Canadian challenger Wind Mobile is set to enter the process to bid for 700 MHz spectrum to be auctioned in January 2014.
Bids are due today.
Wind said it planned to compete in the auction and was committed to the market.
“We have long maintained…
Canadian challenger Wind Mobile is set to enter the process to bid for 700 MHz spectrum to be auctioned in January 2014.
Bids are due today.
Wind said it planned to compete in the auction and was committed to the market.
“We have long maintained that there is a dire need for additional wireless spectrum in Canada to ensure the long-term success of any independent wireless provider,” Wind said in a statement.
There had been question marks over whether any of the three new entrants, which were formed after acquiring set-aside spectrum in Canada’s last major auction in 2008, had the financial resources to participate.
Fellow challenger Mobilicity said it would not comment on its plans for now, while Public Mobile did not reply to a request for comment before the press deadline.
Wind has proved the most successful of the minnows, but it has only amassed 650,000 subscribers since its formation – well below its target of securing 1.5 million within three years of its creation.
Incumbents Bell Canada, Rogers Wireless and Telus are all considered certainties to bid for national licences. They are only allowed to bid for one of the four licences available each, but other participants can attempt to acquire two.
Provincial telcos Eastlink, MTS Mobility, Sasktel and Videotron are expected to submit offers for regional concessions.
It is not clear whether Wind intends to bid for regional or national frequencies, or how it will finance the purchase. The company has been the subject of consistent M&A speculation since its backer, Russian telco VimpelCom, signalled it was looking to sell the operator earlier this year.
Verizon Communications held talks with Wind over the summer and reportedly discussed a bid in the region of C$700m, although the US behemoth has since signalled it is not interested in entering Canada.
