Canada is considering changes to the rules governing wireless infrastructure, with today being the deadline for final reply comments.
According to PlanHub, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) wants to streamline approval of new cell towers. Under this new proposal, local authorities would have 45 days to approve or formally challenge a project. If no action is taken within that window, the tower can be considered approved.
Telecom companies could also be allowed to build cell towers under 15 metres without the standard municipal and public consultation process. ISED is also looking at ways to make small-cell deployment easier, which PlanHub said could matter as carriers densify 5G networks.
Shifting to roaming and tower sharing, ISED has removed the wording requiring carriers to provide roaming only “where technically feasible,” and now requires roaming to be offered upon request when the customer’s device can access the host network.
A similar change will now be applied to tower sharing, as carriers will be required to share antenna sites when requested. Alongside this, technical disputes will move to arbitration instead of being decided directly by the ISED.
The Government of Canada also noted that both tower sharing and mandatory roaming are important, as it can “empower smaller or regional licensees to provide increased choice for Canadians through services and coverage competitive with those offered by the national wireless operators.”
Source: PlanHub
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