VANCOUVER - The Canadian federal government has announced a new wireless spectrum auction for next year.
Industry Minister James Moore, who is in Vancouver for the announcement, will auction off licences for the 2500 megahertz spectrum.
The auction is in addition to another auction, for the 700 megahertz spectrum, which is set to begin later this month.
The Conservative government has made competition within the wireless sector a key policy plank, promising a series of measures to increase competition and bring prices down for consumers.
Moore says the auction will come with strict conditions to ensure carriers who obtain licences must put them to use quickly or lose them.
He says the 2,500 megahertz spectrum is deal for next-generation technology that will cover faster connections.