The following conditions apply to licences issued via the Auction of Residual Spectrum Licences in the 2300 MHz and 3500 MHz Bands (2009).
1. Licence Term
This licence is issued for a 10-year term. The process for issuing licences after this term and any issues relating to renewal will be determined by the Minister of Industry following a public consultation.
2. Licence Transferability and Divisibility
The licensee may apply, in writing, to transfer its licence in whole or in part (divisibility), in both the bandwidth and geographic dimensions. Departmental approval is required for each proposed transfer of a licence, whether the transfer is in whole or in part. The transferee(s) must also provide an attestation and other supporting documentation demonstrating that it meets the eligibility criteria and all other conditions, technical or otherwise, of the licence.
The Department may define a minimum bandwidth and/or geographic dimension (such as the grid cell) for the proposed transfer. Systems involved in such a transfer shall conform to the technical requirements set forth in the applicable standard.
The licensee may apply to use a subordinate licensing process.
For more information, refer to Client Procedures Circular CPC-2-1-23, Licensing Procedure for Spectrum Licences for Terrestrial Services, as amended from time to time.
3. Eligibility
The licensee must comply on an ongoing basis with the applicable eligibility criteria in subsection 9(1) of the Radiocommunication Regulations. The licensee must notify the Minister of any change that would have a material effect on its eligibility before any proposed transactions known to the licensee.
4. Displacement of Incumbents
The licensee must comply with the transition policy outlined in Appendix 3 of the Policy and Licensing Procedures for the Auction of Spectrum Licences in the 2300 MHz and 3500 MHz Bands (Revised July 2004).
5. Radio Station Installations
The licensee must comply with Client Procedures Circular CPC-2-0-03, Radiocommunication and Broadcasting Antenna Systems, as amended from time to time.
6. Provision of Technical Information
When Industry Canada requests technical information on a particular station or network, the information must be provided by the licensee according to the definitions, criteria, frequency, and timelines specified by the Department. For more information, refer to Client Procedures Circular CPC-2-1-23, Licensing Procedure for Spectrum Licences for Terrestrial Services, as amended from time to time.
7. Compliance with Legislation, Regulations and other Obligations
The licensee is subject to, and must comply with, the Radiocommunication Act, the Radiocommunication Regulations and the International Telecommunication Union's Radio Regulations pertaining to its licensed radio frequency bands. This licence is issued on condition that the certifications made in relation to the licence are all true and complete in every respect. The licensee must use the assigned spectrum in accordance with the Canadian Table of Frequency Allocations and the spectrum policy applicable to this band.
8. Technical Considerations
The licensee must comply on an ongoing basis with the technical aspects of the appropriate Radio Standards Specifications and Standard Radio System Plans, as amended from time to time. The licensee must also comply with the technical requirements outlined in sections 5.3 and 5.4 of the Policy and Licensing Procedures for the Auction of Spectrum Licences in the 2300 MHz and 3500 MHz Bands.
9. International and Domestic Coordination
The licensee must comply with the current and future agreements established with other countries. Although frequency assignments are not subject to site licensing, the licensee may be required to furnish all necessary technical data for each relevant site.
The licensee must use its best efforts to enter into mutually acceptable sharing agreements with other parties, which will facilitate the reasonable and timely development of their respective systems, where applicable, and to coordinate with other licensed users in Canada and internationally where applicable.
10. Lawful Interception
A licensee operating as a radiocommunication carrier and using this spectrum for circuit- switched voice telephony systems must, from the inception of service, provide for and maintain lawful interception capabilities as authorized by law. The requirements for lawful interception capabilities are provided in the Solicitor General's Enforcement Standards for Lawful Interception of Telecommunications. These standards may be amended from time to time.
The licensee may request the Minister of Industry to forbear from enforcing certain assistance capability requirements for a limited period. The Minister, following consultation with Public Safety Canada, may exercise the power to forbear from enforcing a requirement or requirements where, in the opinion of the Minister, the requirement is not reasonably achievable. Requests for forbearance must include specific details and dates indicating when compliance to the requirement can be expected.
11. Research and Development (R&D)
The licensee must invest, as a minimum, 2 percent of its adjusted gross revenues resulting from the use of this licence, averaged over the term of the licence, in eligible research and development (R&D) activities related to telecommunications. Eligible R&D activities are those which meet the definition of scientific research and experimental development adopted in the Income Tax Act, as amended from time to time. Adjusted gross revenues are defined as total service revenues, less inter-carrier payments, bad debts, third party commissions, and provincial goods and services taxes collected. The licensee is exempt from R&D expenditure requirements if it, together with all affiliated licensees that are subject to the R&D condition of licence, has less than $1 billion in annual gross operating revenues from the provision of wireless services in Canada, averaged over the term of the licence. For this condition of licence, an affiliate is defined as a person who controls the carrier, or who is controlled by the carrier or by any person who controls the carrier, as per subsection 35(3) of the Telecommunications Act.
12. Mandatory Antenna Tower and Site Sharing
A licensee operating as a radiocommunication carrier must comply with the mandatory antenna tower and site sharing requirements set out in Client Procedures Circular CPC-2-0-17, Conditions of Licence for Mandatory Roaming and Antenna Tower and Site Sharing and to Prohibit Exclusive Site Arrangements, as amended from time to time.
13. Implementation of Spectrum Usage
The licensee must demonstrate to Industry Canada that its spectrum is being put to use at a level acceptable to the Department by the end of the licence term. Licensees must demonstrate coverage at the level indicated in Annex A of DGSO-004-013 Decisions Concerning the Renewal of the 2300 MHz and 3500 MHz Licences.
14. Annual Reporting
The licensee must submit an annual report for each year of the licence term, which includes the following information:
- a statement indicating continued compliance with all conditions of licence;
- an update on the implementation and spectrum usage within the area covered by the licence;
- existing audited financial statements with an accompanying auditor's report;
- a statement indicating the annual gross operating revenues from the provision of wireless services in Canada and, where applicable, the annual adjusted gross revenues resulting from the use of this licence, as defined in these conditions of licence.
- a report of the R&D expenditures as set out in these conditions of licence. Industry Canada may request an audited statement of R&D expenditures with an accompanying auditor's report at its discretion;
- supporting financial statements where a licensee is claiming an exemption based on, together with all affiliated licensees that are subject to the R&D condition of licence, it having less than $1 billion in annual gross operating revenues from the provision of wireless services in Canada, averaged over the term of the licence;
- a copy of any existing corporate annual report for the licensee's fiscal year with respect to the authorization; and
- other information related to the licence as specified in any notice updating the reporting requirements as issued by Industry Canada.
All reports and statements are to be certified by an officer of the company and submitted, in writing, within 120 days of the licensee's fiscal year-end. Confidential information provided will be treated in accordance with subsection 20(1) of the Access to Information Act.
Reports are to be submitted to Industry Canada at the following address:
Industry Canada
Manager, Emerging Networks
Spectrum Management Operations Branch
235 Queen Street (JETN, 15th floor)
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0H5
Last revision date: February 28, 2014