700 MHZ spectrum licences paid in full, James Moore says

Industry Minister James Moore says telecom companies that took part in the wireless spectrum auction in January that raised a record $5.27 billion have paid up in full for their licences.

Moore made the announcement on Twitter in a short tweet about the 700 megahertz spectrum auction, noting the licences have been transferred to winning bidders.

However, the January auction failed to immediately entice a fourth major player into the Canadian wireless market to provide more competition and over the last several months Rogers, Belland Telus have raised rates on some cellphone plans by similar amounts.

Some of the telecom companies are starting to roll out plans for the spectrum radio waves needed to operate cellphone networks which is considered ideal both for rural areas and dense urban cities.

Rogers paid the most for its spectrum, $3.29 billion for 22 licenses across the country, and says it will start deploying it later this year to provide an improved mobile video experience.

Telus spent just over $1.14 billion for 30 licenses, while Bell spent $565.7 million for 31 licenses and says it will start deploying the spectrum in rural and remote areas right away.