobilespectrumonly.Assuch,ISEDintendstoreleaseadditionalspectrumforcommercialmobileinthenextfiveyears.Mobiletechnologyisconstantlyevolvingtomakemoreefficientuseofspectruminordertomeettheincreasingtrafficdemands.However,sometechnologyadvancementsrequirenewspectrumforreasonsotherthanincreaseddemand.Forexample,somespecificbandsmayberequiredduetotheirabilitytoaccommodatelargebandwidthsorduetotheirspecificpropagationcharacteristics.Inparticular,thenewapplicationsandservicesthatareexpectedtobemadeavailablethrough5Gtechnologieswilllikelyneedbandsindifferentfrequencyrangesinordertoberealized.5Gnetworkswillrequirelow-rangefrequencybandsforcoverage,mid-rangefrequencybandstoprovidebothcoverageandcapacity,andhigh-rangefrequencybandstoprovidelargebandwidthstomeethighbroadbandspeeds.WhenconsideringspectrumreleasesforcommercialmobileservicesISEDwillalsotakeintoaccountthesedifferentfrequencyrangesneededforthedeploymentof5Gnetworks.ISEDalsorecognizesthat5Gisenvisionedtoprovideavarietyoftypesofservicesbeyondjustmobileconnectivity,suchasFWAtoprovideInternettothehomeandbusinessandmachine-to-machinecommunications.6.3 L icence-exemptOverthepastnumberofdecades,licence-exemptspectrumhaswitnessedasignificantincreaseinuseandinnovationduetothelowbarrierstoentry,suchaseasyaccesstospectrumandthelowcostofdevices.Consumerdevicesthatuselicence-exemptspectrumappearedinthe1980s,forexample,babymonitorsandgaragedooropeners,andhavenowexpandedtoincludemobiledevicessuchassmartspeakers,healthtrackers,andremotecontroldrones.InthecontextoftheOutlookConsultation,discussionon‘licence-exempt’wasfocusedmainlyonWi-FiandIoTapplications(e.g.connectedwearabledevices,connectedcarsandcities),asthesehaveseenthemostsignificantgrowthinrecentyears.However,ISEDrecognizesthatnewtechnologiesareemerging,suchasLTE-unlicensed(LTE-U)andLTE-LicencedAssistedAccess(LTE-LAA),whichcanalsobeenabledthroughtheuseoflicence-exemptspectrum.Today,licence-exemptspectrumisacriticalpartofmobileconnectivityasitprovidesCanadiansanadditionalmethodofaccessingvoiceanddatacommunicationservicesontheirhandheldandotherwirelesscommunicationdevices.TheIoTindustryisrelativelynascentbutisquicklygrowing.ThemajorityofIoTdevicesareexpectedtouselicence-exemptspectrumtocommunicatewithcomputers,smartphonesandtablets,aswellastocommunicateamongstthemselves(e.g.M2M).Thesedevicesareprimarilyusedformonitoringhealthcare,industrialapplications,automotive,trackingutilityconsumptionandforsafetyandsecurity.However,itisexpectedthatmanynewapplicationsandopportunitieswillappearinthefuture.IntheOutlookConsultation,ISEDexaminedtheexpecteddemandforWi-FiandIoTseparately.ISEDconcludedthattherewillbeagrowingdemandforspectruminthelicence-exemptbands,largelyduetothegrowthofWi-Fidevicesseekinghigherspeedsandperformance,andthepotentialvolumeofIoTdevices.Technologyadvancementsareexpectedthatwillallowsomeofthetrafficdemandstobemetbymakingtheuseofspectrummoreefficient.However,ISEDrecognizedthat


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theexpectedgrowthinthenumberofdeviceswillputpressureontheexistinglicence-exemptbandsinthenextfiveyears,andthattheremaybearequirementforadditionalspectrumtofullymeetexpecteddemand. Summaryof commentsStakeholdersgenerallyagreedwithISED’sassessmentthattherewillbeagrowingdemandforspectruminthelicence-exemptbands.Morespecifically,BCBA,CEA,CanWISP,Cisco,CCI,Cogeco,CWTA,Dr.GregoryTaylor,DSA,EOWCandEORN,Facebook,FONTUR,Microsoft,Québecor,SaskTel,SeasideWireless,Shaw,TelradandWi-FiAllianceagreedwithISED’sassessment.Somestakeholdersprovidedfurtherinformationregardinglicence-exemptdemand.Ciscoprojectsthattheamountoftrafficoffloadedfromsmartphoneswillbe78%by2021,comparedto69%attheendof2016andthatofallIPtraffic(fixedandmobile)inCanada,55%willbeWi-Fi,whileonly38%willbewired,and7%willbemobile.CiscoalsomentionedthatM2Mmoduleswillaccountfor67%(271.4million)ofallnetworkeddevicesin2021,comparedto50%(115.5million)in2016.Wi-FiAllianceconducteditsownWi-FiSpectrumNeedsStudyshowingthat,basedontrafficpredictionsforanumberofcountriesaroundtheworld,between500MHzand1.8GHzofnewspectrumwouldbeneededforWi-Fioperationsinordertoavoidaloomingspectrumshortage.ThisstudywasalsomentionedbyMicrosoft,RogersandDSA.ShawandCiscomentionedotherstudiesshowingthatadditionalspectrumwillbeneededforlicence-exemptapplications.Anumberofcommentswerereceivedemphasizingtheneedforadditionallicence-exemptspectrum.FONTUR,CanWISP,CiscoandWi-FiAlliancementionedtheneedformorelicence-exemptspectrumasWi-Fibandsbecomesaturated.Wi-FiAlliancewasoftheviewthatISEDshouldmovequicklytomakeadditionalspectrumavailabletomeetthisgrowingdemand.Facebookmentionedthatensuringthatsufficientlicence-exemptspectrumisavailablewillbecriticalforthegrowthof5Gaswellassupportingexisting,growingdemandforWi-Fi.XplornetmentionedthatwhiletruethattherewillbemoredevicesconnectedusingWi-Fi,itisnotconvincedthatsignificantamountsofnewspectrumwillberequired.Itmentionedthatmostdevicesareshort-range,allowingforreuseofspectrumandthatIoTdeviceswillutilizelittlebandwidthcomparedtomostbroadbandapplicationsandconcludedthatwhilethenumberofsuchdevicesisexpectedtogrowexponentially,actualbandwidthrequirementswillnotbeamajorfactorinthenextfiveyears.TheRABCmentionedthatsimplyprovidingadditionallicence-exemptspectrumwillnotmeetquality-of-serviceneedsforallapplicationsandshouldbeseenasacomplementtolicensedspectrum,apositionsupportedbyEricsson.CanWISPdisagreedwiththisstatementinitsreplysubmission.TELUSagreedwithISED’srelativegrowthprojectionsofWi-Fidatausagebutassertedthattherelativegrowthofcommercialmobiledatausageishigherstill.TELUSfurthermentionedthatlicence-exemptspectrummayexperiencecongestionatsomepointinthefuture,butlicensedcommercialmobilespectrumwillexperiencecongestionbefore2022andwithpotentiallysignificantimpacttothedigitaleconomy.InadditiontoWi-FiandIoT,somestakeholdersidentifiedotherdriversoflicence-exemptdemand,oremphasizedtheimportanceofparticulardrivers.CCInotedthatamajordemanddriverwillbetheaugmentationofexistingcontention-basedprotocols(i.e.LTEand5G),ratherthantheproliferationofIoTandWi-Fiusagecases.Microsoftalsoprovidedabroadersetofusecasesthatitexpectswilldrivethedemandforlicence-exemptspectrumsuchas:wirelessdocking,4Kvideostreaming,nextgenerationgaming,‘wirelessfibre’connectionsinsidedatacentresorbetweenopticalfibrestungalongutilitypolesandoneormorestructures,multipleusersofaugmentedrealitydevicesinrelativeproximityinfactories,warehousesandretailspaces,andmobilerobotsthatutilisemachinevisionandtelemetryasinputstocloud-basedartificialintelligence.EOWCandEORNmentionedincreasedautomationandproducttrackinginagriculture—frommonitoringenvironmentalconditionsinvineyards,animaltracking,andautonomousfarmvehicles—willdrivethedemandforspectrumintheirregion.HuaweiCanadaidentifiedfactoryautomation,trafficcontrol,wearables,smarterhomes,enterpriseapplications,homecontrol,gamingandmachineIoTtypecommunicationsservicesasareasoftrafficgrowth.CEAreinforcedthegrowingneedforlicence-exemptspectrumfortheindustrialIoT,inparticularforCanadianElectricUtilities,andRABCsupportedthisviewintheircomments.


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Bellmentionedthattheybelievelicence-exemptspectrumwillcontinuetobeutilizedforoffloadingandtoimproveend-userthroughput,especiallyLTE-UorLAAisemployed.Bellalsomentionedthatlicence-exemptchannelsinfrequencyrangesbelow6GHzshouldonlybeallocatedonanexceptionalbasisinthebandsthatwillnotberequiredforlicenseduse.CanWISPdisagreedwiththatstatementinitsreplycomments,mentioningthatifISEDweretogivepriorityonlytolicensedspectrum,largemobileserviceproviderscouldeasilyoutbidotherbiddersandconsequently,WISPswouldnotbeabletoaccessadditionalspectrumatareasonablecost.CEAnotedthatcommercialcommunicationserviceprovidersareincreasinglyusinglicence-exemptspectrumtoaddtotheirnetworks,forexamplethroughvoiceoverWi-FiintegrationandLTE-LAAtechnology.TELUSmentionedthatLTE-LAAradiotechnologyinlicence-exemptbandshasbeguntomakeitswayintosmartphonesasanothermeansofconnectivitythatmayimpactWi-Fihotspotuse.DiscussionWirelesscommunicationshavebecomeessentialforthedigitaleconomy,andtheuseoflicence-exemptspectrumplaysacriticalroleinenablingthisconnectivity.ISEDhasandwillcontinuetofacilitatetheintroductionoftechnologiessuchasWi-Fi,LTE-U,LTE-LAAandIoT.Thesetechnologiesoperateonmultiplefrequencybandsusingvariouscommunicationprotocols,areincreasinglysmarterandmorecognizantoftheiroperatingenvironment,andimplementthelatestspectrumsharingandinterferencemitigationtechniques.Itisexpectedthattheindustrywillcontinuetodeveloptechnologytofunctionmoreeffectivelyinunlicensedbands.Inrecognisingtheimportanceofthelicence-exemptecosystemandtheopportunitiesthatitenables,ISEDwillcontinuetoupdateitstechnicalequipmentstandardstokeeppacewiththelatesttechnologicaldevelopments.Overthenextfiveyears,ISEDwillamenditsstandardsinatimelyfashiontoreflectthelatestadvancementsinthesetechnologies,whichareanticipatedtoalleviatesomeofthetrafficdemandbymakingmoreefficientuseofspectrum.Moreover,ISEDmayamendexistingtechnicalstandardstoaddressoutcomesoftheWorldRadiocommunicationConferencein2019(WRC-19).ISEDmayalsocreatenewtechnicalequipmentstandardstosupporttheentryofnewinnovativeproductsinCanada.CompliancewithISED’stechnicalstandardsiscrucialtoensurethatwirelessdevicesinCanadaaresafeandsupportacompetitivewirelessmarket.Consequently,ISEDwillapplytimelyandeffectiveenforcementmeasureswhendevicesarefoundtobenon-compliantwithequipmentstandards.ISEDrecognizesthattechnologyadvancementalonecannotfullysupportthegrowthoflicence-exemptdevices,suchasWi-FiandIoTdevices.Inthenextfiveyears,ISEDwillseektoidentifyopportunitiestoreleaseadditionalbandsforlicence-exemptuseinordertoaddressdemands.6.4 Satell ite DuetoCanada’svastlandmassandwidelydispersedpopulation,satellitesystemsplayavitalroleinprovidingcommunicationscapabilitiesinrural,remoteandnortherncommunities,whereterrestrialfacilitiesarelimitedornon-existent.Inthesecommunities,satellitesystemsprovidethebackbonefor,ordirectaccessto,essentialservicessuchasbasictelephone,broadcastingandInternetservices.Inurbanareas,satellitesystemsareusedtoprovidedirect-to-hometelevisionservicestoconsumersandunderpinCanada’sbroadcastingsystembytransferringcontentfromcreatorsintothecabledistributionsystem.Inbothurbanandruralareas,satelliteservicesalsoplayacriticalroleintimesofemergency,suchasnaturaldisasters,whenterrestrialtelecommunicationsinfrastructuremaybedisabled.Satellitesystemsarealsousedextensivelybygovernmenttosupportnationalsecurityandtoassistinmonitoringtheenvironment.


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AsmentionedintheOutlookConsultation,globallyitisexpectedthatdemandforsatellitecapacitywillcontinuetogrowoverthenextfiveyears,particularlyinhigherfrequencybands,duetodemandformorebandwidthandubiquitousconnectivity.Consumersandbusinessesexpecttobeconnectedanywhere,anytime,includinginareasthatarebeyondthereachofterrestrialnetworks.Increasedgovernmentuse(i.e.highresolutionimaging,newconstellationsofglobalnavigationsatellites,defence,etc.)isalsoexpectedtoaffectdemand.TheOutlookConsultationalsomentionedthatthemaindriversfortheexpectedsatellitecapacitydemandgrowtharebroadbandapplications,suchasaccesstotheInternetandover-the-topvideodistribution,potentialdeploymentofnewnon-geostationarysatelliteorbit(NGSO)satellitesprovidingconnectionspeedsthatcouldbecomparabletoterrestrialsystems,andtheexpandingcommercialearthobservationmarket(i.e.mapping,climatemonitoringandnaturalresourceexploration).However,growthinNorthAmericaisexpectedtobelowerincomparisontodevelopingcountries,assatelliteservicesaremorematureandpenetrationofterrestrialinfrastructureismuchhigher.Giventhebroadarrayofsatelliteapplications,users,bands,services,andtechnologies,theOutlookConsultationconcludedthatageneralglobalgrowthprojectionforsatellitespectrumwouldnotgiveaclearindicationofdemandinCanada.Therefore,ISEDexaminedthedemandforsatelliteservicesbasedondifferenttypesofservices,fixedsatelliteservice(FSS),broadcastsatelliteservice(BSS),mobilesatelliteservice(MSS)andearthobservationsatelliteapplicationsseparately.Furthermore,forFSSandBSStheOutlookConsultationexaminedthedemandforC-band(3.5GHz-7GHz),Ku-band(10GHz-18GHz)andKa-band(18GHz-30GHz).Othersatelliteservices,suchasamateur-satelliteservice,spaceresearch,inter-satelliteservice,radionavigationsatelliteservicesandaeronauticalsatelliteserviceswerenotincludedintheconsultationastheyarenotexpectedtobedirectlyimpactedbyincreaseddemandfordata.Basedonitsexaminationofdemandprojectionsandtechnicaladvancesforsatellitesystems,ISEDobservedanoveralltrendtowardsmovingtohigherfrequenciestobetteraccommodatedata-intensiveapplicationsthatrequirelargerbandwidths(i.e.highercapacityInternetservicesandhighresolutionimagesandvideo).Basedonthisexpecteddemand,ISEDindicatedintheOutlookConsultationthatitbelievesthatitwouldbepossibletoconsiderhowC-bandcouldbeusedinthefuture.ForFSSandBSS,thedemandforbandwidth-intensiveapplications,congestionintheKu-band,demandforKa-bandandtheemergenceofNGSOsystemsallledISEDtobelievethattherewillbeaneedtoconsideradditionalspectrumforthesetypesofsatelliteservices.ISEDalsoindicatedthatearthobservationsystemsrequiretheconsiderationofadditionalspectrum.ForMSS,theOutlookConsultationconcludedthat,althoughthereisexpectedgrowthfortheseservicesinthenextfiveyears,theexistingMSSspectrumislikelysufficienttomeetthisdemand.Summaryof commentsWithrespecttosatelliteservicesdemand,theresponsesreceivedweremixed.SomerespondentssuchasBell,CCI,HughesCanada,SaskTelandXplornetagreedwithISED’sassessmentofdemand.SatelliteoperatorsandtheRABCgenerallyagreedwiththeassessmentofincreasingdemandforsatelliteservicesandspectrum,notingtheimportanceoftheC-BandandrecognizinggrowinguseinbothKuandKa-bands,andhigherbands.Rogersheldthatthedemandforsatelliteservices,especiallyoutsideofruralandremotelocations,wasoverstated.WithregardstothedemandforFSSandBSS,Intelsat,RABC,SESandTelesatdiscussedthesignificantgrowthindemandforconnectivityandubiquitousdataservices,aswellasnewandexpandingapplications(e.g.IoTandbackhaul)expectedtosignificantlyincreasedemandforfixed-satelliteservicesoverthenextfiveyears.WithregardstotheC-Band,CanWISPagreedwithISED’sdemandassessment.SomeFSSoperatorssuchasIntelsat,TelesatandSES,andotherrespondentsincludingCBCandRABC,disagreedwithISED’sassessmentthatthereisreduceddemandforFSSintheband3700-4200MHz.IntelsatandTelesatarguedthatdemandwillgrowintheC-Bandinthenextfiveyears,whereas,CBC,RABCandSESstatedthatthedemandwouldbesteady.Intheirreplycomments,Intelsat,Telesat,theSatelliteOperatorsCoalitionandSESdisputedthenotionthatC-banddemandwouldbesteady.


