Subordination of spectrum licences between Bell Mobility Inc. and TELUS Communications Inc.

Decision regarding the subordinate licences

Application

1. On December 20, 2019, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) received a joint application to subordinate licences in the Advanced Wireless Services-3 (AWS-3) band between Bell Mobility Inc. (Bell) and TELUS Communications Inc. (TELUS). These licences are described in annex A. The parties made the application to further their network sharing agreement (the Agreement).
2. The application was reviewed under the relevant provisions of Client Procedures Circular CPC-2-1-23, Licensing Procedure for Spectrum Licences for Terrestrial Services.
3. Terms not defined in this decision have the meaning set out in CPC-2-1-23.

Decision

4. The subordinate licence application from Bell and TELUS described above is approved.

Rationale

5. The application was assessed against the policy objectives and criteria set out in section 5.6 of CPC-2-1-23.
6. ISED has reviewed the Agreement between Bell and TELUS and notes that for the subordinate licences requested, the primary licensee retains control of its spectrum licences.
7. Bell and TELUS already have extensive networks throughout Canada, including a joint Long Term Evolution (LTE) network operating in other spectrum bands in certain parts of the country. Approving this subordinate licensing application will have no impact on either company’s overall spectrum holdings or distribution, but will enable Bell and TELUS to enhance spectrum efficiency of the joint network and maximizes the benefits that Canadians derive from the use of this spectrum.
8. ISED has determined that the subordinate licences would not impact the ability of existing or future competitors to provide services in the relevant areas.

Annex A