The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday edition the smart phone revolution is giving rise to a new battle in Canada's telecom industry, one that is testing Ottawa's resolve to bridge the urban-rural digital divide. The Globe's Rita Trichur writes Internet service providers such as Xplornet are accusing Rogers and BCE of "hoarding" spectrum that they have held for years but failed to use. Now that those licences are up for renewal, Xplornet argues the companies' control of those assets is stifling competition for Internet services in rural areas. Spectrum is a finite resource controlled by the feds, so the stakes are high for telcos to secure licences. This particular spectrum skirmish centres on the 3,500-megahertz band, which is designated to provide so-called fixed wireless access, which is industry speak for high-speed Internet. Rural communities generally get Internet through either satellite-based services or fixed wireless access that uses a combination of spectrum and towers. Rogers and Bell collectively hold about 75 per cent of the 3,500 MHz spectrum through a joint venture called Inukshuk Wireless, but have not widely used it despite being given licence extensions by Ottawa.