r/planhub

SpaceX just made one of its biggest moves yet toward becoming a real mobile carrier.

The company has agreed to acquire Grain Management’s nationwide U.S. portfolio of 800 MHz wireless spectrum, reportedly for around $8 billion.

The deal includes up to 14 MHz of paired low-band spectrum.

Why 800 MHz matters:

• Low-band signals travel long distances

• They penetrate buildings much better than higher-frequency satellite signals

• The spectrum is compatible with conventional mobile-network infrastructure

• It fills an important gap in SpaceX’s growing spectrum portfolio

SpaceX already acquired major AWS-4, H-block and AWS-3 spectrum assets from EchoStar.

The new 800 MHz spectrum could allow Starlink Mobile to combine satellites with terrestrial radios and cell sites, creating something much closer to a conventional nationwide wireless network.

Investors noticed.

Reuters reported today that T-Mobile fell as much as 13.2% and Verizon roughly 10%, while European carriers including Deutsche Telekom, Orange and Telefónica also declined.

Telecom tower companies moved in the opposite direction because SpaceX may still need tens of thousands of terrestrial sites to build a competitive mobile network.

Important distinction: this spectrum is in the United States.

It does not suddenly turn Starlink into a Canadian mobile carrier.

In Canada, Rogers already partners with SpaceX for Starlink satellite-to-mobile service using Rogers spectrum. TELUS and Bell are separately working with AST SpaceMobile.

But if SpaceX succeeds in building its own full mobile network in the U.S., the relationship between satellite companies and traditional carriers could change significantly.

Starlink may be evolving from something carriers use to fill dead zones into something that can eventually compete with them.

Sources:
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-european-telecom-stocks-slide-spacex-spectrum-deal-rattles-sector-2026-10-09/
https://graingp.com/grain-management-announces-definitive-agreement-to-sell-nationwide-800-mhz-spectrum-portfolio-to-spacex/
https://www.spacex.com/updates/

The CRTC has given final approval to the work plan for a major rural fibre project in western Saskatchewan.

Access Communications will receive up to $12.89 million from the CRTC Broadband Fund to build approximately:

• 350 km of fibre infrastructure
• 36 network points of presence
• High-capacity transport serving 25 communities
• Infrastructure benefiting roughly 3,555 households and 11 anchor institutions

The communities include Thunderchild First Nation, Turtle Lake, Livelong, Metinota, Vawn and several smaller lake and rural communities in western Saskatchewan.

This funding was originally approved in November 2025. Today’s decision is different: the CRTC has now approved the detailed statement of work, allowing the project to move into its funded implementation phase.

The CRTC also granted Access Communications some unusual flexibility because it is a community-owned non-profit co-operative.

Instead of waiting for quarterly reimbursements, Access can submit claims as often as monthly and can claim eligible costs once they are incurred rather than waiting until they are fully paid.

The approved completion date is December 2028.

The infrastructure must also offer wholesale and retail open access at funded network points, meaning other providers can potentially use the new transport network too.

Sources:
https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2026/2026-264.htm
https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2025/2025-295.htm

Bell has completed a new fibre Internet connection to Big Tancook and Little Tancook Islands in Nova Scotia.

The project connects roughly 184 homes and businesses directly to Bell’s fibre network.

Getting there required:

• About 7 km of submarine fibre cable
• Another 8 km of fibre infrastructure on the islands
• Specialized marine deployment from the Blandford area

Residents previously relied mainly on fixed wireless and satellite Internet.

The project was delivered with the Government of Nova Scotia and Build Nova Scotia through the Internet for Nova Scotia Initiative.

The province says the broader program has now brought reliable high-speed Internet access to nearly 100% of Nova Scotians, with the remaining locations mostly in geographically difficult areas.

This project is the only one under the provincial initiative that required an undersea fibre deployment.

Sources:
https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/bell-brings-fibre-internet-to-big-and-little-tancook-islands-816925157.html
https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2026/08/06/undersea-cabling-project-bring-fibre-internet-tancook-islands

The province said in August that this was the final phase of the South Shore project area and that fewer than 500 underserved locations remained province-wide at the time.

I recently met with Edward Zimmermann, CTO of Sentinel Advanced Military Solutions, and toured the company’s facilities in Châteauguay, Quebec.