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FortheKu-andKa-bands,satelliteoperatorsrecognizedtheheavysatelliteuse/congestionintheKu-band,whichisexpectedtogrowevenmoredrivenbyapplicationssuchasearth-stations-in-motion(ESIM)andincreasedtrafficgrowthingeneral.TelesatindicatedthatthedemandforKa-bandspectrumisexpectedtogrowrapidlyinthenextfewyearswithnewgeostationarysatelliteorbit(GSO)andNGSOsatellites,fueledbythegrowthindemandforbroadbandInternetanddataintensiveservices.Intermsoftechnologicaladvancements,Intelsatmentionedthatthelimitedamountofspectrumavailableforsatelliteservicesmeansthatthereisaneedforspectrumtobeutilizedefficiently.Anumberofcommentersdiscussednewtechnologies,whichmayreducethecost,increasespectrumefficiencyandreuse,andincreasethecapacityofsatelliteinfrastructuretodeliverhigh-speeddataservicesinresponsetodemand.High-throughputsatellite(HTS)washighlightedbyBell,Cogeco,Intelsat,RABC,SES,Telesat,andXplornet.Low-Earthorbit(LEO)wasdiscussedbyCogeco,Hughes,RABC,SaskTel,andTelesat.ESIMwerementionedbyHughesCanada,Intelsat,RABCandTelesat.RABC,SES,andTelesathighlightedadvancesinantennatechnology.Telesatmentionedthattechnologicaladvancementsthatarebeingdeployedbysatelliteoperatorsandtheircustomerswillnotbesufficienttooffsetincreaseddemand,withtheresultthatadditionalsatellitespectrumisrequired.IntelsatalsourgedISEDtocontinuestudiesofESIMsystems,andtostreamlineandsimplifyearthstationlicensingproceduresforsatelliteterminalsinordertosupportnewmobilityandbroadbandapplications.Morespecifically,withrespecttoMSSdemand,Bell,CCI,Cogeco,Intelsat,RABCandXplornetagreedwithISEDthatalthoughthereisanexpectationofglobalMSSgrowthof8%by2020,asindicatedintheTechnavio,GlobalMobileSatelliteServiceMarket2016-2020report,existingMSSspectrumislikelysufficienttomeetthisdemandinCanada.IridiumexpressedconcernthattheTechnavioreportreferredtobyISEDdidnotaccuratelyreflecttheanticipatedgrowthofMSS.Specifically,IridiumindicatedthatthereportcitedbyISEDdoesnotreflecttherobustgrowthIridiumhasexperiencedoverthepastsevenyearsandexpectstoexperienceinthefuture.RABCmentionedthatMSSapplicationshaveincreasedinthelastfewyearsduetoadvancesinbothspacesegmentandgroundsegmenttechnologies.TheyaddedthatmanynewmobileapplicationswillrequireMSStodeployfuturetechnologiesinordertomovetonewand/orhigherfrequencybands;themaindemanddriversbeingvideo,environmentaldataandIoTrelateddatafromconnectingbillionsofsensors,devices,machines,connectedcars,etc.Onlyafewcommentswerereceivedregardingearthexplorationsatelliteservice(EESS)demand.CCIagreedwiththedemandassessmentputforwardbyISEDandRABCnotedthatmanyEESShavebeenlaunchedduetothegrowinguserdemand,aswellasthetechnologicaladvancementsinsatellitesensorandimagingdesigntechniques.RABCrecommendedsafeguardingthecurrentallocatedspectrumtoearthobservation(passiveandactive)andspaceresearchdomesticallyandinternationally.DiscussionBasedonitsexaminationofcurrentdemandprojectionsandtechnicaladvancesinsatellitesystems,ISEDexpectstoaddresstheneedsoftheseservicesbyconsultingonmakingadditionalspectrumavailableandimprovingaccessforsatelliteservices.ForMSS,ISEDcontinuestobelievethatexistingMSSspectrumislikelysufficienttomeetthedemandinCanada.ForEarthobservationsystems,ISEDnotesthatitrecentlymadechangestotheCanadianTableofFrequencyAllocations(CTFA)toincludenewprimaryallocationstoEESSinthe7GHz(7190-7250MHz)bandtoaddressthecongestioninsatellitecommandandcontrol,andinthe9GHz(9200-9300MHzand9900-10400MHz)bandtoaccommodatethehigherresolutionwidebandsyntheticapertureradars.ISEDbelievesthisnewspectrum,togetherwithexistingspectrum,willlikely


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besufficientforEarthobservationsystemsoverthenextfiveyears.ISEDrecognizesthatwhenconsideringchangestoallownewusesofspectrum,bothinCanadaandinternationally,thereisaneedtoconsiderthepotentialimpactonEarthobservationsystems,inparticularpassivesystems,operatinginandadjacenttothatspectrum.ForFSSandBSSintheC-band,ISEDhasobservedanoveralltrendtowardsmovingtohigherfrequenciestobetteraccommodatedata-intensiveapplicationsthatrequirelargerbandwidths(i.e.highercapacityInternetservicesandhighresolutionimagesandvideo).Asaresult,ISEDcontinuestobelievethatitwouldbeappropriatetofurtherreviewC-bandusage.ForFSSandBSSinhigherfrequencies,thedemandforbandwidth-intensiveapplications,congestionintheKu-band,theexpectedKa-banddemandandtheemergenceofnewNGSOsystemsallleadISEDtobelievethattherewillbeaneedtoconsideradditionalspectrumforthesetypesofsatelliteservices.ISEDalsorecognizestheincreasingtrendforcommercialmobileservicesinhigherfrequencybands,asmentionedinsection6.2.Assuch,ISEDwillbelookingtofindwaystofacilitatesharingbetweensatelliteandcommercialmobileservicesincertainfrequencybands,wherefeasible.ISEDdoes,however,recognizetheneedfordedicatedspectrumforsatelliteservices,particularlyforubiquitousdeployments,andwillbeconsideringsuchdesignationsinthehigherfrequencybands.RecognizingtheemergenceofnewNGSOsystemsthatcouldhelpbridgetheconnectivitygapinremoteandnorthernregionsofCanada,ISEDcontinuestotakestepstoaddressthedevelopmentofthesesystemsforbroadbandcommunications.Inadditiontoimplementingchangestoitslicensingframeworktoallowfortheorderlyintegrationoftheseinnovativesystems,ISEDcontinuestoworkwithothercountries,boththroughbilateraldiscussionsandtheInternationalTelecommunicationUnion(ITU),todefinethebringingintouseoffrequencyassignments,aswellasestablishtheappropriateinternationalimplementationmilestonesforNGSOsystems,inordertoobtainandmaintaintherightsforinternationalrecognitionandprotectionasappropriate.Forthiswork,ISEDendeavourstoachieveabalancebetweenadoptingprovisionspreventingabusivepracticessuchasspectrumreservationandrecognizingthefinancial,technologicalandplanningchallengesposedbytheobligationtoproceedwiththeproductionofhundredsofsatellitesandthemultiplelaunchesrequiredtocompletethedeploymentofanNGSOconstellation.AsforcommentsoncontinuingESIMstudies,ISEDnotesthatitiscurrentlystudyingESIMinternationally,inthecontextofidentifyingadditionalspectrumforESIMattheITU.ThesestudiesincludeworktowardsensuringthatexistingandfutureservicesinthesamebandswouldbeprotectedfromnewESIMuse,aswellasdevelopinganinternationalframeworkforESIM,includingidentificationofresponsibilitiesofeachcountryinvolvedinlicensingdifferentsegmentsofthesameESIMnetwork.Inadditiontothisinternationalwork,ISEDisplanningtoconductaninternalreviewofitsdomestictechnicalandlicensingframeworksforESIM.Thisreviewisexpectedtobeginsometimethisyear.Regardingcommentsontheearthstationlicensing,ISEDiscurrentlyintheprocessofreviewingitsearthstationlicensingproceduresandassociatedfeeregime.Thisreviewwillincludetheconsiderationofthepotentialforsatelliteterminalstosupportnewmobilityandbroadbandapplications,aswellastheincreasingcapacitydemandforsatelliteservices.6.5 BackhaulBackhaulfacilitiesareanessentialpartoftheinfrastructurebackbonethatenablesdeliveryofInternet,aswellasdataandvoicetrafficbyfixedandmobilebroadbandnetworks.Backhaulisalsoused,forexample,tointerconnectremotesitesandbuildingsforcorporate,healthandeducationalpurposesandtosupportbroadcastingundertakingsinthetransmissionofnewsgatheringvideo.Therearemultiplebackhaulsolutions,includingfibreoptics,microwaveradioandsatellites.Generally,acombinationofbackhaulsolutionsisemployedinCanada,withserviceproviderstendingtofavouramixoffibreandwirelessmicrowave.


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Theselectionofaparticularsolutionisdependentonavarietyoffactorsandconsiderationsincludingtechnicalperformance,immediacyofdeployment,capacity,cost,accessibilityandfeasibilityofotheroptions.Backhaulfacilitiesareanessentialpartofthetelecommunicationsinfrastructure,inbothsparselypopulatedruralareasanddenselypopulatedurbanareas.Wirelessmicrowavesolutionsaremoreprevalentinremoteandruralareas,whereasfibretendstobethesolutionemployedforhigh-trafficurbancellsitesgivenitscapacityandreliability.However,wirelessmicrowaveisalsousedforthefastdeploymentofsmallcellsinmetropolitanmarkets.Cost-effective,scalableandeasy-to-deploybackhaulfacilitiesarealsovitalfortheintroductionofmicrocellstocomplementexistingcellsites.Moreover,wirelessmicrowavesolutionsareusedtosupportspecificenterprisesolutions.TheOutlookConsultationstatedthatthedemandforbackhaulcapacityislinkedtothedemandforotherservices,includingcommercialmobile,licence-exemptandsatellitesystemsthatarediscussedintheprevioussections.Whilewirelinebackhaulsolutionsareexpectedtoplayarole,andnewtechnologiessuchasself-backhaulcouldprovideadditionalcapacity,demandforotherservicesisexpectedtoputpressureonthespectrumcurrentlyavailableforbackhaulfacilities.Inparticular,thedifferentusecasesandhighdataratesanticipatedfor5Gcommercialmobileservicesareexpectedtohaveasignificantimpactonthefuturebackhaulspectrumrequirements.TheOutlookConsultationfurthermentionedthatcongestioninbackhaulfrequencybandsmaycontinuetobeexperiencedinsomeurbanareasasoperatorsexpandbackhaulcapacitytosupportthedemandgeneratedbycommercialmobileservice.ISEDbelievesthattechnicalandpolicychangesthatarecurrentlybeingimplemented,inconjunctionwithadvancesinbackhaultechnology,willservetohelpoperatorsrespondtosomeofthisdemand.However,theexpectedcapacityrequirementsanddeploymentscenariosof5Gwillrequirethatsomenewspectrumbemadeavailableinthenextfiveyears.Summaryof commentsBell,BCBA,CanWISP,CCI,Cogeco,CWTA,EOWCandEORN,Québecor,Rogers,SaskTel,SeasideWireless,Shaw,andTeraGoagreedwithISED’sassessmentofbackhauldemand,whichheldthatcongestionmayincreaseinthenextfiveyearsasthedemandforbackhaulcapacityisexpectedtogrowtosupporttheincreaseddemandanticipatedfor5Gnetworks.SomestakeholderssupportedISED’sassessmentingeneralorinpart.EricssonsupportedISED’sviewthatthedemandforbackhaulcapacityislinkedtothedemandforotherservices.TELUSgenerallyagreedwithISED’sassessmentbutmentionedthat,whileparticularbandsarefacingcongestioninurbanandsurroundingareas,TELUSforecaststhatthiscongestionwillbemanageableasnewradiotechnologybecomesavailableanddeployedbefore2022.XplornetgenerallyagreedwithISED’sassessmentofdemandforbackhaulbutnotedISED’somissionofbackhaulforFWA.XplornetalsoindicateditseesincreasingdemandforFWAatfasterspeedsandingreatercapacityasdrivingthedemandforbackhaulservices.Anumberofstakeholderscommentedondifferentdemanddriversforbackhaul.Cogecomentionedthatdensificationofmobilenetworksasaresultoftheintroductionof5Gtechnologieswillresultinincreasingdemandforbackhaul,astherewillbemoresitesrequiringconnectiontothenetwork.TheRABCexpressedthatdemandforbackhaulwillbedrivenbythedemandforgreatercapacityinbroadbandinternet,mobilebandwidth,videoondemand,IoTandmanyotherservices.HuaweiCanadaindicatedthatitexpectsthatthetrafficgrowthforbackhaulinsupportofdatacommunicationsandmobileserviceswillmirrorthegrowthinaccesstraffic.SeasideWirelessindicatedthattheincreaseddemandforbackhaulwillbeduetoincreasedbroadbandInternetconsumption,theintroductionof5G,continuedgrowthofothermobileservices,aswellasthegrowthofIoTdevicesandservices.SeasideWirelessalsoindicatedthatlicence-exemptandfixedwirelessservices,inadditiontocommercialmobile,arelikelytogeneratethelargestincreaseindemandforbackhaul.Shawgenerallyagreedwiththeassessmentofdemandandaddedthatoneofthedriverswillbetheincreaseduseofsmallcellsinboththesub-6GHzandmillimetrewave(mmWave)bands.TeraGoindicatedthat,asreferencedintheCiscoVNI,itis


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expectedthatmobilevideowillcontinuetogeneratethemostdemandforbackhaulcapacityacrossallmobilenetworks,whichinturnresultsinhigherbackhaulrequirements.DiscussionISEDrecognizesthatbackhaulfrequencybandsmaycontinuetoexperiencecongestionasoperatorsexpandbackhaulcapacitytosupportthedemandforwirelessservices.Assuch,ISEDhasbeenimplementingthepolicychanges(e.g.removingcapacityrestrictions)andtechnicalchanges(e.g.considerallowinglargerchannelbandwidthsandsmallerantennas)fromSMSE-022-14,DecisionsonSpectrumUtilizationPoliciesandTechnicalRequirementsRelatedtoBackhaul(hereinafterreferredtoastheBackhaulDecision),inordertopromotegreaterutilizationofexistingbackhaulspectrumandincreaseflexibilityforuserstoadapttochangingconditions.ISEDbelievesthatthesechangesandbackhaultechnologyadvanceswillservetohelpoperatorsrespondtosomeoftheexpectedadditionalbackhauldemand.However,ISEDrecognizesthattheexpectedcapacityrequirementsanddeploymentscenariosof5Gwillrequirethatsomenewspectrumbemadeavailableeitherthroughflexibleuselicensingofcommercialmobilebandsornewspectrumreleases.

