A sealed-bid, second-price format is proposed for the auction of unallocated licences from the 700 MHz spectrum auction held in January 2014 and the AWS-3 spectrum auction held in March 2015. This streamlined format will help put this valuable spectrum in the hands of the wireless competitors that will use it to deliver next-generation services to Canadians.
To help give more companies an opportunity to acquire this valuable resource, the Government proposes to remove the set-aside restriction on the unallocated AWS-3 licences, as well as divide the licences from both bands into smaller geographic areas in the territories. The Government also proposes to divide the 30 MHz AWS-3 blocks into 10 MHz blocks in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the territories. Details of the new smaller licence areas are as follows:
More information on this auction, including the proposed format, timelines and other details, can be found in the Consultation Paper.
