Cordova was never meant to be permanent Wind CEO: source

When Pietro Cordova was introduced as Wind Mobile's new chief executive officer in October, it was not presented as an interim role, yet that was always the plan, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

On Monday, Wind announced that Alek Krstajic, the former CEO of Public Mobile, was taking over the CEO position from Cordova. It also said Anthony Lacavera would become honorary chairman, with Rob MacLellan taking over the official chairmanship.

MTS lobbies senior federal officials

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. CEO Jay Forbes met with three cabinet ministers and the head of Canada’s telecommunications regulatory body over the last five weeks, according the federal lobbying registry.

MTS chief executive Jay Forbes communicated with Finance Minister Joe Oliver on March 3, CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais on Feb. 18, Industry Minister James Moore on Feb. 17, as well as Winnipeg MP and Heritage Minister Shelly Glover on Feb. 6, according to the registry.

Mobilicity might have lost AWS-3 funding: report

Mobilicity might have been unable to raise the funds to bid in Tuesday’s AWS-3 spectrum auction because a $200-million financing deal fell through just minutes before the deadline, according to a report by the Financial Post.

AWS-3 auction format to yield quick results

The sealed-bid, single-round format of this week’s AWS-3 auction means the results will be known much quicker than in previous spectrum sales, while at least one analyst says it will also result in cheaper prices that will benefit smaller carriers.

Industry Canada accepts all bidders in AWS-3 and 2500 MHz auctions

Mobilicity hoping for post-auction sale approval: report

Mobilicity is hoping that spectrum ownership in Canada after two upcoming auctions becomes diluted enough that the government changes course on its previous refusal to allow the sale of the company and the spectrum it holds to an incumbent wireless company, the Financial Post reported Wednesday.

Wind, Mobilicity held recent acquisition talks: report

Wind Mobile had last-minute talks about a purchase of bankrupt carrier Mobilicity in advance of the Jan. 30 application deadline for bidding in the two upcoming spectrum auctions, according to a report from the Financial Post.

The two companies spent “the better part of the past few months” working on a deal, the Post quotes a source familiar with the discussion as saying.

Spectrum auction applicants list holds few surprises

The list of aspiring bidders in the upcoming AWS-3 and 2500 MHz spectrum auctions released by Industry Canada on Thursday includes the dominant players in Canada’s wireless sector as well as the remaining new entrants from the 2008 AWS auction, yet does not herald the entry of any new competitors into the market.

Mobilicity, Wind backers battle in court: report

Catalyst Capital Group Inc., a secured creditor of wireless service provider Mobilicity, is asking for a court injunction that would prevent West Face Capital Inc., an investment firm that was part of the group that bought out Wind Mobile, from taking an active role in the management of the rival carrier, the Globe and Mail reported Monday.

U.S. AWS-3 auction raises more than $41B US

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s AWS-3 auction ended Thursday, and the regulator announced Friday that it had accepted $41.3 billion US in net bids from 31 bidders for 1,611 spectrum licences.

The FCC had previously said the auction had seen $44.9 billion US in gross bidding, and in Friday’s release the regulator said the difference was due to auction rules surrounding withdrawn bids and interim payments.

Wind confirms participation in spectrum auctions

Wind Mobile on Thursday confirmed its participation in the upcoming AWS-3 and 2500 MHz spectrum auctions.

The registration deadline for both is Friday. The AWS-3 auction is set to begin on March 3 and the 2500 MHz auction will start on April 14.

"Our participation in the upcoming AWS-3 and 2500 MHz auctions reaffirms our long-standing commitment to build a competitive wireless industry in Canada," Wind chairman Anthony Lacavera said in a press release.

Mobilicity, Wind in stare-down as AWS-3 deadline looms

Mobilicity's intent to access up to $65 million in debt to participate in the upcoming AWS-3 auction has important implications for Wind Mobile, which would otherwise face no competition for the majority of spectrum on offer in southern Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.

Court documents filed by Mobilicity late Monday indicate it has reached an agreement with existing creditors to raise the money it needs to participate in the AWS-3 spectrum auction, which starts March 3 and has a deadline of this Friday for applicants to register.

Mobilicity will not participate in 2500 MHz auction

The latest report from the monitor appointed to oversee Mobilicity’s bankruptcy protection says the carrier will not participate in the upcoming 2500 MHz auction, although it is trying to raise funding to participate in the AWS-3 auction for which applications are due at the end of this week.

