I would like to thank you all for being here today for this very important announcement for families across the country.
Today, it is very exciting to be announcing new wireless policies that will significantly benefit Canadian families from coast, to coast, to coast.
It is with great pleasure that I present to you an integrated set of measures that will allow families to access state-of-the-art wireless technologies at low prices.
Today's announcement is about ensuring that Canadian families continue to have access to the latest wireless services with more choices and low prices.
Wireless services are changing our families, our work, our economy and our communities.
Think of the BlackBerry; it is a work tool that many could not live without.
Not to mention changes in how we watch television!
Today, we can watch our favourite shows when and where we want and even watch them on our phones.
Tools like Skype and FaceTime help families stay connected regardless of where they are living in the world and with very little or no cost.
These are just a few examples of the wireless technologies that are currently available.
I believe in the coming years there will be many more innovations like these.
The importance of these technologies is undeniable.
It is essential that these be offered at affordable prices in every region of our country.
In the telecommunications sector, capital investment is critical for companies to serve their customers better.
This is why our government made a commitment in the March 2010 Speech from the Throne, and in subsequent budgets, to examine foreign investment rules for telecommunications.
Today, I am announcing that we will be amending the Telecommunications Act.
We will lift foreign investment restrictions for telecommunications companies that hold less than a 10-percent share of the total Canadian telecommunications market.
This targeted action will remove a barrier to investment for the companies that need it most.
It will allow these companies to gain further access to capital and expertise, so that they can continue to grow and compete—and better serve Canadian families and businesses.
Access to spectrum is also an integral part of wireless companies' ability to compete and serve Canadians.
Growing consumer demand for mobile services is putting unprecedented pressure on networks and is increasing demand for spectrum.
In the last spectrum auction, held in 2008, our government took action to encourage new entry in the wireless market.
And since that time, the Canadian wireless landscape has changed. New players have entered the market, offering more choice to consumers.
And both the incumbent companies and the new entrants have made investments to better serve their subscribers.
Consumers are seeing the benefits of access to more advanced services, greater choice and lower prices.
For example, average Canadian mobile wireless prices have fallen by more than 10 percent since 2008.
In the upcoming auctions, we will continue to promote our goals of competition and investment.
We will apply caps for both 700 MHz and 2500 MHz to facilitate four or more companies in each licence area securing this spectrum.
This will enable new entrants to acquire this valuable spectrum and improve their ability to compete.
This spectrum will allow telecom companies to bring the latest 4G LTE mobile networks to Canadian consumers and businesses, including those in rural areas.
This means Canadians will have access to the fastest mobile speeds and latest devices, such as the newest iPad, PlayBook and smartphones.
They will have access to high-definition video and video conferencing over mobile networks.
They will also benefit from greater access to e-health, intelligent transport and other advanced applications.
This will result in improved connectivity for consumers, increased business productivity and enhanced safety for Canadians.
We plan to hold the 700 MHz auction in the first half of 2013, to be followed by the 2500 MHz auction within a year.
It is our intent that this spectrum be deployed by telecommunications service providers in a timely manner, so that Canadians continue to see the benefits of the most advanced services.
Our government recognizes that high-quality networks are crucial infrastructure for enhancing local economic opportunity as well as for providing access to valuable services.
Our government also believes that rural Canadians should have access to services as advanced as those in urban Canada, in a timely manner.
And that is why our government will be applying specific measures in the 700 MHz auction to see that rural Canadians will have access to the same services as everyone else in a timely manner.
Companies that have access to more than one block of 700 MHz spectrum, through the auction or spectrum sharing, will be required to deploy new advanced services to 90 percent of the population in their coverage area within five years and to 97 percent within seven years.
These measures are in addition to the general rollout requirements that have been applied in the past and will be applied in this auction.
In addition to these measures, our government will further support competition and investment by extending and improving the existing wireless roaming and tower sharing policy.
This policy was instituted in 2008 and required companies to share towers and provide roaming.
This permitted new entrants to offer national coverage to their customers.
We intend to indefinitely extend the roaming requirements and to improve transparency and information sharing to facilitate agreements between companies to slow the proliferation of new cellphone towers.
We will be seeking stakeholder input on these proposed changes in a separate public process.
Finally, in addition to measures aimed at commercial use of spectrum, our government will be reserving a portion of the 700 MHz spectrum for exclusive use by public safety users across Canada.
This will provide the public safety community with dedicated broadband spectrum so that it can improve the safety of Canadians and first responders.
Because of the decisions we made in the last spectrum auction, we now have a more competitive market for wireless services.
This market is particularly well developed in our cities. And we now have lower prices for basic wireless services.
The Harper government believes Canadian families deserve value for their hard-earned money.
And we also believe this is a winning package for Canadian families.
It will give families access to the latest wireless technologies.
It will enable rural areas to enjoy access to advanced services.
Most importantly, it will encourage a robust competitive market—a market that will give families lots of choices at low prices.
Thank you.