7.Technology

Withtherapidgrowthofinnovativetechnologiesandservicesdrivingthedigitizationandautomationinallsectorsoftheeconomy,ISEDrecognizestheimportanceofbeingresponsivetochangingtechnologyandmarketplacedemands.Assuch,thelong-termevolutionofwirelesstechnologies,networksandservicesshouldbetakenintoaccountwhendevelopingtechnicalrulesandwhenreleasingadditionalspectrum.AsindicatedintheOutlookConsultation,ISEDregularlymonitorstechnologicaladvancementsformobileservices,licence-exempt,satelliteservicesandbackhaulgiventheirimportanceinsupportingthedigitaleconomy.Forcommercialmobileservices,theOutlookConsultationstatedthatISEDbelievesthat5Gwillbethenextmajoradvancementinmobiletelecommunicationsstandards,withanumberofnewtechnologiesemergingorbeingresearchedaspartof5Gstandardsdevelopment,includingmassivemultipleinput,multipleoutput(MIMO)technology,full-duplexing,edgecomputing,networkslicing,andcarrieraggregationtechniques.Forlicence-exemptapplications,theOutlookConsultationmentionedtheexpectedcontinuedconvergenceandintegrationofcommercialmobileandWi-Fitechnologiesastheybothevolvetomeetwirelessandmobilecommunicationsneeds.Inaddition,ISEDexpectsthatindustrywillcontinuetoevolvetechnologytofunctionmoreefficientlyinunlicensedbandsasWi-FiandIoTtechnologiesarebecomingsmarterandevenmulti-bandandmulti-protocolbased.Withrespecttodevelopmentsinsatelliteservices,ISEDhighlightedHTStechnology,basedonmultiplespotbeams,ahighleveloffrequencyreuseandadvancedcodingtechniques,asoneofthemostsignificantdevelopments.Furtheradvancesinsatellitetechnologywerediscussed,including:smaller,lessexpensivesatellitesandgroundstationantennas,leadingtotheemergenceoflargeconstellationsofLEONGSOsatellitesdesignedtodeliverbroadbandconnectivity,aswellasESIMsystemsandadvancedvideocompressiontechnologiesforimprovedresolution(e.g.4KTV).Finally,forbackhaul,theOutlookConsultationmentionedtheuseofradio-linkbondingtoincreaseavailablecapacitybycombiningmultiplechannelstosimulateasinglewiderchannelandnewtechnologiesallowingformultibandconfigurations


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forhighercapacitiesoverlongerdistancesbybondinglargebandwidthsathigherfrequencieswithnarrowbandwidthsatlowerfrequencies.Summaryof commentsIngeneral,stakeholderssupportedISED’sassessmentofkeyemergingtechnologies,withlarge-scaledeploymentformanyoftheseexpectedinonetofouryears.Anumberofstakeholders,suchasBell,CanWISP,Ericsson,Quebecor,SaskTel,RABC,Rogers,SeasideWireless,Shaw,TELUSandXplornetalsoidentifiedtechnologiessuchasLTE-U,LAAandbeamformingasdevelopingtechnologiesthatwillhelpaddresstrafficpressures.HuaweiCanadaalsoindicatedthathigh-ordermodulation(e.g.256QAM),widerchannelbandwidths,beamsteering,bettertrunkingefficiencyandimprovedRFtransmissiontechnology(e.g.polarcodingandfilteredorthogonalfrequencydivisionmultiplexing)willfurtherimproveefficiencyandnetworkcapacity.Withrespecttosatellitedevelopments,TelesatindicatedthatnewtechnologiessuchasHTS,largeNGSOconstellationsandESIM,aswellasdevelopmentsinantennas,arereducingthecostsandincreasingthecapacityofsatelliteinfrastructuretodeliverhigh-speeddataservicesinresponsetodemand.Intermsofadvancementsinbackhaul,inadditiontothosediscussedbyISED,stakeholderssuchasCCI,Qualcomm,Rogers,SaskTel,ShawandTELUSmentionedtechnologiessuchashigher-ordermodulation,adaptivetechnologies,softwaredefinednetworking,andfull-duplex.RogersraisedtheneedformodernizationandflexibilityinISED’spolicies,frameworksandrulestopromoteinnovationandinvestmentindigitaltechnologies.RogersindicatedthatISEDplaysanimportantroleinensuringthatCanadacontinuestobeattheforefrontof5Gdeploymentsbyprovidingtimelyaccesstomobilespectrum,whichwillhelpcapitalizeontechnologyadvancements.TheyaddedthatmodernizationandharmonizationofISED’stechnicalstandardsforbandscurrentlyavailableforcommercialmobileserviceswouldassistinaddressingtrafficpressureanddemand,soastotakeadvantageofrecentdevelopmentsinareassuchasMIMOandbeamformingantennas.BothFacebookandRogersmentionedsomespecificupdatestotechnicalstandardsthatcouldbemadebyISED.Regardingtheconceptofopportunisticspectrumaccess,overallcommentshighlightedthattechnologicaldevelopmentsbeyondthosewhicharecurrentlyusedtoaccesswhitespacecouldholdpromise,whilealsonotingthatthereremaintechnical,regulatoryandbusinesschallengestoovercomeinordertofullyenableopportunisticspectrumsharing.Inparticular,Bell,CWTA,Cogeco,Québecor,SaskTel,ShawRogersandXplornet,indicatedthatitisprematureforISEDtoconsiderimplementingsharingprotocolsintoexistingcommercialmobilespectrumwithoutfirstcompletingextensivestudiesandfullpublicconsultations.Otherstakeholders,suchasDSA,MicrosoftandMotorola,wereinfavourofdynamicspectrumsharingconceptuallyorwithinparticularbands.Ericsson,Microsoft,SeasideWireless,Shaw,TelradandWi-FiAlliancealsohighlightedthenecessityofincreasedspectrumsharingbetweenservicesinordertosupportnewtechnologiesandimproveaccesstospectrum.DiscussionISEDiscommittedtopromotinginnovation-ledgrowthacrossallsectorsoftheCanadianeconomy,includingcapitalizingontechnologyadvancementstogivebusinesses,researchinstitutionsandcitiesacompetitiveedge.Assuch,ISEDcontinuestocloselymonitortheevolutionoftechnology,withaviewtoensuringthattechnicalframeworksareflexibleenoughtofacilitatetheadoptionanddeploymentofnewtechnologies.Inparticular,ISEDiscurrentlyexploringoptionstoupdateexistingtechnicalstandardstoaddressthelatestdevelopmentsofMIMO.ISEDisconductinganassessmentofwhatothercountriesarecurrentlydoingtoaddressMIMOfromaregulatoryperspective.ThisreviewwillresultinISEDupdatingrelevanttechnicalstandards,whichwillincludeconsultationwiththeRABCpriortofinalization.


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Inordertomaximizetheuseofthespectrumresourceandmakespectrumavailableforthevarietyofservicesandapplications,ISEDwillcontinuetoimprovethefeasibilityandefficiencyofspectrumsharingincludingsharingbetweendifferentuses.Approachesincludetheuseofmitigationtechniquessuchasgeographicseparation,coordinationrequirements,technicalrules,aswellastheuseofnewandemergingtechnologiesandtechniquessuchascognitiveradio,dynamicspectrumaccess,datascience,cloudcomputing,advancesinspectrummonitoring,smartantennas,andotherradioresourcemanagementtechniques.ISEDisoftheviewthatnewtechnologiesandtechniqueswillchangethewayspectrumisaccessedthroughintelligentdecision-makingsolutionsandgeographic/operationalawarenessoftheradioenvironment.Thesetechnologiesandtechniquesprovidenewopportunitiesforoptimizingtheuseofspectrumandpromisetomakeitincreasinglyfeasibletosharespectruminrealtimebetweenmultipledifferentservicesandoperators.ISEDwilltakeintoaccountnewapproachesandtheimpactofnewtechnologywhenassessingpotentialchangestospectrumallocationsandwhenconsideringfuturespectrumreleases.Intermsofopportunisticspectrumaccess,ISEDiscommittedtothegoaloffurtherenablingtechnologiessuchasdynamicspectrumaccess,asakeycomponentofmakingmorespectrumavailable.ISEDacknowledgestheconcernsexpressedbystakeholders,butalsoreiteratestheimportanceofthetechnologyinthelongterm,includinginthecontextoflicensedspectrumthathasnotbeendeployed.Anyregulationenablingsuchtechnologiesinanyparticularbandwouldbecarefullyconsideredinthecontextoffuturepublicconsultations,providinganopportunityforstakeholderstoprovideadditionalinput.Itisnotedthatthesuccessfulimplementationofsuchtechnologiesrequiresthat,amongotherelements,data(e.g.siteinformation,technicalcharacteristicsandusage)isaccurateandavailable.Furthertoitsworkinenablingdatabase-drivenwhitespacetechnology,ISEDisoftheviewthatdataaccuracyisaresponsibilitysharedbybothGovernmentandserviceprovidersalike.ISEDwillcontinuetocloselymonitortechnologyevolutionandecosystemdevelopments,andalsoundertakeresearchontechnologiesandtechniquesthatimprovespectrumsharing.ISEDwillcontinuetomonitortechnological,marketandregulatorydevelopmentsinordertoensurethattechnicalstandardsenablethelatestadvancesintheseareasandarealignedwithspectrumreleases. 8.Frequencybandsforfuturerelease

ThissectionoftheSpectrumOutlookprovidesstakeholderswithanoverviewofISED’soverallapproachandplannedactivitiesrelatedtoensuringappropriatespectrumresourcesareavailabletomeetfuturedemand.Theapproachoutlinedinthisdocumentisbasedoncurrentlyavailableinformation.Inviewoftherapidpaceofchangeinspectrumdemand,technologyandinternationaldevelopments,andwithdueregardtothepolicyobjectivesandprinciplesoutlinedinsection2andsection3ofthisdocument,ISEDwillcontinuouslyevaluateandmayalteritsprioritiesandplansforspectrumreleasetoaccommodatenewuses.Canada,likemostothercountries,participatesintheglobalcoordinationandharmonizationofspectrummanagementthroughtheITU.TheRadiocommunicationSectoroftheITU(ITU-R)servestofacilitatetheequitable,efficientandeconomicuseofspectrumamongallradiocommunicationservices.TheITU-RmaintainstheinternationalRadioRegulations,whichdefinetheallocationofspectrumbandstovarioustypesofservicesonthebasisoftheInternationalTableofFrequencyAllocations.TheRadioRegulationsarereviewedandamendedattheITU’sWorldRadiocommunicationConferences(WRCs),whicharetypicallyheldeverythreetofouryears.ThelastWRCwasheldin2015,andthenextconferenceisscheduledfor2019.


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Canadianoperatorsandconsumersbenefitfromeconomiesofscaleforequipmentwhenfrequencybandsareharmonizedeitherregionallyorinternationally.Assuch,ISEDtakesintoconsiderationthefrequencybandsthathavebeenharmonizedattheWRCaswellasfrequencybandsthatothercountrieshavereleasedorareintheprocessofreleasingforwhichequipmentisexpectedtobemadeavailable.Itisalsoimportanttotakeintoaccounttheworkunderwaybyvariousstandardsbodiessincemostconsumerdevicesarebasedonthesestandards.Thus,thestatusofstandarddevelopmentcanprovideinformationregardingthetimingofequipmentavailability.The3rdGenerationPartnershipProject(3GPP)andtheInstituteofElectricalandElectronicsEngineers(IEEE)aretwoofthemainstandardsbodiesforthesetypesofdevices.3GPPdevelopsspecificationsforequipmentusedforcommercialmobileservices,i.e.LTEand5G.TheIEEEdevelopsstandardsforseveraldifferenttechnologies,includingWi-Fi,Bluetooth,WiGig,ZigBeeandTVWhitespace,manyofwhichareauthorizedonalicence-exemptbasis.ThesetechnologiesareexpectedtobeusedasalargepartofIoTconnectivity.Therefore,whenconsideringpotentialfrequencybandsthatcouldbemadeavailablebetween2018and2022,ISEDexamined:

§ bandsopenedattherecentWRC-15§ bandsbeingconsideredattheupcomingWRC-19§ bandsthathavebeenreleasedorarebeingconsideredforreleaseinothercountries§ equipmentpotentiallybeingmadeavailableduringthenextfiveyears

Thesefactors,aswellastheCanadiancontext,arediscussedbelowforeachofthefrequencybandsthatcouldpotentiallybemadeavailableinthenextfiveyearsforcommercialmobile,licence-exempt,satelliteandbackhaul.Inthecommentsreceivedaspartoftheconsultationprocess,somerespondentsidentifiedadditionalfrequencybandsthatISEDhadnotaddressedintheOutlookConsultation.Thesebandsarealsodiscussedinthissection.Eachbandunderdiscussioninthisdocumenthasbeenplacedintooneofthreeprioritygroups.ThesegroupsbroadlyindicateISED’splannedapproachtowardsthereleaseofeachbandunderconsideration.Indeterminingthepriorityforreleaseofeachbandunderconsideration,ISEDhastakenintoaccountthefactorsdiscussedabove,aswellasthepolicyobjectivesoutlinedinsection2ofthisdocument.BandsidentifiedasPriority1areplannedforreleasebetween2018and2022.Thesearegenerallybandsthathaveestablishedinternationalstandards,andforwhichequipmentisavailableorisexpectedtobeavailable.Insomecases,worktomakethesebandsavailableinCanadaisalreadyunderway.ForbandsidentifiedasPriority2,ISEDexpectstobeginwork(e.g.policyortechnicalstandarddevelopment,reviewofexistingandpotentialusesand/orinternationalcoordination)between2018and2022.Thesebandscouldpotentiallybereleasedbetween2018and2022,subjecttointernationaldevelopmentssuchasWRC-19andequipmentavailability.BandsidentifiedasPriority3willberegularlymonitoredbyISEDduringtheperiod2018to2022.Basedoncurrentlyavailableinformation,thereisuncertaintyregardingtheinternationaldevelopmentsorpotentialequipmentavailableforthesebands.Therefore,changestotheuseofthebandsinthisgrouparenotexpectedtocommenceuntilthereismoreclarityregardingtheseissues.ISEDwillreevaluateitsassessmentofthesebands,aswithallbandsdiscussedinthisdocument,shouldnewinformationbecomeavailableorshouldinternationaldevelopmentswarrant.ISEDrecognizesthatthevarietyofusecasesforeachservicerequiresaccesstoavarietyoffrequencyranges.ISEDacknowledgestheimportanceofabalancedapproachtorelease,andassuch,isplanningonmakingadditionalspectrum


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availablebelow1GHz(low-bandspectrum),between1and10GHz(mid-bandspectrum)andabove10GHz(high-bandspectrum)asdescribedbelow.8.1 Low-bandspectrumLow-bandspectrumisidealforcoveringlargegeographicareasandforin-buildingpenetration,makingitimportantforbothurbanandruraldeployments.Repurposingandreleasingadditionalspectrumbelow1GHzwillhelptoincreasecoverageandcapacityinordertomeettheexpectedincreasesintraffic.8.1.1600MHzTheOutlookConsultationoutlinedtheworkthatwasalreadyunderwaytorepurposethe600MHzbandandreleaseitforflexibleuse.InMarch2018,ISEDreleasedtheTechnical,PolicyandLicensingFrameworkforSpectruminthe600MHzBand,whichsetoutthetechnical,policyandlicensingframeworkforthe614-698MHzfrequencyband.Throughthis600MHzprocess84MHzofspectrumhasbeenrepurposed,freeingup70MHzofspectrumforflexibleuseofcommercialmobile,fixed,orbroadcastingservices.AsindicatedthroughtheTableofKeyDates—Technical,PolicyandLicensingFrameworkforSpectruminthe600MHzBandthisauctionisscheduledtotakeplaceinMarch2019.Therefore,thisbandisconsideredasPriority1.8.1.2800MHzISEDindicatedintheOutlookConsultationthatitbelievedthatitwouldbebeneficialtoreviewthe814-824and859-869MHzportionsofthe800MHzband(806-824/851-869MHz)forpotentialcommercialmobileservicesinthenextfiveyears.Currentuse:CurrentlyinCanada,the800MHzband(806-824/851-869MHz)isnotconsideredcommercialmobilebroadbandspectrumasfrequenciesarelicensedpersiteonafirst-come,first-servedbasis.Thecurrentbandplaninterleavesvarioustypesofusers,includingcommercialpublicsafetyandprivateentityoperations.Thisfrequencybandisallocatedtothemobileandfixedservicesandisessentiallydividedintwoblocks.Thefirstblock(806-821/851-866MHz)allowstheuseoffixedpoint-to-pointandlandmobilesystems.Thesecondblock(821-824/866-869MHz)isdesignatedforexclusiveusebypublicsafetysystems.ThebandishighlyusedinCanada,specificallywithahighconcentrationofpublicsafetylicenseeswithinkeymarketsthroughouttheentireband.Alargehigh-densitycommercialnarrowbandwirelesssystemwasdeployedinmanyurbanareasandisinterleavedwithotherusesthroughoutthe800MHzband.Evolutioninmobiletechnologyandamarketdrivenbydemandformobilebroadbandisreducingtheneedforcommercialnarrowbandwirelesssystems.Internationalcontext:In2004,theUnitedStatesFederalCommunicationsCommission(FCC)adoptedaplantoreconfigurethe800MHzfrequencybandtoaddressharmfulinterferenceto800MHzpublicsafetycommunicationsystemscausedbyhigh-densitycommercialnarrowbandwirelesssystems.Thisprocessisnearingcompletion.Throughthisprocess14-20MHzofcontiguousspectruminthebands814-824MHzand859-869MHzwasclearedacrosstheUnitedStates.In2012,theFCCrevisedtheirrules2forthisspectrumsuchthatitcannowbeusedforcommercialmobilebroadbandservicesanditiscurrentlybeingusedtodeployaLTEnetworkintheUnitedStates.

