The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition in its continuing bid to boost competition in the wireless industry, Ottawa confirmed it will reserve most cellular airwaves in a coming public auction for small carriers. The Globe's Christine Dobby writes at the same time, the feds made a pitch to rural Canadians, assuring them of better service in the future. Speaking in Vancouver on Thursday, Industry Minister James Moore announced several policy changes around the licensing and use of spectrum. Mr. Moore said next year's auction of airwaves in the AWS-3 (advanced wireless services) frequencies will begin on March 3 and confirmed the framework first announced in July, under which the government will reserve the majority for small wireless carriers. Companies such as Wind Mobile and Mobilicity, which offer services in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, as well as Videotron in Quebec and Eastlink Wireless in Atlantic Canada, will be eligible to bid on the set-aside spectrum. They will be able to acquire the airwaves in their operating territories with starting bids set relatively low by Ottawa, compared with what they have paid in past auctions. Quebecor is still thinking about expanding outside of Quebec.