Foreign wireless players conspicuously absent from 700 MHz spectrum initial bidders

OTTAWA – As widely suspected, no foreign wireless carriers were named as potential bidders for the 700 MHz wireless spectrum according to the list released by Industry Canada early Monday morning. The 15 potential bidders includes incumbents Bell Mobility, Telus and Rogers Communications, as well as regional carriers MTS, SaskTel, T-Bay Tel, EastLink/Bragg Communications and Videotron. Also named is Wind Mobile parent Globalive Wireless, fixed-wireless operator Vecima and Vancouver-based Novus Wireless. While new entrant Mobilicity is not on the list, another company owned by its chairman John Bitove, known as Feenix Wireless Inc. is, as is private equity investors Birch Hill Equity Partners and The Catalyst...