Wind promotion seen as shot against Mobilicity

Wind Mobile's offer of free wireless service to customers of Mobilicity, with unlimited data, text and calls for six months, could be an offensive move to help clear away competition for set-aside spectrum in the upcoming AWS-3 auction, analysts say.

Unlicensed spectrum eyed for easing wireless capacity crunch

As data consumption by smartphone users increases exponentially every year, wireless technology companies are looking to harness the unlicensed spectrum normally used for WiFi connections to improve cellular performance.

AWS-3 auction set for March 3, consultation starts on 600 MHz

Industry Canada on Thursday announced March 3 as the date for the beginning of the AWS-3 auction and proposed policy changes to make 600 MHz, AWS-4 and 3500 MHz spectrum available for mobile use in the near future.

CRTC, spectrum auctions among major wireless issues for 2015: analysts

As the new year approaches, Canadian wireless carriers of all sizes await a CRTC decision on domestic roaming that could, in the words of one analyst, “disrupt” the industry with wide-ranging consequences for two upcoming spectrum auctions and beyond.

Catalyst calls for urgency in Mobilicity restructuring

Recent documents submitted in Mobilicity’s court-monitored bankruptcy process indicate private-equity company Catalyst Capital Group Inc. is anxious to see a new arrangement for the wireless carrier soon.

Catalyst would fund spectrum purchase for Mobility: report

Catalyst Capital Group Inc. would help fund Mobilicity's purchase of new spectrum in the government's AWS-3 auction next year, its leader said in an interview with the Globe and Mail.

An article that appeared online Monday reported Newton Glassman, head of Catalyst, as saying that purchasing spectrum is the only way to retain value in Mobilicity, which has been in bankruptcy protection for more than a year.

FCC begins AWS-3 auction

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s AWS-3 auction began on Thursday.

The auction, which has a minimum price of a little more than $10 billion US and is scheduled for a single day, includes 1,614 licences in the 1695 to 1710 MHz, 1755 to 1780 MHz and 2155 to 2180 MHz bands. The 65 MHz of AWS-3, which can be used for wireless services such as LTE and LTE-Advanced, is available in a 5 MHz unpaired block as well as 5 and 10 MHz paired blocks.

Wind promises government it will invest in network

The government has approved the buyout of Wind Mobile from VimpelCom Ltd. by a consortium led by Anthony Lacavera's Globalive Capital with a number of attached conditions, including that the new ownership group "significantly invest capital with the aim of purchasing spectrum."

A statement from Industry Minister James Moore Tuesday said the transaction "will contribute to a more robust and competitive wireless industry in Canada."

AWS-3 auction prompts debate around urban-rural issues

A proposal from one incumbent carrier to restrict set-asides in the upcoming AWS-3 auction to urban centres has elicited debate in the latest round of submissions to Industry Canada from carriers providing input on rules for the auction.

Quebecor ‘still interested’ in Wind

Quebecor Inc. is “still interested” in Wind Mobile and is “certainly interested in talking with them” following the announced buyout of the carrier on Tuesday, Quebecor’s senior vice-president and chief financial officer Jean-Francois Pruneau said Wednesday.

Speaking during a CIBC investor conference in Montreal, Pruneau said that “we have, I think, very valuable spectrum ownership, which if they want, we can contribute ... in the venture and be a partner with them as well.”

Buyout puts Wind on solid ground, says Lacavera

Wind Mobile CEO Anthony Lacavera says his $285-million buyout of majority shareholder VimpelCom Ltd., announced Tuesday, brings stability to his company after years of ownership uncertainty.

Lacavera will buy out the majority stake Amsterdam-based VimpelCom had in Wind for $135 million and assume about $150 million in debt thanks to support from a group of investors including Toronto-based investment firm West Face Capital, as well as U.S. investors Tennenbaum Capital Partners and LG Capital Investors.

Incumbents say AWS-3 set-aside unnecessary, bad for taxpayers

In newly released documents Rogers Communications Inc., Telus Corp. and BCE Inc. all criticize the set-aside for new entrants in the upcoming AWS-3 auction, with Bell is asking the government to delay part of the auction for at least a year.

