GSMA report calls for Canadian telecom policy reset to support network investment
A new GSMA report argues that more predictable telecom policy is needed as operator revenues level off and network costs rise.
A newly released Canadian policy report from the Global System for Mobile Communications argues that telecommunications policy should place greater weight on investment conditions for network operators. The organization says traditional revenue growth has flattened while capital requirements are increasing, creating pressure on companies’ ability to continue funding network upgrades. [1]
The report recommends affordable, predictable pricing for spectrum licences, policy support for 5G deployment and AI-related infrastructure such as data centres, and greater regulatory certainty. Its central recommendation is a shift in emphasis from measures aimed principally at lower consumer prices toward conditions it says would sustain investment in telecom networks. [1]
The report estimates that mobile technologies and services accounted for 5.4 per cent of Canadian GDP in the previous year, representing about $120 billion in economic value. It projects that contribution could reach $170 billion by 2030 as adoption expands for 5G, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence. Those figures are projections from the industry organization, rather than evidence of a policy change or committed investment program. [1]
The paper arrives after the CRTC introduced measures intended to strengthen cellphone and internet competition, increase consumer choice and reduce costs. GSMA warns that, without a revised policy approach, network quality and innovation could erode gradually; it links that risk to slower subscriber growth amid reduced immigration, flat operator revenues and higher spectrum-licence costs. [1]
The report is GSMA’s first Canadian policy paper and sets out recommendations rather than a government decision or regulatory implementation. As a result, its near-term business significance rests on its contribution to the policy debate, while any effect on telecom investment, network deployment or consumer pricing would depend on subsequent action by regulators and governments. [1]
The development adds an industry-backed assessment of investment constraints and a set of telecom-policy recommendations, with potential relevance to digital infrastructure and operator capital spending. Its significance is limited because the report does not itself change Canadian regulation, spectrum pricing or investment requirements, and no implementation was announced. [1]