StarForge is much broader than a simple “drone factory.” The idea is to combine command and control, surveillance, local power, 3D manufacturing and a digital inventory of parts inside transportable modules.

The ForgeX module I visited works like a compact mobile factory. Its standard configuration includes four 3D printers, workstations, batteries, servers and the materials needed for production. According to Sentinel, it can produce roughly 80 to 100 drones per day, depending on the model and operating conditions.

Another part of the system is the C2/ISR command module. Three operators can supervise multiple types of drones and unmanned vehicles. Zimmermann says the system can manage a few hundred platforms at once and can continue operating locally even without an Internet or satellite connection.

What I found most interesting, though, is the “digital stockpile” concept.

Instead of relying only on warehouses full of finished drones and spare parts, Sentinel wants to store designs, manufacturing files and instructions digitally. A part can be updated, approved, sent to the system and produced locally when needed.

That matters because drone technology and countermeasures are evolving extremely quickly. A fleet purchased today can lose relevance within months. StarForge is therefore less about building “the best drone” and more about creating an infrastructure that can repair, modify and manufacture different platforms as they evolve.

AI also plays a smaller role than I expected. According to Zimmermann, it is mainly used for object identification and tracking from radar and camera data, while humans remain involved in the decision chain.

Sentinel is also looking at non-military uses, including the monitoring of dams, energy infrastructure, remote sites and environmental areas. Zimmermann mentioned discussions involving Ontario Power Generation and Indigenous communities.

One comparison from the interview stuck with me: he said that, when it comes to drones, we are still in the “biplane era.” In other words, what we are seeing today may only be the very beginning of how these systems will evolve.

Source (in french) :

https://branchez-vous.com/actualites/starforge-drones-chateauguay/

https://branchez-vous.com/actualites/starforge-drones-stock-numerique-sentinel/

The CRTC has officially confirmed that two Broadband Fund projects from Rogers and TELUS are complete and now providing service.

Rogers : Bruce Station, Ontario

• Completed July 17, 2026
• Around 1.8 km of fibre transport infrastructure
• Upgraded local network point with up to 10 Gbps of transport capacity
• Originally approved for up to $131,474 in CRTC funding

TELUS : Central Interior, British Columbia

• Completed August 27, 2026
• Around $9.7 million in Broadband Fund support
• Infrastructure serving roughly 751 households
• Mobile coverage along about 119 km of Highway 20
• Fibre, fixed wireless and mobile improvements across rural and Indigenous communities

The completed B.C. project includes communities such as Alexis Creek, Anahim Lake, Chilanko Forks, Hanceville, Kleena Kleene, Nimpo Lake, Riske Creek, Tatla Lake and several First Nations communities.

This isn’t a new funding announcement. These projects were approved years ago.

What changed today is that the CRTC has accepted their final implementation reports and confirmed that the funded infrastructure is complete and broadband services are being offered.

There is still one final step: the CRTC will hold back part of the funding until each provider demonstrates that the network has operated for a full year while meeting the conditions attached to the project.

Sources:
https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2026/2026-267.htm
https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2021/2021-48.htm
https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2021/2021-252.htm

Canada is considering some significant changes to the rules governing wireless infrastructure, and today is the deadline for final reply comments.

ISED wants to streamline how new cell towers are approved. Under the proposal, local authorities would generally have 45 days to approve or formally challenge a project. If they don't act within that window, the tower could be considered approved.

Telecom operators could also be allowed to build towers under 15 metres without the usual municipal and public consultation process. ISED is also looking at ways to make small-cell deployment easier, which could matter as carriers densify 5G networks.

There are also important changes on roaming and tower sharing.

ISED has determined that mobile roaming should generally be considered technically feasible. The wording requiring carriers to provide roaming only "where technically feasible" is being removed. Instead, roaming must be offered upon request when the customer's device can access the host network.

A similar change applies to tower sharing: carriers would be required to share antenna sites when requested, while technical disputes would move to arbitration instead of being decided directly by ISED.

The government says tower sharing and mandatory roaming are particularly important for smaller and regional carriers because they allow them to offer broader coverage without duplicating every piece of infrastructure.

