THE BIG NEWS WEDNESDAY was that American telco Verizon has made a real offer to buy Wind Canada from its majority owner, VimpelCom. The Globe and Mail cited sources who claim that the big U.S. firm has put an opening bid of $700 million on the table and is also talking to Mobilicity about a potential purchase of that distressed company.
The speculation (nobody from any of the companies will confirm anything at this point, beyond reports last week from Verizon CFO Fran Shammo that the company is taking a peek north) caused Canadian telecom shares…
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TORONTO – Telus and Rogers both announced today they are each offering the fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity, as well as the iPad mini with Wi-Fi + cellular.
Both carriers are offering the new iPads with a range of contract-free data plans to connect to either Telus’s 4G network or to Rogers’ LTE network.
The fourth generation iPad features a 9.7-inch Retina display, new Apple-designed A6X chip, FaceTime HD camera and ultrafast wireless performance. The iPad mini is 23% thinner and about half the weight of the third generation iPad and comes with…
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TORONTO – New York-based Verizon Communications is setting its sights on entering the Canadian market by reportedly offering to acquire Wind Mobile for $700 million.
Citing “two people familiar with the situation,” the Globe and Mail today reported that the U.S. carrier has also held recent talks with Mobilicity’s stakeholders to discuss a potential acquisition.
With a market cap of US$135 billion and an estimated US$10.8 billion in free cash flow, the odds of successfully entering the Canadian market would be in Verizon’s favour, according to analyst Dvai Ghose of Canaccord Genuity. By purchasing…
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TORONTO – Mobilicity’s parent company DAVE Wireless announced today that it is rescheduling its debtholders’ vote of Mobilicity’s recapitalization plan to July 3, 2013.
In a release, the company said the date change for the vote, which had been previously scheduled for June 25, would give stakeholders a chance to assess prior to the vote what impact, if any, Industry Canada guidelines regarding the transfer of wireless spectrum would have on Mobilicity’s recapitalization plan. The guidelines are anticipated to be released by the end of this month.
Earlier this month, the federal government rejected…
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WINNIPEG – MTS announced this week it has completed its 4G LTE wireless network expansion to Portage la Prairie, the third of six rural Manitoba communities that are scheduled to receive MTS’s 4G LTE network service in 2013.
Last month, MTS announced plans to expand its 4G LTE wireless network to six communities in 2013, including Selkirk, Portage la Prairie, Steinbach, Ste. Anne, Grand Beach and Victoria Beach.
www.mts.ca/4glte
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TORONTO – The realities of the wireless market in Canada and globally continue to tell most people that no matter what the federal government tries or what anyone says, chances are slim that a fourth viable wireless player in Alberta, B.C. and Ontario will find success.
Add BMO Capital Markets telecom, cable and media analyst Tim Casey to the chorus of those who believe the federal government has muddled and mishandled the wireless file and that there doesn’t seem to be a way forward to its stated political goals. Noting that Industry Minister Christian Paradis has been on record several…
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OTTAWA – Orascom Telecom announced Wednesday it has withdrawn its application for Investment Canada Act approval of its acquisition of control of Wind Mobile Canada.
Back in January, Orascom announced it would take full control of the nascent Canadian wireless company in a deal which would have seen company CEO Tony Lacavera transfer all of his shares to the foreign owner and resign as CEO. The agreement followed changes to the foreign investment rules by the federal government that frees up telecom companies with less than 10% market share to have no restrictions on foreign ownership….
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THE GLOBE AND MAIL’s top business story on Monday was one saying U.S. telecom behemoth Verizon was looking at jumping into the Canadian market by purchasing tiny Wind Mobile, or the even tinier, Mobilicity.
The guffaws you heard Monday morning came from the offices of all of the nation’s telecom companies – and just about all of Bay Street. “What a joke,” one senior telecom executive told Cartt.ca on condition of anonymity. “This is just bulls**t fed to (The Globe) by people trying to drum up interest in Wind and Mobilicity,” said another.
“This is highly unlikely,”…
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NETWORK EXPANSION NEWS
Launches this week:
Rogers-MTS agreement allows Rogers LTE Max expansion in Manitoba
TORONTO – Rogers Communications announced Thursday it will bring Rogers LTE Max to customers in Manitoba through a province-wide network sharing agreement with MTS Inc.
Starting Monday, Rogers will roll out LTE Max, an LTE network deployment that enables speeds of up to 150 Mbps, to customers in Winnipeg, Brandon, Victoria Beach, and Grand Beach. Rogers will continue to expand LTE Max coverage to additional markets in 2013, including Portage la Prairie, Selkirk, Steinbach, and Ste. Anne, with plans…
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TORONTO, ON – While Canadians businesses continue to have concerns with public cloud computing, an IDC study released Tuesday says more Canadian enterprises are associating cloud services with a higher level of business performance.
The IDC study, commissioned by Telus, found that 73% of Canadian organizations that have adopted cloud have overcome data governance challenges and reported improved data compliance as one of the main benefits. These companies also said that using cloud was meeting their financial expectations. “The survey indicates that the number one priority for Canadian businesses is improving customer service,” says Tony Krueck,…
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