Canada’s industry ministry has said 14 parties have “provisionally qualified” for its upcoming auction of spectrum in the 700 MHz band.
The list includes all of the parties that placed deposits in September, minus private equity firm Birch Hill…
Canada’s industry ministry has said 14 parties have “provisionally qualified” for its upcoming auction of spectrum in the 700 MHz band.
The list includes all of the parties that placed deposits in September, minus private equity firm Birch Hill which pulled out last week without disclosing why.
A final list of qualified bidders will be released on 8 November. Later that month, bidders will receive more information on the auction and will be able to take part in mock auctions ahead of the final tender, scheduled for 14 January.
The lack of an obvious bidder that could become a significant fourth player in the wireless market was a blow to the Canadian government. It has followed an interventionist strategy to create greater competition in order to lower prices for consumers.
Dominant operators Bell Canada, Rogers Communications and Telus have all provisionally qualified to bid, as well as regional players including EastLink, MTS, SaskTel, TBayTel and Videotron. Some smaller new players have also been pre-approved.