2FCC,R&O,RequestforDeclaratoryRulingthattheCommission’sRulesAuthorizeGreaterthan25kHzBandwidthOperationsinthe817-824/862-869MHzBand,etal,May2012.


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Inaddition,severalcountriesinAsiaandLatinAmericahavedeployedorplantodeployLTEnetworksusingspectrumwithinthefrequencyrange806-869MHz.Potentialequipmentecosystem:Currently,therearetwo3GPPbandclasses,BandClass26(814-849/859-894MHz)andBandClass27(807-824/852-869MHz),whichoverlapswiththespectrumclearedintheUnitedStatesforcommercialmobile.Atpresent,therearebothmobiledevicesandnetworkequipmentavailableforthisband.Summaryof commentsBell,Cogeco,Motorola,Nokia,RABC,Rogers,SaskTel,SprintandTELUSagreedwithISEDthatthebandshouldbereviewedtobemadeavailableforcommercialmobile.Cogeco,SaskTelandTELUSrecommendedanearlyreleasefortheband.TELUSproposedthatISEDreleaseaconsultationonthisbandassoonaspossible.NokiaandRogersindicatedthatitshouldbepartofthefive-yearplanandBellproposedthatitshouldbereleasedin2024.XplornetrecommendedthatthebandbemadeavailableforbothmobileandfixedwirelessaccessandencouragedISEDtomakeitavailablewithinthenext12months.RABCrecommendedthatISEDconductareviewofthebandtosupporttheintroductionofmobileinoneportionofthebandwhileensuringitscoexistencewithlegacynarrowbandapplications.BCBAandSogetelindicatedthatthisbandhasthepotentialtofillspecificneedsinruralconnectivitysinceitisbelow1GHz.RABC,SprintandTELUSindicatedthataligningwiththeUnitedStateswouldeliminatethepotentialforcross-borderissues,andthisviewwasalsosupportedbyMotorolainitsreplycomments.DiscussionAdditionalcommercialmobilespectruminthe800MHzbandwouldprovideanopportunityformobileoperatorstoincreasetheircapacityandcoverageoverlargeareas.HarmonizingthisbandwiththeUnitedStateswouldalsoeasecross-bordercoordination,interoperability,economiesofscaleandroamingbetweencountries.However,ISEDrecognizesthatthecurrentlandmobileradiouseofthe800MHzbandprovidesimportantcommunicationsforpublicsafetyandotherusers,thatchangestooneportionofthebandmayimpactthewholeband,andthatchangestothisbandwillrequireextensiveplanning.ISEDwillcontinueitsreviewofthisbandwithaviewtodevelopingaplantoallowforcommercialmobileservices,whichcouldpotentiallyleadtoreleasebetween2018and2022.Therefore,ISEDconsidersthisbandasPriority2.8.1.3900MHzTheOutlookConsultationproposedthatthe900MHzband(896-960MHz)shouldbereviewedtoconsidernewuses.InNovember2017,ISEDbeganaConsultationontheTechnical,PolicyandLicensingFrameworkforWirelessMicrophones,whichincludedaproposaltolicensetheoperationsofwirelessmicrophonesonasecondarybasisinthebands941.5-952MHzand953-960MHz.Currentuse:The900MHzfrequencybandhastraditionallybeenusedinCanadaforlandmobile,licence-exempt,paging,multipointcommunicationssystems,narrowband-PCSandfixedservices.Thedemandfortheseservicesinthisbandislowandtherearerelativelyfewlicencesinthesebandscomparedtootherlandmobileradiobands.Thelicence-exemptportionispredominantlyusedforlegacyM2M,aswellasforbasicIoTdevices.Asnotedabove,ISED’sNovember2017consultationincludedaproposaltolicensetheoperationsofwirelessmicrophonesonasecondarybasisinthebands941.5-952MHzand953-960MHz.Internationalcontext:InEurope,thebands896-915MHzand925-960MHzhavebeenusedforcommercialmobileservicessincetheintroductionofcellulartechnologies.Althoughlimited,therehasbeensomenewactivityinternationallyregardingtheuseofportionsofthe900MHz(896-960MHz)bandintheUnitedStatesandAustraliaasdescribedbelow.


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Throughthe2015releasebytheFCCofthePromotingSpectrumAccessforWirelessMicrophoneOperatorsR&O,theUnitedStatesalsomadeavailableadditionallicensedspectrumforwirelessmicrophonesinthefrequencybands941.5-944MHz,952.85-956.25MHz,and956.45-959.85MHz,inadditiontothe944-952MHzband,whichhadalreadybeenavailable.InAugust2017,theFCCreleasedthe900MHzNoticeofInquiry(NOI),whichbegananexaminationforpotentiallyexpandingtechnicalandoperationalflexibilitythatcouldallowbroadbandandIoTservicesinthe896-901/935-940MHzband.In2015,Australiadecidedtoexpandthelicence-exemptportionfrom902-928MHzto902-935MHzinordertosupportlowpower,lowdutycyclecommunications(e.g.smartinfrastructure)giventhatthecharacteristicsofthisband(i.e.low-power,long-range)makeitidealforsmartcities,smartgridsandotherIoTapplicationsthatrequirelowbandwidthandalongbatterylife.Potentialequipmentecosystem:ISEDisnotawareofanystandardsworkorlicence-exemptdevicesthatoperateinthe928-935MHzband.However,withthedecisionsinAustraliaandwiththeproximitytotheexistinglicence-exemptband,ISEDexpectsthatequipmentwillbecomeavailableinthisbandinthecomingfiveyears.Inaddition,commercialmobileequipmentiscurrentlyavailablefortheoverlappingbands896-915MHzand925-960MHzforEuropeancommercialmobilesystems.Summaryof commentsSaskTelidentifiedthebandasamediumpriorityforreleaseforcommercialmobileandsuggestedthatanyreviewofthisbandmustconsiderFCCdecisions.Bellindicatedthatthebandshouldbemadeavailableforcommercialmobileandreleasedin2024.RogersagreedwithISED’sassessmentofthebandandrecommendedthatISEDawaittheoutcomeoftheU.S.effortstorepurposethe896-902/935-941MHzportionofthebandpriortoreleasingit.TELUSidentifiedthebandasalowpriorityanddidnotexpresssupportforaparticularservice.Cogecosupportedcommercialmobileinthebandandrecommendedanearlyrelease.CBC/Radio-Canadaexpressedoppositiontocommercialmobileintheband953-960MHzasitexpectstheuseofstudiotransmitterlinksandpoint-to-pointlinksinthisbandtogrowinthecomingyears.CEAandFONTURexpressedsupportforlicence-exemptintheband.RABCnotedthatCanadianrailwaysarecurrentlyspectrumlicensednationallythroughtheRACforsixchannelsinthe896-935MHzandindicatedthatISEDshouldtakeintoconsiderationthatreplacementspectrumandsignificantresourceswillberequiredshouldtheydecidetoproceedwithrepackingtheband.DiscussionThe900MHzbandhassimilarpropagationcharacteristicstothe800MHzbanddiscussedabove,whichwouldmakeitequallyattractiveforcommercialmobileuse.Inaddition,thereisinterestinusingthisbandforlicence-exemptapplications.Withthecurrentlowusageofthe900MHzband,ISEDbelievesthatareviewiswarranted.However,giventheongoingconsultationprocessesinbothCanadaandtheUnitedStates,andcontinuinguncertaintyregardingequipmentforthevariousproposeduses,ISEDdoesnotexpecttofurtheritsreviewofthe900MHzbandbefore2022.Therefore,atthistime,ISEDconsidersthisbandasaPriority3.8.2 Mid-bandspectrumThecharacteristicsofmid-bandspectrumallowforamixtureofprovidingcoverageandcapacity.Releasingadditionalmid-bandspectrumwillallowwirelessserviceproviderstomeettheexpectedincreasesintrafficbyaugmentingthequalityoftheirexistingnetworksandbyprovidingtargetedhighcapacitycoverage,suchasthroughsmallcelldeployment.


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8.2.1L-bandISEDindicatedintheOutlookConsultationthattheL-band(1427-1518MHz)orportionsthereofcouldbereleasedforfixedandcommercialmobileuse.Currentuse:TheL-bandisusedforsubscriberradioservice,whichislimitedtoruralareas,andNarrowbandMultipointCommunicationSystems.Inaddition,theband1427-1432MHzisbeingusedforautomaticmeterreadingandruraltelephoneservicewhiletheband1427-1429.5MHzisavailableforlicence-exemptmedicaltelemetryinlimitedgeographicareas.Inthe2012policydecisionSP1435MHz,SpectrumUtilizationPolicyDecisionsfortheBand1435-1525MHz,ISEDdecidedthatareviewofthe1435-1525MHzbandforflexiblemobileandfixedusewouldbepostponed,giventheuncertaininternationalinterestinmobilebroadbandsystemsatthetime.Inaddition,aspartofthisdecision,theuseofaeronauticalmobiletelemetryinthe1452-1476MHzbandwasallowedwithina320kmradiusofbothDownsviewandMirabelairports.Internationalcontext:TheL-band(1427-1518MHz)isafrequencybandthatwasidentifiedforInternationalMobileTelecommunications(IMT)atWRC-15.The1427-1452MHzand1492-1518MHzportionsoftheL-bandweregloballyidentified,whereastheband1452-1492MHzwasidentifiedinRegions32and3,andover50countriesinRegion1.In2013,theElectronicCommunicationsCommittee(ECC)Decision(13)03harmonizedtheuseofthefrequencyband1452-1492MHzinEuropeforMobile/FixedCommunicationsNetworksSupplementalDownlink.Since2015,authorizationshavebeengrantedforthisuseintheband1452-1492MHzinsomeEuropeancountries.InNovember2017,Decision(17)06alsoharmonizedthebands1427-1452MHzand1492-1518MHz,makingthewholeL-bandavailableformobile/fixedsupplementaldownlinkinEurope.Inaddition,theAustralianCommunicationsandMediaAuthorityreleaseditsdiscussionpaper,Futureuseofthe1.5GHz&3.6GHzbands,inDecember2016,whichconsideredthepossibilityofrepurposingthe1427-1518MHzfrequencybandtoenable5Gmobilebroadband.Potentialequipmentecosystem:Therearecurrentlyseven3GPPLTEbandclassesthatcoverportionsoftheL-band.Thebands1427.9–1462.9MHz,1475.9–1510.9MHzand1447-1467MHzaretime-divisionduplex(TDD)bandclasses11,21and45respectively.Thebands1427-1470MHzpairedwith1475-1518MHzisfrequencydivisionduplex(FDD)bandclass74.Thebands1452-1496MHz,1432-1517MHzand1427-1432MHzareidentifiedforsupplementaldownlinkbandclasses32,75and76.Therearefive3GPP5GbandclassesthatcoverportionsoftheL-band.Thebands1432-1517MHzand1427-1432MHzareTDDbandclassn50andn51.Thebands1427-1470MHzpairedwith1475-1518MHzisFDDbandclassn74.Thebands1432-1517MHzand1427-1432MHzareidentifiedforsupplementaldownlinkbandclassesn75andn76.

3Fortheallocationofradiospectrumfrequencies,theworldisdividedintothreeregionsbytheITU:Region1‒ArabStates,Africa,Europe,CommonwealthofIndependentStates;Region2‒Americas;andRegion3‒Asia-Pacific.FurtherdetailscanbefoundintheCanadianTableofFrequencyAllocations.


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Summaryof commentsBell,Ericsson,Nokia,RABC,Rogers,SaskTel,SeasideWirelessandTELUSallsupportedISED’sproposaltoreleasethisspectrumforcommercialmobileandfixedservicesinthenextfiveyears.BellproposedthatitshouldbehighpriorityandthatISEDshouldreleaseitin2020.Rogersalsoindicatedthatitwashighpriorityduetothehighdemandfordownlink.TELUSindicatedthatitwasamedium-highpriority.Discussion

ISEDbelievesthatL-bandwillbeanimportantbandforfuture5Gdeploymentsasitisgloballyharmonizedandthereisexpectedtobeaglobalequipmentecosystem.ISEDconsidersthattheL-bandorportionsthereofcouldbereleasedforfixedandmobileuse,giventhatthereislittlecurrentuseofthisbandinCanada.However,therearepotentialinterferenceissuesattheborderastheUnitedStatescurrentlyoperatesaeronauticalmobiletelemetryintheband,whichinternationallyhaspriorityoverthemobileserviceinaportionoftheL-band.ISEDintendstobeginworkwiththeUnitedStatestodevelopacross-borderarrangementforthisband,withaviewtoreleasingitforflexiblefixedandmobileuseinCanadaassoonaspossible.Asthisprocesshasthepotentialtocontinuebeyond2022,thisbandisconsideredasPriority2. 8.2.21500MHzand1600MHzAncil laryTerrestrial Component(ATC)bands ISEDreceivedcommentsonATCinitiativesinthebands1525-1559MHzpairedwith1626.5-1660.5MHz(1500MHz)and1610.5-1626.5MHzpairedwith2483.5-2500MHz(1600MHz),aswellasonU.S.developmentsinthe1670-1680MHzband.Currentuse:The1525-1559MHzand1626.5-1660.5MHzand1610.5-1626.5MHzand2483.5-2500MHzbandsarecurrentlyusedtoprovideMSSservicesinCanada,andhavebeenforanumberofyears.Specifically,portionsofthebands1525-1559MHzand1626.5-1660.5MHzarebeingusedbyInmarsatandLigadoNetworksforMSS,whilethe2483.5-2500MHzbandandportionsofthe1610.5-1626.5MHzbandarebeingusedbyGlobalstarCanadaforMSS.InJanuary2017,ISEDreceivedalicenceapplicationforATCfromGlobalstarCanada,whichsoughtrulechangesforoperatinglow-powerATCintheirlicensedband(2483.5-2500MHz).ATCisalreadyallowedinthesebandsasperRP-023–SpectrumandLicensingPolicytoPermitAncillaryterrestrialMobileServicesasPartofMobile-SatelliteServiceOfferingsandISEDisintendingtoconsultonchangestothispolicyinthenearterm.Internationalcontext:ISEDnotesthatCanadianMSSoperatorsmustcoordinatetheiruseoftheseMSSbandswithotherMSSoperatorsinternationally,whichisthereasonthattheyareonlyusingportionsofthesebandsinmostcases.Thereiscurrentlynoprimarymobileserviceallocationinthe1525-1559MHzand1626.5-1660.5MHzbands.InApril2016,theUnitedStatesissuedapublicconsultation(DA-16-442)onanapplicationbyLigadotomodifytheATCofitsL-bandMSSnetworksinthebands1525-1559MHzand1626-1660.5MHztominimizethepotentialinterferencetoGPSsystemsoperatinginthebandandallowthemtodeployabroadbandnetwork.Atthesametime,theUnitedStatesalsopublishedaconsultation(DA-16-443)onLigado’srequestthattheFCCinitiatearulemakingtoallocate1675-1680MHzbandforterrestrialmobileusesharedwithfederaluse.Thiswouldallowa10megahertzcontiguousblockofspectrum(1670-1680MHz),asthe1670-1675MHzbandwasalreadyallocatedandauctionedforterrestrialmobileuseintheUnitedStates.Todate,theFCChasnotmadeadecisionontheseconsultations.InDecember2016,theFCCmodifieditsrulestograntGlobalstar’sATCrequestinthe2485.5-2495MHzbandwithaconditionoflicencethatMSSservicesbemaintained.


