Government of Canada joins the Global Coalition on Telecommunications
News release
Canada’s participation will help improve security and reliability of Canadian networks
October 5, 2023 – Toronto, Ontario
Ensuring that telecommunications networks are secure, resilient and innovation-focused is a global priority. That’s why the Government of Canada is working with international partners to ensure Canadians have access to secure and reliable telecom services.
Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced Canada has joined the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Japan in launching the Global Coalition on Telecommunications (GCOT). This initiative seeks to build a coalition of countries and stakeholders to foster diverse supply chains, secure and interoperable standards, and innovation in the telecommunications sector.
Through a Joint Statement of Intent, the GCOT partners have committed to advancing work in support of the following shared objectives:
- Increase cooperation and coordination on telecommunications between the coalition partners, including by improving information sharing with a view to ensuring complementary national approaches;
- Build broader international consensus on key areas of telecommunications policy in support of our shared objectives;
- Enable dialogue between policy-makers, industry and academia; and
- Promote innovation and growth opportunities for industry.
To achieve these objectives, the GCOT sets out to explore opportunities for closer collaboration and coordination in areas including but not limited to:
- Information sharing
- Research and development
- Alignment of funding priorities
- Vision setting and standards development
- International outreach and collaboration
The Government of Canada will continue to work with telecommunications companies and its partners to improve the reliability of Canada’s telecommunications networks.
Quotes
“Canadians rely on telecommunications services every day. The Global Coalition on Telecommunications provides an opportunity to advance important work with our allies toward more secure and reliable telecom networks. We look forward to deepening our collaboration with our allies on these crucial issues to provide Canadians with secure and reliable telecommunications services.”
– The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
Quick facts
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Canada’s participation in the GCOT will build on work under the Telecommunications Reliability Agenda, a set of actions to improve the reliability of telecommunications and better protect Canadians.
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The GCOT will also build on the Prague Proposals on Telecommunications Supplier Diversity and the UK’s Open RAN Principles, which Canada endorsed in 2022.
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Promoting telecom supplier diversity is important for enabling network reliability and security while also supporting innovation and competition in the telecom industry.
Associated links
Contacts
Audrey Champoux
Press Secretary and Senior Communications Advisor
Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
audrey.champoux@ised-isde.gc.ca
Media Relations
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
media@ised-isde.gc.ca
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