Report urges ‘policy reset’ for Canada’s telecom sector to help operators invest

By Sammy Hudes A new report says the focus of Canada’s telecommunications policy should shift from lowering consumer prices to creating better conditions for companies to invest in their networks at a time when traditional revenues are plateauing and capital costs are expected to rise. The paper from U.K.-based Global System for Mobile Communications Association calls for a “policy reset” that prioritizes affordable and predictable spectrum pricing, support for 5G and AI infrastructure such as data centres, and improved regulatory certainty. It also recommends continued public-private funding to bolster rural and Indigenous connectivity. “Canada is reaching an inflection point in terms of telecoms policy,” said Niall Magennis, senior policy director for the association, which represents more than 1,000 mobile operators and related businesses across the world. “We have to remember…

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