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Potentialequipmentecosystem:EcosystemsforterrestrialmobileuseintheMSS/ATCbandsarecurrentlybeingdiscussedanddeveloped,andareexpectedtobedependentonsufficientglobalspectrumavailability.Summaryof commentsRogersproposedthatISEDshouldmonitortheongoingproceedingsintheUnitedStates,andanyfurtheractionsfromtheFCCregardingeffortsbyLigadoandGlobalstartooffermobileservicesintheirMSSspectrum.WithrespecttoLigado’srequesttoallocatethe1675-1680MHzbandforcommercialmobileuse,RogersproposedthatshouldLigadobesuccessfulintheUnitedStates,ISEDshouldalsoconsidermakingthisspectrumavailableforcommercialmobileservicesinCanada.Initsreplycomments,BellsupportedRogers’proposal.Nootherrespondentsaddressedthesebands.DiscussionRecognizingthecurrentMSSuseinthe1500MHzand1600MHzbands,aswellascontinuedinterestbyMSSoperatorsinfurtherusingthesebandsforATCwithinthenextfiveyears,facilitatingadditionaluseinthesebandsisconsideredPriority1.ISEDwillinitiateareviewofRP-023inlate2019,withaviewtoenablingfurtheruseofthesebandswherepossible,whilerecognizingtheongoingimportanceofprovidingMSSservices.Withrespecttothe1675-1680MHzband,ISEDwillcloselymonitorthedevelopmentsintheUnitedStates 8.2.3AWS-2andAWS-3unpairedTheOutlookConsultationproposedthatthebands1915-1920MHzand1995-2000MHz(AWS-2,orH-Block)and1695-1710MHz(AWS-3unpaired)couldbereleasedforcommercialmobile.Currentuse:In2007,throughDGTP-002-07,ConsultationonaFrameworktoAuctionSpectruminthe2GHzRangeincludingAdvancedWirelessServices,AWS-2wasdesignatedforcommercialmobileuseandwasheldinreserveuntiltechnicalissuesrelatedtopossibleinterferencewithexistingPCSuse(resultingfromthenarrowduplexseparation)andwithmobile-satelliteserviceabove2000MHzwereaddressed.TheAWS-3unpairedspectrumisallocatedtometeorologicalaidsandmeteorological-satellite(space-to-earth)services.Varioussystems,suchasmeteorologicalearthstationsandweatherballoons,aredeployedinthisband.Aswell,thefrequencyband1700-1710MHzisusedforlow-capacitypoint-to-pointmicrowavesystems,suchasone-wayaudiostudiotransmitterlinks.Internationalcontext:AWS-2orH-BlockwasauctionedintheUnitedStatesinearly2014,withonemajornationallicensee.TheAWS-3unpairedbandwasalsoauctionedintheUnitedStatesin2014aspartofitsAWS-3auction.Thisblockwasunpaired,andthemajorityofthelicenceswereassignedtothesamelicenseeastheH-Block.Potentialequipmentecosystem:IntheUnitedStates,theAWS-2andtheAWS-3unpaired,inadditiontotheAWS-4(2000-2020MHzand2180-2200MHz)spectrum,areheldbythesamelicenseenationwide.Assuch,theexpectedequipmentecosystemsfortheseblocksofspectrumarelinkedand3GPPbandclass70pairstheband1695-1710MHz(AWS-3unpaired)with1995-2020MHz(upperportionofH-blockandlowerportionofAWS-4).Summaryof commentsNokia,SaskTel,SogetelandTELUSallsupportedthereleaseofAWS-2andAWS-3unpairedforcommercialmobile.SaskTelclassifieditasalow-prioritywhileTELUSconsidereditamedium-priority.TerreStarindicatedthattheAWS-2andAWS-3unpairedspectrumshouldbeforfixedandmobileuse,andthatitshouldbeahighpriorityforrelease.RogerssupportedthereleaseofAWS-3unpairedforcommercialmobileasahighpriority.ForAWS-2,BellMobilityrecommendedthatISED


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waituntilthestatusofthisspectrumbecomesmorecertainintheUnitedStatesbeforeinitiatingalicensingprocess,andforAWS-3theyagreedthatthisbandshouldbeauctionedoncetheequipmentecosystemisestablished.TELUSindicatedthatH-BlockcouldbeusedeitherwithotherbandsthroughcarrieraggregationorwithAWS-3.Giventhis,itrecommendedthatH-Blockbereleasedthroughacompetitivelicensingprocess.Discussion

ISEDdoesnotintendtomoveforwardtowardsthereleaseofthesebandsuntilthereismoreclarityregardingapotentialequipmentecosystem,inparticulargiventhelinkagestoAWS-4spectrum.Therefore,pendingfurtherdevelopmentsintheUnitedStates,ISEDconsidersthesebandsasPriority3.8.2.43500MHzand3800MHzISEDindicatedintheOutlookConsultationthatitwouldreviewthefrequencyrangesfrom3400-4200MHztoconsiderreleasingit,orportionsthereofforcommercialmobileandfixeduse.ISEDisdefiningthe3500MHzbandasthefrequencyrange3450-3650MHz,andthe3800MHzbandasthefrequencyrangeof3650-4200MHz.The3400-3450MHzisbandbeingtreatedseparately.Currentuse:Thefrequencyrangefrom3400-4200MHziscurrentlyusedforradiolocation,fixedpoint-to-point,FWA,WBSandtheFSSsystems.The3400-3475MHzportionofthebandisreservedforuseforaeronauticalandmaritimeradars,althoughsomeradarsalsooperateashighas3650MHz.Theband3475-3650MHziscurrentlybeingusedforFWAsystems;however,inDGSO-007-14,DecisionsRegardingPolicyChangesinthe3500MHzband(3475-3650MHz)andaNewLicensingProcess(referredtoasthe2014Decision),ISEDindicatedthisbandwillbesubjecttoafutureconsultationformobileuse.Tothisend,ISEDpublishedSLPB-004-18,ConsultationonRevisionstothe3500MHzBandtoAccommodateFlexibleUseandPreliminaryConsultationonChangestothe3800MHzBand(3500/3800MHzConsultation).Theband3650-3700MHzisavailableforWBS,whichislicensedonasharedbasisandcanbeusedforbothfixedandmobileapplications.Therearecurrentlylimitedfixedpoint-to-pointlinksinoperationinthe3400-3475MHzand3700-4200MHzportionsoftheband.Theband3700-4200MHzisprimarilyusedbytheFSSforthedeliveryofbroadbandservicesaswellasfeederlinksfortelevisionbroadcasts.Inaddition,thereareunlicensedbroadcastreceiversusedtoreceiveTVprogramingfromsatellites,whichareusedtodistributeTVprogrammingovercableinfrastructureorinbroadcaststudiostoreceivemultimediatocreateprogramming.Internationalcontext: Portionsofthe3500MHzand3800MHzbandsareeitheralreadyavailableorbeingmadeavailableforcommercialmobileorflexibleuseinseveralcountries,includingtheUnitedStates,theUnitedKingdom,Australia,Ireland,Japan,SouthKorea,ChinaandSingapore.The3500MHzand3800MHzbandsareviewedaskeyspectrumtosupport5Gtechnologies,andmanycountrieshavebegunworktomakethisspectrumavailableforthispurpose. In2015,theFCCmadethe3550-3700MHzband(150MHz)availableforflexibleuseonasharedbasisthroughadatabase-supportedauthorizationsystem,knownastheCitizenBroadbandRadioService(CBRS).InAugust,2017,anNOI,ExpandingFlexibleUseinMid-BandSpectrumBetween3.7and24GHz,indicatedtheFCCwasexploringtheopportunitytoexpandCBRSupto4200MHz.InOctober2017,theFCClaunchedaconsultationonpotentialchangestothelicensingrulesinthisbandtosupport5Gdeployments,astheoriginalframeworkwasdevelopedbeforeitwasapparentthatthe3500MHzbandwouldplayasignificantroleasoneofthekeymid-rangebandsfor5Gnetworkdeploymentsthroughouttheworld.InNovember2016,theEuropeanCommission’sRadioSpectrumPolicyGroup(RSPG)providedanOpiniononspectrumrelatedaspectsfornext-generationwirelesssystems(5G).TheOpinionstatedthattheRSPGconsidersthe3400-3800MHzbandastheprimarysuitablebandfortheintroductionof5GtechnologiesinEuropeSeveralEuropeancountrieshave


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recentlyreleasedorannouncedaplantoreleaseportionsoftheband3400-3800MHzforflexiblefixedandmobileusethroughcompetitiveprocesses. Equipmentecosystem: Therearecurrentlythree3GPPLTETDDbandclassesavailablethatcoverpotionsofthe3500MHzand3800MHzbands.Thebands3400-3600MHzand3600-3800MHzbandsarecoveredbybandclasses42and43,respectively.Bandclass48coverstheU.S.3550-3700MHzband.FixedLTEequipmenthasexistedforsignificantperiodsoftimeforbands42and43.LTEfixedandmobileequipmentisbeingdevelopedforband48.Therearealsotwo3GPP5GTDDbandclassesthatcoverthe3500MHzand3800MHzbands.Theband3300-4200MHzisbandclassn77andtheband3300-3800MHzisbandclassn78.Summaryof commentsStakeholdersweresupportiveofISEDreviewingtheentirefrequencyrange3400-4200MHz.Cisco,Cogeco,Nokia,Qualcomm,Québecor,SaskTel,Shaw,SogetelandTELUSindicatedthatthereleaseofthe3500MHzbandisahighpriority.Cisco,Nokia,Qualcomm,Québecor,SaskTelandShawindicatedtheimportanceofthebandforcommercialmobile,whileBell,Cogeco,RogersandTELUSsuggestedmakingitavailableforflexibleuse.Bellsuggestedmakingfrequencyrange3400-3800MHzavailableforflexibleuseandreallocatingtheexistingC-Bandsatelliteusersintothefrequencyrangefrom3800-4200MHz.Cogeco,Rogers,SogetelandXplornetsuggestedthatISEDharmonizethebandinCanadawithframeworksadoptedintherestoftheworld.TELUSstatedthatCanadaisinaprimepositiontoimmediatelyembarkontheprocessofreleasingthebandforflexibleusewithdifferentportionsofthebandbeingreleasedatdifferenttimes.Morespecifically,TELUSsuggestedthatISEDreleasethe3475-3650MHzbandbymid-2019,andconsultonthefull3400-4200MHzbandinthelongerterm.DSA,MicrosoftandMotorolaproposedthatISEDadoptadatabaseapproachforthisbandliketheUnitedStates.Microsoftarguedthatitwouldnotrequirere-bandingorrelocationofincumbentservice.DSAsuggestedthatISEDadoptathree-tiers-of-accessspectrummanagementframeworkforthe3550-3700MHzfrequencybandthatisharmonizedwiththeUnitedStates.DSAalsosuggestedthatISEDconsiderrulechangesthatwillfacilitatethefixedservicesharingspectrumwithFSSdownlinksinthe3700-4200MHzfrequencybandthroughasimpledatabasecoordinationprocess.BCBA,CapeBretonRegionalMunicipality,FireServiceAssociationofNovaScotia,MunicipalityoftheCountyofAntigonish,MunicipalityoftheCountyofColchester,MunicipalityoftheCountyofCumberland,MunicipalityoftheCountyofRichmond,MunicipalityoftheCountyofVictoria,EOWCandEORN,andSeasideWirelessurgedISEDtoensurecontinuedequitableaccessforFWAprovidersinthe3500MHzband.CanWISPproposedthatISEDexpandthecurrentWBSbandrulesintotheband3700-4200MHztoallowforincreasedFWAdeploymentinruralareas.SESandTelesatindicatedthatsatelliteuseofthisbandshouldbeprotected.However,noneofthestakeholdersindicatedoppositiontoreviewingtheuseoftheband.Discussion

Commentsreceivedindicatedastronginterestinreleasingthe3500MHzbandforflexibleuseasquicklyaspossible.Giventheinternationalinterestinthe3500MHzbandwiththeexpectationofitbeingakeybandforthedevelopmentof5Gservicesandtheexpectedtimelineforaglobalequipmentecosystem,aswellasdomesticinterestinthisband,ISEDconsiders3500MHzasPriority1andhasreleasedthe3500/3800MHzConsultationonaccommodatingflexibleuseinthe3500MHzband.ISEDisanticipating3500MHzspectrumwillbereleasedforflexibleuseinlate2020.