The consultation has attracted submissions from Bell, Rogers, TELUS, Québecor, Eastlink, SaskTel, Xplore, Cogeco, CanWISP, municipalities and many others.

Source:
https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/spectrum-management-telecommunications/en/learn-more/key-documents/consultations/consultation-amendments-tower-siting-process-and-decision-roaming-tower-sharing-and-annual-reporting

Bell has launched the ahlo 2, the second generation of its own budget smartphone brand.

For $335 outright, it includes:

• 6.9-inch eye-comfort display
• 50MP camera system
• Android 16
• 5,200mAh battery
• Up to 1.5 days of typical battery life
• Up to seven days in e-reader mode
• 0-50% charging in around 38 minutes
• 128GB storage

The ahlo 2 is available through Bell, Virgin Plus and participating retailers.

Bell is also offering it from $1/month for 24 months through SmartPay with an eligible two-year plan, although the full device price remains $335.

One interesting comparison: the original ahlo 1 currently has a $270 full price, so the new model costs $65 more while upgrading the screen, camera and battery.

Bell is also selling a case + 30W fast charger bundle for $39.99.

Sources:
https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/bell-introduces-ahlo-2-more-features-more-style-more-value--894861550.html
https://www.bell.ca/Mobility/AAL/Products/Ahlo-2

Bell currently lists the ahlo 1 at $270 and the ahlo 2 at $335, making the second generation about 24% more expensive at full retail price.

The CRTC is changing how mobile coverage will be reported in Canada.

Today, carrier coverage maps are largely based on each provider’s own predictive models. The new national standard is intended to make those maps more consistent and closer to what Canadians actually experience.

One of the biggest changes: Canadians will be able to flag locations where reported coverage doesn’t match the signal they actually get.

The CRTC launched the process after acknowledging a major disconnect: official data says 99.5% of Canadians have access to mobile service, while users continue to report dead zones across the country.

The new reporting system is expected to begin being integrated into the CRTC’s Annual Facilities Survey in 2027.

Want to compare networks where you live right now? PlanHub’s Coverage Map lets you explore mobile coverage and nearby infrastructure across Canadian carriers:

https://www.planhub.ca/planhub/coverage-map

Sources:
https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2026/2026-9.htm
https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/farrpoint2025.htm
https://publisherpt.substack.com/p/crtc-moves-to-make-cellphone-coverage

Public Mobile’s Back-to-School deals are officially gone, and its Canada-US-Mexico plans are less generous than they were yesterday.

Here’s what changed:

• $35/25GB Canada-US-Mexico: gone
• $40/75GB → $40/70GB
• $45/125GB → $45/100GB
• $50/175GB → $50/150GB

So the $45 and $50 plans each lose 25GB, while the $40 plan loses 5GB.

The $35 price point still exists, but it’s now a Canada-wide 50GB plan rather than a Canada-US-Mexico plan.

The remaining $40, $45 and $50 Canada-US-Mexico plans still include 5G service and 1,000 international minutes.

The lower-cost 4G lineup remains:

• $22/1GB
• $24/5GB
• $28/10GB
• $30/35GB

This is a good reminder that Public Mobile changes its plan lineup frequently. The Back-to-School offers were explicitly marked as ending October 5.

Would you have grabbed the $35 Canada-US-Mexico plan before it disappeared, or are you waiting for Black Friday?

(English below)

À tous les possesseurs d’iPhone,

iOS 27 est disponible au téléchargement depuis aujourd’hui.

Avec cette nouvelle version, Fizz rend disponible les appels WiFi et le RCS.

Cependant, il semblerait que si notre forfait ne contient pas les textos illimités, la fonctionnalité RCS ne sera pas fonctionnelle…

De mon côté, cela reste « En attente d’activation » (mon forfait ne dispose pas de textos illimités).

D’autres témoignages dans ce subreddit semblent confirmer ce point.

——————————————

To all iPhone users,

iOS 27 is available for download as of today.

With this new release, Fizz has enabled Wi-Fi calling and RCS.

However, it seems that if your plan doesn't include unlimited texting, the RCS feature won't work...

On my end, it’s stuck on "Waiting for activation” (my plan doesn't include unlimited texting).

Other posts in this subreddit seem to confirm this.

Eastlink customers may notice a higher bill this month.

The company has confirmed new residential rate increases effective with October 2026 monthly bills.

