Lease with Eastlink helps pave the way for Bell Aliant, Ontera sale

OTTAWA - Bell Aliant has agreed to lease part of Ontera’s network to Eastlink in response to concerns by the Competition Bureau over the proposed sale of Ontera to Bell Aliant.Following a recent investigation into the potential deal, the Bureau determined that the transaction would “likely substantially lessen and/or prevent competition in the sale of wireline telecommunications services in up to 16 Northern Ontario communities by providing Bell Aliant with the ability and incentive to exclude its competitors from access to high-bandwidth telecommunications transport services or raise the cost of those services”.In light of the Bureau’s concerns, Bell Aliant will lease...