Videotron cites mobile TV as key in LTE launch

Four years after Videotron flipped the switch on a new wireless network, the carrier is launching an LTE network that president and CEO Manon Brouillette says will help the company deliver TV content to its mobile customers.

Videotron, owned by Quebecor Inc., was one of the companies that picked up set-aside spectrum in the 2008 AWS auction, and has been delivering HSPA service to the province of Quebec and the Ottawa region since September 2010.  

Rogers boss defends big spending on spectrum

Rogers Communications Inc.’s CEO on Tuesday said his competitors underestimate the value of wireless spectrum — something Rogers spent multiple times more money on than any other company in this year’s 700 MHz auction — though he added his company has some “dreadful” customer service that needs to be improved upon.

New technology promises to do more with less spectrum

A new technology that is part of the next generation of LTE could help wireless carriers more than double the speed of their networks and make the most out of their limited spectrum holdings.

Each spectrum band, be it PCS, AWS or 700 MHz, is subdivided into smaller chunks of paired and unpaired spectrum that are used by carriers to deliver wireless services.

Experts disagree on stringency of AWS-3 build-out rules

While some observers are saying the deployment requirements for the upcoming AWS-3 spectrum auction are the strictest the industry’s ever seen, others say they’re pretty much in line with those of previous auctions.

Telus’ Entwistle says Quebecor doesn’t need ‘advantages’

Telus Corp. executive chair Darren Entwistle criticised the rules for the upcoming AWS-3 auction, calling it “disconcerting” that Quebecor Inc. can bid on set-aside spectrum but his company cannot, the Financial Post reported on Friday.

According to the newspaper the former Telus CEO said in an interview that Quebecor is “a well-established player within the Canadian telecoms industry and clearly does not need to be gifted any advantages,” and that Telus was the “original new entrant.”

Analysts, carrier question policy on AWS-3 set-asides

Analysts are split on the wisdom of Industry Canada’s rules for the upcoming AWS-3 auction, which appear to put valuable spectrum in two provinces out of reach for any carrier.

Build-out requirements, regulations, keeping Verizon away: analyst

Verizon Communications Inc. is not likely to enter the Canadian market, Barclay’s analyst Philip Huang said in a Monday research note, referring to a meeting a U.S. Barclay’s analyst had with Verizon management.

Huang said that expansion to Canada was one of the topics discussed at that meeting, and that he believes Verizon is "unlikely to make a major acquisition in Canada."

CRTC finds Rogers’ treatment of Wind Mobile ‘unjust’

The CRTC issued a decision Thursday in the first of its two reviews of wholesale wireless roaming in Canada, finding that Rogers Communications Inc. committed “unjust discrimination” in its domestic roaming agreements and banning roaming contracts that prevent smaller carriers from using other carriers’ networks.

One year later, could the wireless wars re-ignite?

Last summer, a conflict between the federal government and Canada’s three biggest wireless carriers, centering over rules around the 700 MHz spectrum auction and the prospect of a large U.S. carrier entering the Canadian market, reached a fever pitch.

American private equity firm reportedly interested in Wind Mobile

Providence Equity Partners Inc., an American private equity firm, is interested in a stake in Wind Mobile, according to a Tuesday report from Bloomberg based on unnamed sources.

Lower-end telecom plans get biggest rate hikes: report

Telecommunications companies increased prices most, proportionally, over the last year for those subscribing to the lowest-end wireless, broadband-Internet and home-phone plans, according to a report released by the CRTC on Monday.

Wind looking to offer 3G roaming thanks to price cap

Now that the federal government’s domestic roaming caps are in place, Wind Mobile is looking to upgrade to 3G for its roaming network by the end of the summer, chief regulatory officer Simon Lockie said on Tuesday.

His company currently offers only 2G data connections outside its own network, Lockie said, because of the high prices it was forced to pay to send data over other carriers’ networks before the passage of the government’s budget bill, which included a usage-based cap on these wholesale roaming rates, on June 19.

Wind seeks LTE spectrum from Shaw, Quebecor

TORONTO — Wind Mobile CEO Anthony Lacavera said Tuesday that his company needs access to LTE spectrum, perhaps from unused space held by Quebecor Inc. or Shaw Communications Inc., if his company is to continue to be a viable alternative to the incumbent wireless carriers.