13 February 2026
Re‑thinking 2500–2690MHz: Canada’s consultation on converting FDD to TDD
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has launched a consultation1 on the future of the 2500–2690MHz band, proposing a shift away from a mixed FDD/TDD arrangement (Bands 7/38) towards a TDD only configuration (Band 41).
Given the shifting global mid band landscape, is this the right move for Canada and could this also be implemented in Europe?
ISED’s proposal
Canada’s 2.6GHz band is currently split between paired FDD blocks (2500–2570MHz uplink / 2620–2690MHz downlink) and an unpaired TDD block (2570–2620MHz). Under ISED’s proposal, this mixed structure would be replaced with a single, contiguous TDD‑only arrangement aligned with Band 41 (2500-2690MHz).
An FDD arrangement uses specific frequencies for downlink traffic paired with corresponding frequencies for uplink traffic. In contrast, a TDD arrangement assigns specific time intervals for uplink and downlink transmission rather than dedicated frequencies.
ISED is seeking stakeholder views on both the feasibility of implementing a TDD‑only plan by 2028 and the practical steps required to enable a smooth transition.
The figure below illustrates the current arrangement (Bands 7/38) alongside the proposed arrangement for a TDD-only Band 41 configuration in Canada.
In recent years, Canadian (Bands 7/38) and US (Band 41) licensees have deployed 5G systems along the border. However, differences in band plans have made cross-border coordination increasingly difficult. Canadian licensees have reported growing interference issues – most notably in the FDD uplink spectrum (2500–2570MHz), where interference has created challenges in meeting deployment obligations. To manage this interference in the short term and to maximize spectrum usability along the border, Canadian operators have submitted a joint request to ISED to align Canadian spectrum holdings with the configuration used in the US.
Benefits of a full-band TDD configuration (Band 41)
Band 41 is currently predominantly used in the Americas and Asia, including in the US, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, China, Japan and India. On the other hand, Bands 7/38 are predominantly used in Europe, Australia and large parts of Latin America and Africa.
Band 41 offers significant advantages over the hybrid Bands 7/38 configuration. Using TDD across the entire 2.6GHz band allows for wider contiguous spectrum allocations, resulting in greater capacity and improved spectral efficiency.
While typical assignments in Band 7 today are around 2×15MHz – 2×20MHz, Band 41 assignments unlock the potential for larger contiguous bandwidths of around 90–100MHz. For example, in Saudi Arabia (Band 41) Mobily holds 100MHz and Zain holds 90MHz in the band. In contrast, during one of the recent Bands 7/38 auctions in Slovakia, the band was split among four bidders.
Band 41 also benefits from lower spectrum costs, simplified network operation, and avoids inter-band interference. Furthermore, all spectrum above 2.6GHz is now deployed using a TDD configuration.
Using the 2.6GHz band as TDD spectrum also allows for a more efficient implementation of Massive MIMO technology because the use of the same frequencies for both uplink and downlink allows the Channel State Information (CSI) of the downlink channel to be derived from the received uplink at the base station.
While Bands 7/38 were key in the early days of LTE adoption, they now less widely used. The allocation of large contiguous blocks of 3.5GHz greatly reduced the importance of 2.6GHz FDD, as it offers similar coverage but comparatively limited capacity gains. This trend is evident from the prices paid in some recent European auctions – for example, in Croatia’s 2023 auction, final prices for the 2100MHz band were over 14× higher (per MHz) than those for the 2.6GHz band.
Is an FDD → TDD transition feasible in Europe?
Current cross-border coordination agreements between EU member states are based on Bands 7/38 configurations. Therefore, any transition to Band 41 on a standalone basis would create coordination challenges. TDD usage close to borders would need to continue to protect neighbouring 2.6GHz FDD operations until all member states transition to a TDD-only configuration.
However, achieving coordinated migration between member states would not be straightforward. First, member states would need to reach a consensus on the benefits of migrating from the existing FDD/TDD mix to a TDD-only configuration. Second, licence expiry dates vary significantly across the EU, with some countries like Croatia, Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden having re-awarded the band in the past five years.
EU regulators therefore need to weigh carefully the efficiency gains of adopting Band 41 against the operational complexity and coordination challenges involved in transitioning from the current Bands 7/38 framework.
[1] ISED, ‘Consultation on the Revisions to the 2500-2690 MHz Band Plan’, January 2026
