Tesla seeks CRTC telecom licence — but don’t look for Tesla cellphones

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Tesla Motors Canada ULC has applied to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission for a licence “to manage or operate or resell” international telecommunications services, but it does not appear that the electric car maker has plans to start hawking cellphones.

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Documents filed with the CRTC on Sept. 15 say Tesla intends to use the licence to provide machine-to-machine cellular data service to enable telemetry data and in-vehicle infotainment services access, including internet access.

In addition, obtaining the licence would enable Tesla to offer mobile terminating SMS to wake up vehicles, says a letter sent to the CRTC by Keith Rose, a lawyer at McCarthy Tétrault LLP who is acting for Tesla on the application.

“Tesla does not, and does not intend to, own or operate transmission facilities in Canada,” Rose wrote.

The Basic International Telecommunications Services (BITS) licence Tesla is seeking, which would cover telecommunications traffic running “between Canada and another country,” sounds similar to a CRTC licence General Motors renewed in 2017 that allows OnStar connectivity in its vehicles, said Mark Goldberg, a Toronto-based telecom analyst.

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OnStar allows owners to be in contact with emergency services, unlock their cars if keys are locked inside, and shut the vehicle off if it is stolen.

The Tesla plan appears to be “no different from GM,” Goldberg said, adding that the CRTC licence does not determine which communication links the holder uses.

Tesla could use Starlink, founder Elon Musk’s satellite internet constellation operated by SpaceX, but “mobile communications with a low earth orbit satellite… is a very different engineering challenge,” Goldberg said.

“Teslas today are equipped with antennas compatible with mobile networks, so I would expect Tesla to be striking commercial deals with one or more companies in the mobile industry.”

CRTC spokesperson Patricia Valladao said international telecommunications services licence applications are open for a public comment period of 30 days, and if no adverse comments are received, a licence is generally issued within 21 days of the comment deadline.

Neither Tesla nor Rose, the McCarthy Tétrault lawyer, could not be reached for comment.