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ISEDconsidersthe3800MHzbandasPriority2,andhasbegunapreliminaryreviewofthebandaspartofthe3500/3800MHzConsultation.8.2.55GHz TheOutlookConsultationdiscussedthe5GHz(5150-5925MHz)bandbutdidnotproposeanyspecificchangestothebandpendingpotentialoutcomesofWRC-19.However,ISEDdidreceivecommentsproposingthatdifferentportionsofthe5GHzbandbemadeavailableforlicence-exemptdevices.Currentuse:InCanada,thefrequencybands5150-5350MHz,5470-5600MHz,and5650-5850MHzareavailableforlicence-exemptapplications,inparticularforRadioLocalAreaNetwork(RLAN)devices,typicallyWi-Fidevices,andthecurrenttechnicalrulesarealignedwiththeinternationalframework(i.e.RadioRegulations).ISEDisactivelyparticipatinginthediscussionregardingtechnicalchangestothesebandsandwillconsultonanychangesmadeatWRC-19.However,ISEDpreviouslyreceivedsomeexpressionsofinterestfromCanadianstakeholderstoconsiderchangestothe5150-5250MHzband.Therefore,followingaconsultation,ISEDreleasedSMSE-013-17,DecisionontheTechnicalandPolicyFrameworkforRadioLocalAreaNetworkDevicesOperatinginthe5150-5250MHzFrequencyBand,whichmodifiedthetechnicalandpolicyframeworkforRLANdevicesoperatinginthe5150-5250MHzfrequencybandtoallowtheuseofhigherpowerRLANdevices,bothindoorandoutdoor,underalicensedregime.The5350-5470MHzbandisusedbytheCanadianSpaceAgency’sRADARSATearthexplorationsatellites.Thesesatellitesprovideimagesoftheearthfromspaceandallowformapping,marinesurveillance,iceandenvironmentalmonitoring,anddisasterandresourcemanagement.TheRADARSATsatellitesprovidedatatotheGovernmentofCanada,aswellastomanyagenciesintheUnitedStatesandtoprivateusersworldwide.ThisbandhasbeenthesubjectofyearsofdomesticandinternationalworktofindsuitablemitigationmeasurestoensureprotectionofRADARSAT,andISEDwillcontinuetheseeffortsleadingintoWRC-19.Thereiscurrentlynoprimarymobileallocationinthissub-band,andEESS(active)allocationsinthebands5350-5460MHzand5460-5470MHzareessentialforEarth-observationprograms,includingRADARSAT,whosedataisvitalforreliableandup-to-dateinformationonhowourplanetanditsclimatearechanging.AspertheCTFA,the5600-5650MHzbandisallocatedtomaritimeradionavigation,mobile(exceptaeronauticalmobile)andradiolocation.Currently,thisbandislicensedandusedbyEnvironmentCanadaforweatherradars.RadioStandardSpecifications(RSS)-247,DigitalTransmissionSystems(DTSs),FrequencyHoppingSystems(FHSs)andLicence-ExemptLocalAreaNetwork(LE-LAN)DevicesdoesnotallowRLANdevicestotransmitinthe5600-5650MHzfrequencybandtoensureEnvironmentCanada’sweatherradarsareprotectedaccordingly.InCanadaandintheUnitedStates,theband5850-5925MHzisdesignatedforusebydedicatedshort-rangecommunications(DSRC)insupportofintelligenttransportsystems(ITS).TheITUdefinesITSassystemsthatutilizeacombinationofcomputers,communications,positioningandautomationtechnologiestoimprovethesafety,managementandefficiencyofterrestrialtransportation.ManyITSapplicationsrequireradiospectrum,sincetheyinvolvecommunicationswithmovingvehicles.DSRCdeploymentsbeganin2017.Assuch,throughSAB-001-17,DisplacementofExistingFixedServiceAssignmentsintheFrequencyBand5850–5925MHz,ISEDallowedtheintroductionofvehicle-mountedDSRCdevicesintheband5850-5925MHzandinitiatedthedisplacementoffixedserviceassignmentsinthatfrequencyrange.Internationalcontext:Internationally,the5GHzrangeissub-dividedintoanumberoffrequencybands,eachallocatedtovariousservices.Withinthisrange,thefrequencybands5150-5350MHzand5470-5850MHzareavailableforRLANandaretypicallyusedforlicence-exemptapplications(e.g.Wi-Fi,LTE-UandLTE-LAA).Giventhevarietyofincumbentservicessharingthebands5150-5350MHzand5470-5850MHz(e.g.radars,EESSandMSS),therearedifferentmeasures(e.g.powerlevelrestrictions,arequirementtousedynamicfrequencyselectionandlimitationsonoutdooruse)inplaceinthese


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bandstofacilitatethecoexistencebetweenlicence-exemptdevicesandotherservices.WRC-19agendaitem1.16willconsiderwhetherrestrictionsinsomeofthesebandscanberelaxedtofacilitateRLANusewhilecontinuingtoensurecoexistencewithotherservices.Inaddition,in5GHzfrequencybandsthatarenotcurrentlyavailableforRLAN(i.e.5350-5470MHz,and5850-5925MHz),WRC-19agendaitem1.16willalsoaddresswhetherornotmitigationmeasurescanbeadoptedtoenabletheintroductionofnewRLANuses,whileensuringprotectionofotherexistingandplannedservices.IntheUnitedStates,asinCanada,the5850-5925MHzbandisdesignatedforusebyDSRCinsupportofITS.TheFCCiscurrentlyundertakingastudytoassessthepossiblecoexistenceofWi-FiwithDSRCtechnologyinthe5850-5925MHzband.Dependingonthefindingsofthatstudy,possibleapproachesofsharingcouldinclude“detectandavoid”whereDSRCsignalsaredetectedanduseofthechannelisavoidedupondetection;or“re-channelization”wheresafetycriticalcommunicationismigratedtotheuppersectionoftheband,andthelowerpartofthebandwouldbesharedwithnon-criticalcommunications.Onaworldwidelevel,cellularvehicle-to-anything(C-V2X)typecommunication,developedby3GPP,isgainingtraction.C-V2Xisdesignedtooperateinthe5850-5925MHztoalsosupportITS.C-V2Xisbeingadoptedbymembersofthe5GAutomotiveAssociation,whichisaglobal,cross-industryorganizationofcompaniesfromtheautomotive,technology,andtelecommunicationsindustrieswhoareseekingtodevelopend-to-endsolutionsforfuturemobilityandtransportationservices.Potentialequipmentecosystem:Thereiscurrentlyagloballyharmonizedequipmentecosystemforthebands5150-5350MHzand5470-5850MHzforWi-Fi.TherearetwoTDDLTEbandclassesinthe5GHzrange.Bandclass46coversthewholerangeof5150-5925MHz,andbandclass47coverstheDSRCportion5855-5925MHz.IntheUnited-States,DSRCtechnologyisauthorizedforbothon-boardunitsandroad-sideunitsintheband5850-5925MHz.TherehavealsobeendevelopmentstousethisbandforcellularbasedC-V2XtypecommunicationsinsupportofITS.Inparticular,3GPPrecentlydevelopeditsRelease14specifications,whichfacilitateC-V2X.ShouldWRC-19adoptchangesfortheexisting5GHzbandsormakenewbandsavailable,ISEDexpectsthattheWi-FiindustrywillmakeequipmentavailablewithintwotothreeyearsofthefollowingWRC.Summaryof commentsMostrespondentsidentified5GHzasoneofthelicence-exemptbandsthatwillseethemostevolutionoverthenextfiveyears.Respondentsalsoanticipatethetrendofofferingcarrier-gradeormanagedWi-Fitogrow,andthe5GHzbandtobeaffectedbythistrend.CanWISP,DSA,Microsoft,QuébecorandTelradNetworkscommentedontheanticipatedcongestionofthe5GHzband.CogecoCommunications,MicrosoftandShawbroadlysupportedthereleaseofadditionalspectruminthe5GHzband.DSAproposedthatCanadasupportoutdoorandhigherpowerRLANinthe5150-5350MHzbandatWRC-19(agendaitem1.16).Shaw,intheirreplycomments,indicatedthatISEDshouldensurethathigherpoweroutdooruseofRLANinthe5150-5250MHzbandnotbeimpactedbytheoutcomeofWRC-19.BellalsosupportedtheuseofhigherpowerRLANdevicesbothindoorandoutdoorunderalicensedregimebasis.CiscoarguedthatthelimitedaccesstohigherpowerWi-Fidevicesinthe5150-5250MHz,andtheuseofthe5600-5650MHzsolelyforweatherradars,provideCanadianswithslowerWi-FispeedscomparedtotheUnitedStates.


31

QuébecorandWi-FiAlliancesupportedthereleaseof5350-5470MHzforlicence-exemptuse.CiscoandShawurgedISEDtoallowRLANdevicesinthe5600-5650MHzfrequencyband.Québecor,RogersandShawsupportedthesharingofRLANSwithDRSCinthe5850-5925MHzfrequencyband,whileQuébecorsupportedthereleaseofthebandforlicence-exemptuse.DiscussionISEDisactivelyparticipatingintheWRC-19agendaitem1.16discussions,whichaddressthepotentialadoptionofmitigationmeasurestoenabletheintroductionofnewRLANuses,whileensuringprotectionofotherexistingandplannedservicesinthe5GHzband.Shouldadditional5GHzbandsbemadeavailableatWRC-19forwirelesslocalareanetworkapplications,ISEDwillconsideriftheyshouldalsobemadeavailableinCanadaatthattime.Recognizingtheimportanceofallocatingandreservingspectrumforthesafedeploymentofconnectedvehicles,ISEDwillcontinuetoreservethe5850-5925MHzspectrumforconnectedvehicleapplications.Anyadditionaluseofthisspectrumforotherapplications,suchasWi-Fi,wouldonlybepermittedifISEDisconfidentthatcoexistencewithinthebandispossible.Broadconsultationwithaffectedstakeholders,includingtheautomotiveandwirelessindustries,connectedvehicleequipmentmanufacturers,andotherlevelsofgovernmentwouldberequiredaspartofthisdetermination.ISEDmayconsidertheuseoflicence-exemptdevicesinthe5600-5650MHzbandatanopportunetime.Duetouncertaintysurroundingthefutureinternationalframeworkandpotentialforcoexistencewithotherservices,ISEDconsidersthe5GHzbandasPriority3,butmayadvancetheworkdependingontheoutcomeofWRC-19andotheractivitiesinthisband.8.2.66GHz The6GHz(5925-6415MHzand6415-7125MHz)bandwasnotdiscussedintheOutlookConsultation.However,ISEDreceivedseveralcommentsproposingthereleaseofthisbandinthenextfiveyearsforcommercialmobileand/orlicence-exemptuse.Currentuse:InCanada,5925-7125MHzisusedforfixedservicesandFSS.Thebands5925-6425MHzand6425-7125MHzareheavilyusedfortwo-waybackhaul,with6425-7125MHzalsousedforTVauxiliaryservicesandstudiotransmitterlinks.Theband5925-6425MHzistheupperportionoftheC-band(typicallypairedwith3700-4200MHz),whichisusedforuplinkcommunicationforFSSforthedeliveryofbroadbandservicesandtodistributeTVprograming.Internationalcontext: InAugust2017,theFCCreleasedanNOI,ExpandingFlexibleUseinMid-BandSpectrumBetween3.7and24GHzinwhichitsoughtcommentsforflexibleaccess,particularlyforwirelessbroadbandservices,inthe3.7to24GHzband.Whilecommentsweresoughtforthefull3.7to24GHzband,theNOIfocusedmainlyonthe5925-6415MHzand6415-7125MHzbandssincestakeholdershadalreadyexpressedinterestinadditionalflexiblebroadbanduseofthesebands.TheFCCsoughtcommentsregardingthepotentialforflexiblewirelessbroadbanduseof5925-6415MHzandformoreintensiveterrestrialfixedormobileuseoftheband6415-7125MHzband,withafocusforpotentiallicence-exemptusessuchasWi-Fi,LTE-UandLTE-LAA.In2017,theECCbeganaworkitemexaminingthefeasibilityofintroducinglowerpowerwirelessaccesssystems(WAS)includingRLANs,inthe5925-6425MHzband(WAS/RLAN6GHz).Potentialequipmentecosystem: ISEDisnotawareofcommerciallyavailableequipmentthatwouldoperateinalicence-exemptfashioninthe6GHzband.However,asindicatedabove,thereis ageneralinterestinconsideringthe6GHzbandforlicence-exemptandflexibleuseintheUnitedStatesandinEurope.


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Summaryof comments

Commentsregardingthe6GHzbandweredividedinthreemainthemes.Ingeneral,manufacturersrecommendedlicence-exemptuseoftheband,serviceprovidersproposedflexibleorcommercialmobileuseandincumbentsrequestedprotectionoftheirexistingsystemsifnewservicesareintroducedinthe6GHzband.Cisco,DSA,Facebook,Microsoft,ShawandWi-FiAlliancespecificallyrecommendedthatISEDallowlicence-exempttechnologiesinthisband.CiscoandDSAcommentedthatthe6GHzbandbeingadjacenttothe5GHzbandcouldresultinareductioninequipmentcosts,especiallyforWi-Fitypedevices.Microsoftexpressedthatthe6GHzbandwasanopportunitytoaddressanticipatedcongestioninthe5GHzlicence-exemptbands.

BellMobilitysupportedflexibleuseofthebandandBellandRogerssuggestedISEDwaitfortheoutcomeoftheUnitedStatesandotherinternationalconsultationsonthisbandbeforemakingafinaldetermination.Ingeneral,TELUSsupportedflexibleorcommercialmobileuse.Althoughtheypreferalicensedregime,TELUSwouldsupportlicence-exemptuseifthisapproachistakenintheUnitedStatesandothercountries.

SESandTelesat,inreplytoinitialcomments,recommendedthatISEDcarefullystudypossiblecoexistencebetweenlicence-exemptdevicesandincumbentspriortoinitiatingaconsultationforthe6GHzband,inlightofinterferenceconcerns.Initsreplycomments,Rogersstressedtheessentialneedforfixedbackhaulservicesinthe6GHzband.Decawavementionedthattheircustomersusethebandtodesign,manufactureanddeployultra-widebandequipmentandisveryconcernedthattheseexistingandrapidlyexpandingdeploymentswillbeseverelydisruptedifnewhigher-poweredunlicensedtransmittersareallowedinthe6GHzband.

Discussion

ISEDrecognizesthatthe6GHzbandiscurrentlyheavilyusedforbackhaulandsatellitecommunications.However,ISEDisoftheviewthatco-existenceofthisbandbetweenexistingandcertainnewservicesmaybepossibledependingonthetechnicalandoperationalcharacteristicsthatareimplementedintheequipmenttoprotectexistingservices.Therefore,ISEDwillcontinuetomonitortheUnitedStatesandotherinternationaldevelopmentsofthe6GHzband,andwillrevisitthepriorityofthebandshouldtherebesignificantadvancementsinternationally.Basedoncurrentlyavailableinformation,ISEDconsidersthisbandasPriority3.

8.3 High-bandspectrum

Releasingspectruminhighbandswillallowserviceproviderstoobtainlargeblocksofspectrumtoincreasethecapacityandqualityoftheirnetworks,andwillpromoteinnovationbysupportingnewtechnologiesandbusinessmodels.

Thereissignificantinterestinternationallyinreleasinghigh-bandormmWavespectrum,particularlyabove20GHz,forallfouroftheservicesandapplicationsthatwereconsideredintheOutlookConsultation.Basedonthepropagationcharacteristicsofthesebandsandtheexpectedevolutionoftechnologiesandtechniquesthatcanfacilitatespectrumsharingbetweendifferentservices,thereisinterestinternationallyinusingthesebandsformultipleserviceswhereverpossible.

OfparticularimportanceisthatWRC-19willconsiderfivedifferentagendaitemsfordifferentserviceswithstudiesinoverlappingfrequencybandsabove20GHz:

§ Agendaitem1.5:toconsidertheuseofthefrequencyband27.5-29.5GHz(Earth-to-space)byESIMcommunicatingwithgeostationaryspacestationsinthefixed-satelliteservice.Theband17.7-17.9GHz(space-to-Earth)willalsobeconsideredaspartofthisagendaitem.


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§ Agendaitem1.6:toconsiderthedevelopmentofaregulatoryframeworkforNGSOFSSsatellitesystems§ Agendaitem1.13:toconsideridentificationoffrequencybandsforthefuturedevelopmentofIMT§ Agendaitem1.14:toconsiderappropriateregulatoryactionsforhigh-altitudeplatformstations(HAPS)§ Agendaitem9.1issue9.1.9:toconsiderspectrumneedsandpossibleallocationofthefrequencyband51.4-52.4

GHztothefixed-satelliteservice(Earth-to-space)

Table1belowshowsthefrequencybandsthatarebeingconsideredundereachagendaitem,andwherebandsarebeingconsideredundermultipleagendaitems.

Table1: WRC-19agendaitemsrelatedtofrequencybandsabove20GHz

Agendaitem1.5ESIM

Agendaitem1.6NGSOFSS

Agendaitem1.13IMT

Agendaitem1.14HAPS

Agendaitem9.1issue9.1.9

FSS

21.4-22GHz

24.25-27.5GHz24.25-27.5GHz(Region2only)

27.5-29.5GHz

31.8-33.4GHz

37.5-42.5GHz(space-to-Earth) 37-42.5GHz 38-39.5GHz

42.5-43.5GHz

45.5-47GHz

47-47.2GHz

47.2-50.2GHz(Earth-to-space) 47.2-50.2GHz

50.4-51.4GHz(Earth-to-space) 50.4-52.6GHz 51.4-52.4GHz

(Earth-to-space)

66-76GHz

81-86GHz

Canadaisactivelyinvolved,bothdomesticallyandinternationally,inworkrelatedtotheseagendaitems.Thesefrequencybandswillbereviewed,basedbothontheirpotentialcontributiontowardsglobalspectrumharmonizationaswellastheirimpactonexistingusers.ItisanticipatedthatWRC-19willfindsufficientspectrumand/oradjusttheregulatoryframeworktosupporttheseservices.

