Among the many important factors that could contribute to the continued growth and development of digital infrastructure in Canada is increased access to specific bands of the radio spectrum. This resource has been essential to businesses and industries–particularly those in the telecommunications sector–for decades, but the recent years have seen a significant rise in the demand for spectrum among an even broader range of entities.
Nowadays, spectrum remains integral to the operations of telecommunications firms of course, but also to broadcast, public safety/first response teams, the science and technology sectors, and of course the government. And with the immense growth anticipated in the wireless broadband market, there is expected to be a commensurate increase in the demand for spectrum as well.
One of the key concerns with regard to spectrum access is making sure that this valuable resource is used in an efficient manner, and is readily available to users. This will ensure continued growth in the digital infrastructure of Canada, particularly in the wireless market. As access to spectrum becomes available to more and more users, the wireless market is expected to go through an unprecedented period of innovative and development, with numerous new devices, applications, and services coming down the line.
More than just providing access, it is important to provide spectrum access in a timely manner. This will be essential for ensuring that there will be sufficient network capacity to support the expected growth in the market demand for wireless broadband.
One of the goals of spectrum management is the privatization of the public airwaves. This will help encourage more entrants into telecommunications and other markets, which in turn will benefit the country’s overall digital infrastructure. The Canadian government for its part has held spectrum auctions, in which specific frequency bands of the spectrum are made available to interested parties.