Here’s what is changing:

• Internet-only plans: up to $5 more per month
• Internet + TV bundles: up to $8 more per month
• Internet + Telephone bundles: up to $8 more per month
• Internet + TV + Telephone bundles: up to $8 more per month
• Home Security: $2 more per month

Eastlink describes the increases as “up to” amounts, meaning the exact change depends on the customer’s current services and package.

For someone hit by the full $8 increase, that works out to an additional $96 per year before taxes.

One thing worth checking is whether you’re currently receiving promotional bill credits. Eastlink says promotional pricing generally consists of monthly discounts from the regular price, and if the regular price increases, the customer’s monthly price can still increase while the promotional discount itself remains in place.

Eastlink customers should check their October bill to see the exact change applied to their account.

Canada’s three major wireless networks have earned global recognition in Opensignal’s 2026 5G awards, but none took the top prize in any category.

Here’s where the Canadian carriers placed:

• Bell: Global Leader for 5G Coverage Experience
• Rogers: Global Leader for 5G Reliability
• TELUS: Global Leader for 5G Coverage Experience and 5G Reliability

None of the Canadian carriers received Global Winner status in:

• Time on 5G
• 5G Coverage
• 5G Reliability
• 5G Download Speed
• 5G Video
• 5G Games
• 5G Voice App Experience

Canada is part of Opensignal’s large-land-area category, which separates countries larger than 200,000 km² from smaller, more densely populated markets.

Among those large countries, the 2026 winners include:

• T-Mobile USA: 5G Coverage and Time on 5G
• Vivo Brazil: 5G Download Speed
• Telekom Germany: 5G Games
• au and SoftBank Japan: 5G Reliability
• au Japan: 5G Voice App Experience

The 5G Video category was dominated by European operators, with winners from Finland, Sweden, Norway and Poland.

In the smaller-country category, South Korea, Singapore, Denmark, Switzerland and the Netherlands produced several of the strongest networks.

SK Telecom won 5G Download Speed, KT won Voice App Experience, Singtel won Coverage, StarHub won Time on 5G, Swisscom won Games and Odido won Video.

So Canada appears internationally competitive in two areas in particular: coverage and reliability.

But when it comes to raw 5G speed, video, gaming and the amount of time customers actually spend connected to 5G, other countries are currently setting the benchmark.

Opensignal says the results are based on billions of measurements taken from real users rather than controlled drive tests.

Sources:
https://insights.opensignal.com/2026/09/5g-global-awards-2026/dt
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260928416789/en/

Videotron has expanded the area where Quebec residents can subscribe to its mobile service.

More than 25,000 people in 31 additional communities across four regions are now eligible for Videotron Mobile.

The expansion includes:

Abitibi-Témiscamingue:

La Sarre, Macamic, Palmarolle, Saint-Bruno-de-Guigues, Notre-Dame-du-Nord, Sainte-Germaine-Boulé, Dupuy, Taschereau, Normétal, Poularies, Clermont, Saint-Eugène-de-Guigues, Sainte-Hélène-de-Mancebourg, Roquemaure, Clerval, Nédélec, La Reine, Authier, Authier-Nord, Chazel, Belcourt, Launay, Val-Saint-Gilles and Saint-Dominique-du-Rosaire.

Nord-du-Québec:

Lebel-sur-Quévillon.

Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean:

Lac-Bouchette, Petit-Saguenay and Notre-Dame-de-Lorette.

Bas-Saint-Laurent:

Saint-Cyprien, Lejeune and Biencourt.

Residents in these communities can also subscribe to Fizz, Videotron’s digital mobile brand.

There’s an important distinction here: Videotron is expanding its subscription area, which isn’t exactly the same thing as expanding its own physical network coverage.

Videotron says customers inside a subscription area can be served either by its network or by national partner networks. The majority of their usage must remain within the subscription area.

Videotron has been gradually expanding mobile eligibility outside Quebec’s largest urban centres, including previous expansions into the Gaspésie, Côte-Nord, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Haute-Côte-Nord and Charlevoix-Est.

Sources:

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/videotron-expands-its-wireless-subscription-area-in-four-quebec-regions-854317220.html

https://www.videotron.com/en/mobile/mobile-network-coverage