InadditiontotheworkunderwayattheITU,severalcountrieshavealsostartedtoconsiderorreleasebandsabove20GHzforfixedservice,mobileserviceandlicence-exemptapplicationsinpreparationforthe5Gapplicationsthatrequirehighthroughputovershortdistance.


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InJuly2016,theFCCreleasedtheSpectrumFrontiersReportandOrder(R&O)andFurtherNoticeofProposedRulemaking(FNPRM)regardingtheuseoffrequencybandsabove24GHz.AspartoftheR&O,theFCCmadethe28GHz(27.5-28.35GHz),37GHz(37-38.6GHz)and38GHz(38.6-40GHz)bandsavailableforflexiblemobileandfixeduse,theband64-71GHzavailableforlicence-exemptuse.IntheFNPRM,theFCCsoughtcommentsonauthorizingfixedandmobileuseofthefollowingbands:24.25-24.45GHztogetherwith24.75-25.25GHz(24GHzband),31.8-33GHz(32GHzband),42-42.5GHz(42GHzband),47.2-50.2GHz(47GHzband),50.4-52.6GHz(50GHzband),andthe71-76GHzbandtogetherwiththe81-86GHzbands(70/80GHzbands).Inaddition,theysoughtcommentsonthepossibilityofusingsomeofthesebandsforlicence-exempt,aswellasontheuseofbandsabove95GHz.Followingthis,theFCCreleasedaSecondR&O,SecondFNPRMandMemorandumOpinionandOrderinNovember2017.IntheSecondR&O,theFCCmadethe24GHzand47GHzbandsavailableforflexibleterrestrialwirelessuse.IntheSecondFNRPM,theFCCisseekingcommentstoallowmoreflexibleFSSuseofthe24.75-25.25GHzband.IntheMemorandumOpinionandOrder,theFCCmaintainedthebands48.2-50.2GHzand40-42GHzascoresatellitebands(includingenduserdevices).InApril2018,theFCCmadethepre-auctionannouncementforthemmWavebands28GHzand24GHz.The28GHzbandwillbeauctionedfirstinNovember2018andthen,shortlythereafter,the24GHzband.InNovember2016,theEuropeanCommission’sRSPGprovidedanOpiniononspectrumrelatedaspectsfornext-generationwirelesssystems(5G),whichrecommendedthatEuropedevelopharmonizationmeasuresforthefrequencyband24.25-27.5GHzbefore2020,andthatthefrequencybands31.8-33.4GHzand40.5-43.5GHzshouldnotbefurtherencumberedsoasnottoprecludemakingthemavailablefor5Ginthefuture.AspartoftheUnitedKingdom’sOfficeofCommunications’2016updateoftheirMobileDataStrategy,theyindicatedthatthebandsabove24GHzareahighpriorityandthatitisexaminingwhethereither24.5-27.5GHzor31.8-33.4GHzcouldbeutilisedforearlyimplementation.AspartoftheOutlookConsultation,ISEDproposedthatallofthesebandscouldbeconsideredforpotentialreleaseinthenextfiveyears.Thefollowingprovidesanoverviewandasummaryofcommentsreceivedforeachband,aswellasISED’splanforreleasinghigh-bandspectrumforthedifferentservices.8.3.1Extended23GHzTheOutlookConsultationdidnotdiscussanypotentialnewusesofthebands21.2-21.8GHzand22.4-23GHz(Extended23GHz).However,ISEDreceivedcommentsindicatingthattheyshouldbeconsideredforreleaseforbackhauluse.Currentuse:Theband21.2-21.4GHzisallocatedtotheEESS(passive),fixedserviceandspaceresearch(passive)onaco-primarybasis.Theband21.4-21.8GHzisallocatedtothefixedserviceonaprimarybasis.Theband22.4-22.5GHzisallocatedtheEESS(passive),fixedservice,radioastronomyandspaceresearch(passive)onaco-primarybasis.Theband22.5-22.55GHzisallocatedtofixedserviceonaprimarybasis.Theband22.55-23GHzisallocatedtotheinter-satelliteservice,fixedserviceandspaceresearch(Earth-to-space)onaco-primarybasis.SP23/38GHz,SpectrumPolicyandLicensingConsiderations,FixedRadioSystemsinthe23GHzand38GHzFrequencyBandsdesignatedthebands21.2-21.6GHzand22.4-22.8GHzforMCSandreservedthebands21.6-21.8GHzand22.8-23GHzforfuturedesignation.Thebands21.2-21.8GHzand22.4-23GHzarecurrentlylightlyused.Internationalcontext:TheExtended23GHzbandisavailableforbackhaulintheUnitedStates.Potentialequipmentecosystem:Thereiscurrentlybackhaulequipmentavailablethatcoverstherange21.2-21.8GHzand22.4-23GHz,aswellastheadjacentbands21.8-22.4GHzand23-23.6GHz.


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Summaryof commentsEricssonandtheRABCproposedthatthesebandsbereleasedforbackhauluse.EricssonproposedthatISEDreleasethemimmediatelyasotherbackhaulspectrumiscongestedandheavilyused,andsincethereisanequipmentecosystemreadilyavailable.TheRABCindicatedthataddingthesebandswouldextendtheexisting23GHzbackhaulbandandnotedthatthesebandsarecurrentlyvacant.Discussion

Asdiscussedinsection6.5,itisexpectedthattherewillbeaneedforadditionalbackhaulspectrumtoaccommodatetheexpectedincreaseindemandoverthenextfiveyears.Thebands21.2-21.8GHzand22.4-23GHzcanbeusedtoincreasetheamountofbackhaulspectrumavailablesincetheyareanaturalextensiontotheexisting23GHzbackhaulband,andhavereadilyavailableequipment.However,ISEDmustconsiderthepotentialimpactofbackhaulontheotherservicescurrentlyusingtheband.ISEDconsiderstheExtended23GHzbandasPriority2forpotentialbackhauluse.8.3.224GHzand26GHzTheOutlookConsultationproposedthattherange24.25-27.5GHzcouldbereleasedforcommercialmobile,fixedand/orlicence-exemptuse.ISEDwillconsidertwobandswithinthisrangeseparately:24.25-26.5GHz(24GHz)and26.5-27.5GHz(26GHz).Currentuse:Inthe24GHzband,specificportionsareallocatedonaprimarybasistothefixed,mobile,radionavigationanddifferenttypesofsatelliteservices.Currently,thisfrequencyrangeisusedinCanadabyvariousservices,includingthefixedservice(mostlyinmajorurbancenters)andFSS(Earth-to-space)feederlinks.Therearevarioussatelliteservicesoperatinginthe26GHzband.Thefrequencyrange26.5-27GHzhasprimaryallocationsforfixed,mobile,EESS(space-to-Earth),spaceresearch(space-to-Earth)andinter-satelliteservices(ISS).TherearecurrentlynolicencesissuedwithinthisfrequencyrangeotherthanoneEESSsatellitelicenceinthe26.5-27GHzband.Thefrequencyrange27-27.5GHzhasprimaryallocationsforfixed,mobile,FSS(Earth-to-space)andISS.Therearenolicencesissuedwithinthisfrequencyrange.Internationalcontext:Asdiscussedabove,boththe24GHzand26GHzbandsarecurrentlybeingstudiedforpotentialcommercialmobileandHAPSuseinITU-RRegion2.TheWRC-19willconsidertheidentificationofthe24.25-27.5GHzbandforthefuturedeploymentofmobilebroadbandservices.Preliminaryinternationalstudiesareconvergingtowardfeasiblesharingamongmobilebroadbandservicesandsatelliteservicesinthe26GHzband.However,internationalstudiesforthe24GHzbandarenotasmature.InNovember2017,theFCCmadeavailablethefrequencybands24.25-24.45GHzand24.75-25.5GHzforflexibleterrestrialwirelessuse.TheFCCwillauctionthe24GHzbandfollowingtheplannedNovember2018auctionofthe28GHz.InMarch2018,NewZealandconsultedonreleasingthefrequencyband24.25-28.35GHzinsupportof5G.Europe,ChinaandAustraliahaveexpressedintenttouseallorpartsofthefrequencyband24.75-27.5GHzfor5Gservices.Potentialequipmentecosystem:The3GPPhasidentifiedtwoband-classesinthe24.25-29.5GHzfrequencyrange:bandn257for26.5-29.5GHzandbandn258for24.25-27.5GHzforthedevelopmentof5G/NRsystems.


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Summaryof commentsStakeholdersgenerallysupportedISED’sproposalsforthisband,butsomecommentswerereceivedregardingthecontinuedaccessofpartofthebandforFSS.Bell,TELUSandTeraGosupportedflexibleuseofthebandandindicatedthatitshouldbeconsideredahighpriorityforrelease.RogersindicatedthatthebandholdsgreatpotentialforbothcommercialmobileandfixedservicesandindicatedthatitshouldbeconsideredthesecondhighestpriorityformmWavebandsafterthe27.5-28.35GHzand37-40GHzbands.Cogeco,HuaweiCanada,NokiaandShawrecommendedthatISEDopenthebandfor5GandNokiafurtherindicatedthatitpresentsandexcellentopportunityforglobalharmonizationandimplementation.SaskTelsupportedcommercialmobileinthebandbutindicatedthatthereleaseofthisbandshouldbeconsideredalow-priorityandthatISEDshouldwaitfortheWRC-19decisions.HughesCanadaproposedtoreservetheband24.25-25.25GHzforFSS.RABCsupportedbothfixedandmobileco-primaryallocationswithintheband(24.25-24.45GHz,25.05-25.25GHzand25.25-26.5)whereneededtoenableterrestrialflexibleusebutalsoindicatedthatconsiderationshouldbegiventomaintainFSSusein24.75-25.25GHz.SESstatedthat,ifISEDintroducesadditionalservicesinthe24.75-25.05GHzbandorthe25.05-25.25GHzband,FSSshouldretainaccessonaco-primarybasis.Telesatstatedthatanyreleaseofthebandtocommercialmobile,fixedorlicence-exemptuseshouldprovideforcontinueduseof24.75-25.25GHzbandforFSS.Discussion

Commentsreceivedindicatedastronginterestinreleasingthe24.25-27.5GHzbandasapriority.ISEDconsidersthe26GHzbandasPriority1.Thisviewissupportedbytwo5G3GPPbandclasses,internationalinterestinthe26GHzband,theexpectationofthebandbeingakeybandforthedevelopmentof5Gservicesandtheexpectedtimelineforaglobalequipmentecosystem,aswellasdomesticinterestinthisband.AssuchISEDhasreleasedSLPB-005-18—AddendumtotheConsultationonReleasingMillimetreWaveSpectrumtoSupport5GanaddendumtotheConsultationonReleasingMillimetreWaveSpectrumtoSupport5Gtoalsoconsiderthisbandforreleaseforflexibleuseinthesametimeframe.Recognizingthatthe24GHzbandisunderdiscussionatWRC-19andwithinothercountriesandtheremaybesomeconcernsregardingsharingwithotherservices,ISEDconsidersthebandasPriority2.ISEDwillcontinuetomonitorthesedevelopmentstodeterminewhen,andforwhichservices,thesebandsshouldbemadeavailable.8.3.328GHz, 37-40GHzand64-71GHz

AsindicatedintheOutlookConsultation,ISEDhasbeguntheprocesstopotentiallyreleasethesebandstosupportthedeploymentof5G.InJune2017,ISEDreleasedSLPB-001-17,ConsultationonReleasingMillimetreWaveSpectrumtoSupport5G,whichsoughtcommentsonreleasingthe28GHz(27.5-28.35GHz)and37-40GHzfrequencybandsforflexiblefixedandmobileuse,andthe64-71GHzfrequencybandforlicence-exemptuse.ThecommentsreceivedaspartoftheOutlookConsultationonthesebandsreiteratedtheirimportancefor5Gdeploymentsandthattheyshouldbeprioritizedforreleasewithinthenextfiveyears.Assuch,ISEDcontinuestotreatthisprocessasaPriority1andexpectstoreleasethesebandsforterrestrialflexibleuseandotherservicesinlate2021.8.3.432GHzAsindicatedintheOutlookConsultation,throughtheBackhaulDecision,ISEDmadeprovisionforadditionalspectrumtobemadeavailabletoaccommodatebackhaul-associatedapplicationsinthe32GHzband(31.8-33.4GHz).However,italsonotedthatthisbandisbeingconsideredatWRC-19asoneofthebandsthatcouldpotentiallybegloballyharmonizedforfuturecommercialmobileuse.


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Currentuse:The32GHzbandincludesallocationstofixed,radionavigation,spaceresearchandinter-satelliteservices.Thereiscurrentlynodeploymentintheband.Internationalcontext:The32GHzbandisusedforbackhaulapplicationsbymanyEuropeanmarkets,themajoritybeingmedium-andhigh-capacitysystems.Asdiscussedabove,thisbandisbeingconsideredunderWRC-19asoneofthebandsforthefuturedevelopmentofIMT.However,currentstudiesindicatetheremaybeissuesinvolvedwithsharingbetweenIMTandradionavigationservicesintheband.Potentialequipmentecosystem:TherearecurrentlybackhaulstandardsandequipmentdevelopedforEurope.Summaryof commentsThebandwassupportedfordifferentusesbyanumberofstakeholders.BellandNokiasupportedflexibleuseofthebandandBellsuggestedareleasein2025.RogersrecommendedthatISEDwaitfortheoutcomeofWRC-19toconsideranyfurtherchangestothisbandand,intheshortterm,Rogerssupportstheuseofthisbandexclusivelyforfixedbackhaulapplications,whilerecognizingthatthebandhaspotentialforcommercialmobileandfixedservices.TELUSopposedtheuseofthisbandfortwo-waybackhaulonlyandrecommendedthatitbekeptunencumberedandavailableforfutureflexibleuse.Ericssonsupportedfixeduseoftheband.RABCnotedthattheadjacent31.3-31.8GHzisallocatedtoEESS/spaceresearchservice(passive)aswellasRadioAstronomyandtheservicewouldbeseriouslyaffectedbyunwantedemissionsifappropriateconsiderationisnotusedindeploymentsofanyservices.Discussion

Giventheidentifiedneedforbackhaulspectruminthisband,ISEDwillmoveforwardasoutlinedintheBackhaulDecisiontomakethisbandavailableforbackhauluseandplanstoreleaseitinlate2019.Thus,ISEDconsidersthisbandasPriority1forbackhauluse.FollowingtheconclusionofWRC-19,ISEDwillassesspotentialcommercialmobileuseinthisband.Therefore,ISEDconsidersanyotheruseofthisbandasPriority3.8.3.540-43.5GHz, 45.5-50.2GHzand50.4-52.6GHzIntheOutlookConsultationISEDindicatedthatitwouldtakeintoaccountthedecisionsofWRC-19whenconsideringfuturespectrumreleasesforthesebands.However,basedonthediscussionsatWRC-19ISEDproposedthatthesebandscouldpotentiallybereleasedforcommercialmobile,fixedand/orsatelliteservicesinthenextfiveyears.Currentuse:Thebands40-43.5GHz,45.5-50.2GHzand50.4-52.6GHzarecurrentlyusedforavarietyofsatelliteandfixedservices.Internationalcontext:Asdiscussedabove,thesebandsarebeingconsideredatWRC-19fordifferentservicesandtheUnitedStatesandEuropeancountrieshavebeguntoexamineandmakedecisionsonfutureusesofthesebands.Potentialequipmentecosystem:Thereisalreadyequipmentavailableforfixedandsatelliteservicesforthesebands.ItisexpectedanybandsidentifiedforIMTatWRC-19willbeincludedinthe3GPP5Gstandards.Summaryof comments Bell,HughesCanada,Intelsat,Nokia,RABC,Rogers,SaskTel,SES,TelesatandTELUSagreedthatthesebandsshouldbereleasedinthenextfiveyears,however,theyproposeddifferentservicesanddifferentprioritiesforthevariousbands.ShawwasoftheviewthatISEDcouldconsiderthe37-43.5GHzbandforreleaseinthenextfiveyearsandcouldconsider


