Canadian operator Telus has cleared the final hurdle in its bid to take over wireless minnow Public Mobile after the Competition Bureau said it did not plan to take any action regarding the acquisition.
In October Telus received government approval to…
Canadian operator Telus has cleared the final hurdle in its bid to take over wireless minnow Public Mobile after the Competition Bureau said it did not plan to take any action regarding the acquisition.
In October Telus received government approval to purchase Public from private investors Thomvest Seed Capital and Cartesian Capital for an undisclosed amount.
Public has 280,000 customers across Southern Ontario and Greater Montreal, and four spectrum licences complimentary to frequencies Telus holds in Western Canada.
Explaining its decision not to investigate Telus’ takeover further, the Competition Bureau said the transaction was unlikely to substantially lessen or prevent competition.
John Pecman, commissioner of competition, added: “Our review concluded that remaining non-incumbents are likely to continue to provide effective competition in areas previously served by Public Mobile.”
“But as the vast majority of Canadian wireless subscribers are served by three national incumbent providers, the Bureau will continue to closely monitor the evolution of competition in Canada’s wireless telecommunications industry and take action where appropriate.”
Telus has previously been blocked twice by the government in its attempt to buy Mobilicity, another wireless operator of a similar size to Public.
Telus’ takeover of Public was allowed because the spectrum Public holds, in the 1,900 MHz band, is considered to be less valuable in comparison to Mobilicity’s AWS spectrum, which is suitable for data services.
