5G Spectrum Allocations in Canada

5G Spectrum allocations for Canada are very similar to that of the United States with the exception of a few bands. They have allocated 6 main frequency bands covering both licensed and unlicensed spectrum.

5G Frequency Bands in Canada

Canada’s Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) auctioned the 600 MHz band for 5G deployment in 2019. The 3.5 GHz, 26 GHz, 28 GHz and the 38 GHz bands are expected to be auctioned in 2021-2022.

The auction for 3450–3650 MHz (n78) band, was supposed to be held in December 2020, but has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will now take place on June 15, 2021. The 3800 MHz (n77) band is expected to be auctioned in 2022.

Telecom service providers Bell Canada, Telus and Rogers Communications have started to roll out 5G services in various cities. Rogers’ initial list of 5G cities include Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, in partnership with Ericsson. Bell Canada has started deploying 5G network in collaboration with Nokia and Ericsson. Telus also opted for Ericsson and Nokia for the deployment of their 5G network.

ISED also announced a variable licensing model for fixed and mobile services in the 26.5–27.5 GHz, 27.5–28.35 GHz which is expected to be available in 2022. The 37.6–40 GHz frequency band with only TDD systems will also be permitted in the future.