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the47.2-48.2GHzbandinordertoharmonizewiththeFCC’srecentdecision.Bellwasoftheviewthatthethreebandsshould,wherefeasibleandcompatiblewithexistinguse,bemadeavailableforflexiblefixedandmobileuse.SaskTelagreedthatthesebandsarecandidatesforfuturecommercialmobileservices.RogersandTELUSindicatedthatallthreebandshadpotentialforcommercialmobile,fixedandsatelliteuse.IntelsatrequestedthatISEDguaranteeaccesstothesebandsbysatelliteoperatorsforgatewaysandsatellitefixedandin-motionterminalsarguingthat,withtheincreasedcapacitiesdemandedforsatellitebroadband,thesebandsareimportantcomponentsoftheFSSand5Gecosystem.TheRABCwasoftheviewthatthesebandswouldbeimportantforHTSandLEOconstellationsandassuchsomespectrumshouldbededicatedforFSSuse.TheRABCalsosuggestedthatsomeportionsofthesebandsshouldbeallocatedtosharedusebyFSSandterrestrialservices,andnotedthatallocationstoEESSandspaceresearchinsomeofthesebandswouldneedtobeprotected.SESagreedwiththeRABCview,andfurtherrequestedthatISEDmakeallthesebandsavailableforFSSuse.ShawrecommendedthatISEDensurethatthereissufficientspectrumavailableforcommercialmobileservicesinthemmWavebands,andthatISEDshouldsettheappropriateconditionsforsharingbetweencommercialmobileandFSS.TelesatwasoftheviewthatISEDshouldtakesimilarstepsastheFCCtoidentifydedicatedsatellitespectruminthesebandsandallowshareduseforgatewaysintheremainingspectrum.Intheirreplycomments,theSatelliteOperatorsCoalitionproposedthatISEDshoulddedicate40-42GHzand48.2-50.2GHzforsatelliteuseincludingallowingubiquitousterminalsandthat42.5-43.5and47.2-48.2GHzcouldbemadeavailableforshareduseofterrestrialsystemsandlicencedearthstations.Hughessupportedsharedusefor50.4-51.4GHzandGSOFSSusefor51.4-52.4GHz.Bellindicateditsviewthat40-42.5GHzisamediumpriority,andthat45.5-50.2GHzand50.4-52.6GHzarelowpriorities.RogersconsideredthatallofthesebandsshouldbereleasedasalowpriorityandrecommendedthatISEDwaituntilafterWRC-19tomakeanychangestothesebands.SaskTelalsorecommendedthatISEDwaituntilafterWRC-19tomakeanychangestothesebands,andindicatedthatbandsreleasedintheUnitedStatesforcommercialmobileshouldbeconsideredahigherpriorityas5Gequipmentislikelytobeavailableinthosebandsfirst.TELUSwasoftheviewthat45.5-50.2GHzshouldbeconsideredahighpriorityandthat40-42.5GHzand50.4-52.6GHzshouldbeconsideredasmediumpriorities.Discussion

Thereissignificantinterestinthebands40-43.5GHz,45.5-50.2GHzand50.4-52.6GHzbothinternationallyanddomesticallyforcommercialmobile,fixedandsatelliteuse.RecognizingthatthesebandsarestillunderdiscussionatWRC-19andwithinothercountries,ISEDconsidersthesebandsasPriority2.ISEDwillcontinuetomonitorthesedevelopmentstodeterminewhen,andforwhichservices,thesebandsshouldbemadeavailable.8.3.670GHzand80GHzTheOutlookConsultationproposedthatthebands71-76GHz(70GHz)and81-86GHz(80GHz)couldpotentiallybemadeavailableforcommercialmobilefixedand/orlicence-exempt.Currentuse:InJune2012,ISEDpublishedSP70GHz,DecisionsontheFrequencyBands71-76GHz,81-86GHzand92-95GHz,whichdesignatedthe70GHzand80GHzbandsforfixeduse.ThedecisionalsoindicatedthatISEDwouldissuespectrumlicencesonafirst-come,first-servedbasisandthatalllicenseeswouldhavesharedaccesstothebandsubjecttoafutureconsultationonfeesandthedevelopmentofthetechnicalrequirements.Asaninterimmeasure,ISEDbeganissuingstandardsite-specificlicencesinMay2017,followingthereleaseofSRSP-371.0,TechnicalRequirementsforFixedLine-of-SightRadioSystemsOperatingintheBands71-76GHzand81-86GHz.


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Internationalcontext:The70GHzand80GHzbandshavebeenmadeavailableforfixedservicesonasharedbasisintheUnitedStates,UnitedKingdom,someEuropeancountriesandAustralia.Inadditiontofixeduse,asdiscussedabove,thesebandsarealsobeingdiscussedatWRC-19forfuturecommercialmobileuse.Potentialequipmentecosystem:Thereisalreadyequipmentavailableforbackhaulapplicationsusingthesebands.ItisexpectedthatanybandsidentifiedforIMTatWRC-19willbeincludedinthe3GPP5Gstandards.Summaryof commentsTherewassupportforreleasingthe70GHzand80GHzbandsfordifferentservicesandapplications.Bellsupportedcommercialmobile,fixedandlicence-exemptuseindicatingitsviewthatthesebandsareahightomediumpriorityforrelease.HuaweiCanada,NokiaandQuébecorindicatedthatthesebandsshouldbemadeavailableforcommercialmobiletosupport5Gdeployments.HuaweiCanadawasoftheviewthattherearestrongapplicationsfor5Gserviceswithintegratedbackhaulinthesebands.Nokiaspecifiedthatitbelievesthatsharingisfeasiblebetweenmobileandfixedstationsinthesebands.SaskTelandTELUSrecommendedthatISEDwaituntilafterWRC-19beforemakingchangestothesebands.TELUSrequestedthatISEDkeepthesebandsunencumberedforfuturemobileuseandwasoftheviewthatthesebandswereamediumpriorityforfuturerelease.BCBA,MicrosoftandWiFiAlliancesupportedmakingthebandsavailableforlicence-exemptuse.DSAsupportedthereleaseof70GHzforlicenceexemptuse.Ericsson,RogersandShawsupportedbackhauluse.Rogersdidnotsupportchangestomakethesebandsavailableforcommercialmobileorlicence-exemptuse,andindicatedthatthisbandisalowpriority.TheRABCwasoftheviewthatoverthelongertermthesebandswillberequiredforbackhaulandsatelliteandrecommendedintheneartermdeferringchangestoallowcommercialmobileuse.TheRABCalsorequestedthatISEDprotecttheadjacentEESSuseinband86-92GHz.IntelsatandTelesatpointedoutthatthesebandsarealsoallocatedtosatelliteservicesandwereoftheviewthatISEDshouldensurethatthesebandswouldbeavailableforsatelliteterminalsandgatewaysinthefuture.SESsupportedIntelsatandTelesat’scommentsinitsreplycomments,furtherrequestingthatsomespectrumbereservedforFSSuseinthesebands.Discussion

Asdiscussedinsection7,ISEDintendstooptimizetheuseofspectrumandwillseektoallowspectrumsharingwheneverfeasible.Thepropagationcharacteristicsofthe70GHzand80GHzbandsareidealforsharingbetweendifferentservices.ISEDalsorecognizesthatthereisimmediatedemandforbackhaulinthesebandsandtheremaybeademandinthefutureforcommercialmobile,satelliteandlicence-exemptuses.ThesebandsareconsideredasPriority1forbackhaulwithapotentialreleaseinmid-2020,followingaconsultationontheconditionsoflicence.AnyotheruseofthesebandsisconsideredasPriority3dependingondomesticrequirementsandinternationaldevelopments.8.3.7Bandsabove95GHzTheOutlookConsultationproposedthatthebandsabove95GHzcouldbemadeavailableforlicence-exemptapplicationsandfixedservices.Currentuse:ThereiscurrentlyverylightuseofthesebandsinCanada.Internationalcontext:Asdiscussedabove,theFCCconsultedonthepotentialformakingthesebandsavailableforlicence-exemptuse.InEurope,theEuropeanTelecommunicationsStandardsInstitutehasformedanindustryspecificationgrouponmillimetrewavetransmission,whichisconductingstudieswhichconsiderbandsabove95GHz.Inaddition,theEuropean


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CommunicationsOfficehasinitiatedworkondevelopingECCrecommendationsandreportstofacilitatetheimplementationofbackhauluseinportionsof92-115GHzand130-174GHz.

Thefrequencyrange275-450GHzisbeingstudiedunderWRC-19Agendaitem1.15.Potentialequipmentecosystem:ISEDisnotawareofanyequipmentthathasbeenmadeavailableforthebandsabove95GHz.However,givenworkunderwayinternationally,anequipmentecosystemisanticipatedinthefuture.Summaryof commentsBCBA,MicrosoftandWiFiAlliancesupportedlicence-exempt.BellandTELUSsupportedfixedandlicence-exemptusewithalowpriorityforrelease.HuaweiCanadasupportedcommercialmobileusewithalowpriorityforrelease.TeraGosupportedcommercialmobileuse.Nokiasupportedfixedandcommercialmobile.RABCsupportedbackhauluse.Rogerssupportedfixedusewithahighpriorityforrelease.Ericsson,TeraGoandQuébecorindicatedthatthebands92-114.25GHzand130-174.8GHzarebeingdiscussedinternationallyaspotentialbackhaulbands.Rogersalsodiscussedthepotentialfor130-174.8GHzequipmentbeingavailablebefore2022.Discussion

ISEDrecognizesthatthereisinterestinmakingspectrumavailableabove95GHzfordifferentuses.However,atthistimetherearenobandsthathavebeenmadeavailableinternationallyandthereisnocurrentequipmentecosystem.ISEDwillcontinuetomonitortheinternationaldevelopmentsofthebandsabove95GHz.AtthistimeISEDconsidersthesebandsasPriority3,andanyreleaseofthebandsabove95GHzwillonlybeconsiderediftherearesignificantchangesinternationally.8.4 OtherfrequencybandsAspartoftheOutlookConsultationISEDalsodiscussedthepotentialuseofthe13GHz(12.7-13.25GHz)bandforbackhaulandthe7GHzand9GHzbandsforEESS.ThesebandsarewerenotfurtherconsideredinthisdocumentastheSRSPwhichwillallowthe13GHzbandtobeusedbybackhaulisnearlycompleteandchangesweremadetotheCFTAforthe7and9GHzbandswhichallowtheiruseforEESS.Therefore,thesebandsareconsideredtobeimminentlyavailableandnotpartofISED’sfutureplanning.Commentswerereceivedonotherbands.Medtronicproposedtheband430-440MHzforlicence-exempt,however,thisrequestshouldbeconsideredthroughISED’snormalstandarddevelopmentandlicensingprocesses.TELUSandQualcommbothdiscussedtheband3300-3400MHzforflexibleuse.TELUSalsoproposedtheband4400-5000MHzforflexibleuseandBellsupportedthisproposalthroughtheirreplycomments.Boththe3330-3400MHzandthe4400-5000MHzbandsareheavilyusedbygovernmentservicesandISEDdoesnotintendtoreviewthesebandsatthistimegiventhesignificantamountofspectrumalreadyplannedforreleaseforflexibleuseinthisSpectrumOutlook.CCIproposedthebands1780-1850MHz,2025-2110MHzand2200-2285MHzforcommercialmobile.Thesebandsareheavilyusedforfixedservicesandthebands2025-2110MHzand2200-2285MHzarecrucialforinternationalspaceandweathertrackingapplications.ISEDdoesnotintendtoreviewthesebandsatthistimegiventhesignificantamountofspectrumalreadyplannedforreleaseforcommercialmobileinthisSpectrumOutlook.Ciscoproposedareviewoftheband7125-7250MHztoallowforlicence-exemptuse.ThisbandiscurrentlyheavilyusedforfixedbackhaulandISEDisnotawareofanychangestothisbandinternationallythatwillleadtoalicence-exemptecosysteminthisSpectrumOutlooktimeframe.Therefore,ISEDdoesnotintenttoreviewthisbandatthistime.However,ISEDwillcontinuetomonitortheusesofallofthesebands.


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8.5. Priorityandt imingof spectrumreleasesfor2018to2022

ThissectionoftheSpectrumOutlooksummarizesISED’spriorityforeachbanddiscussedinsections8.1to8.3.ItalsoprovidestheanticipatedtimingforreleaseforthosebandsthataredesignatedasPriority1.

Figure1illustratestheprioritygroupeachbanddiscussedinsections8.1to8.3hasbeenplacedinto.Inmakingthedeterminationforeachband,ISEDhastakenintoaccountthepolicyobjectivesoutlinedinsection2,theprinciplesofspectrumreleasediscussedinsection3,andtheotherconsiderationsoutlinedearlierinthissection.ItshouldbenotedthatISEDregularlymonitorsdomesticandinternationaldevelopmentsand,basedontheconsiderationsoutlinedabove,mayalteritsprioritiesandplansforspectrumrelease.

F igure1: SpectrumOutlookpriorit ies

Figure2illustratesISED’santicipatedtimingforreleaseofeachPriority1band.ItindicatesISED’scurrentassessmentofanticipatedtiming,whichmaychangebasedontheconsiderationsoutlinedabove.Inaddition,ISEDwillconductpublicconsultationspriortoreleasingadditionalspectrum.Assuch,commentsreceivedaspartofeachconsultationprocessmayimpactvariousaspectsofrelease,includingtiming.


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F igure2: SpectrumOutlookt imingof Priority1bands

Atthistime,ISEDisnotindicatinganticipatedtimeframesforreleaseofbandsconsideredasPriority2andPriority3duetouncertaintyregardingvariousconsiderations,suchasinternationaldevelopmentsandequipmentavailability.ThisSpectrumOutlookisintendedtoreflectISED’scurrentdirectionandeffortstoprovideadditionalspectrumforcommercialmobileservices,licence-exemptapplications,satelliteservicesandbackhaulapplications.Assuch,itmaybeupdatedfromtimetotimeinordertoreflectchangingpriorities,significanttechnologicalchangesorinternationaldevelopments.ISEDwillhaveseparateandcomprehensiveconsultationsbeforemakinganyspecificdecisionswithrespecttothesebands.ISEDwillalsoassess,atthesametime,anycompetingrequirementsforspectrumbeforeanydecisionismade.Itisalsorecognizedthatthetimingofspecificdecisionswillbesubjecttodomesticandinternationaldevelopments.TheobservationsandconclusionsexpressedinthisSpectrumOutlookarebasedonthecurrentsituationinCanadaandabroad,andarethereforesubjecttochange.ThisSpectrumOutlookisnotintendedtobeasubstituteforseparate,comprehensiveconsultationswithstakeholdersonspecificspectrummanagementissues.Foracompletelistofrecentandongoingpublicconsultations,pleaserefertotheISEDwebsite.


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9. Obtainingcopies

AllISEDspectrum-relateddocumentsreferredtointhispaperareavailableonInnovation,ScienceandEconomicDevelopmentCanada’sSpectrumManagementandTelecommunicationswebsite.Forfurtherinformationconcerningtheprocessoutlinedinthisdocumentorrelatedmatters,contact:Innovation,ScienceandEconomicDevelopmentCanadac/oDirector,SpectrumRegulatoryBestPractices235QueenStreetOttawa,OntarioK1A0H5Telephone:613-219-5436Email:[email protected]

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