Common sense Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Regulators in Canada have been making a push to enhance competition in the mobile space, with Industry Minister Christian Paradis going so far as to lay out a set of rules for the nation's upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction that he promises will give citizens "more choices and more access at better prices." Granted, that ideal world only works if the carriers can stay afloat long enough to bid. According to William Aziz, Mobilicity's own chief restructuring officer, the operator has been "losing a significant amount of money every month." To that end, he reckons that an "acquisition by Telus is the best alternative," and he seems to think that the $380 million deal will receive a hasty approval considering the circumstances. The purchase price is thought to be high enough to cover the debts looming over Mobilicity, and it'll give its 150 employees a secure job at Telus. If it sails through, a quarter-million Mobilicity customers should see no interruption in service as the integration takes place. Of course, a secondary benefit for Telus is gaining access to the spectrum Mobilicity currently uses. The end result for customers in the world's nicest country? We'd love to say that one fewer player will result in better service, lower prices and greater fulfillment for all... but something tells us that's probably wishing for a bit much. http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/17/telus-agrees-to-acquire-mobilicity-for-380-million/ How sad. Just when it looked like Canada was about to get some competition against the Big 3, it's gone. This is the one time I actually want the CRTC to intervene and block the sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkeeterHansen Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 How sad. Just when it looked like Canada was about to get some competition against the Big 3, it's gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easton76 Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 So how does this effect current Mobilicity customers? Will our awesome plans change? Do we get service in more areas now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 With all this money, you'd think they could afford to make things cheaper, but no Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goalie13 Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 How sad. Just when it looked like Canada was about to get some competition against the Big 3, it's gone. This is the one time I actually want the CRTC to intervene and block the sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lockout Casualty Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Block the sale? Then what? Let them go bankrupt? How will that help things stay competitive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apollo Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Argggg just as soon as prices were becoming cpmpettive. Great move by telus to keep sticking it to Canada. Its good business. Bad for consumers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tortorella's Rant Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Yay, we've got about two companies to choose from now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Common sense Posted May 17, 2013 Author Share Posted May 17, 2013 Never gonna happen. Any sort of competition will be swiftly brought down by one of the larger corporations, just like Coca-Cola etc. has done in the food industry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoreanHockeyFan Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 Ummm...Mobilicity was going into bankruptcy. Can't really blame the head honchos of the company for letting Telus buy them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancaster Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 That's the free market. Oh wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Heffy Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 Block the sale? Then what? Let them go bankrupt? How will that help things stay competitive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvis15 Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 Ummm...Mobilicity was going into bankruptcy. Can't really blame the head honchos of the company for letting Telus buy them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanuckRow Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 This is ridiculous. When will these bills be passed about more consumer friendly contracts at least? Tired of getting screwed by Telus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Common sense Posted May 18, 2013 Author Share Posted May 18, 2013 Just let US telecom companies in. Telus/Bell/Rogers will have their prices slashed in half overnight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lockout Casualty Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 \ http://newamerica.net/publications/policy/an_international_comparison_of_cell_phone_plans_and_prices Just let US telecom companies in. Telus/Bell/Rogers will have their prices slashed in half overnight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Heffy Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 The problem being that mobile carriers in Canada have to have a majority Canadian-based ownership stake. of course, I would not object to the creation and arrival of T-Mobile (Canada), Verizon (Canada), or AT&T (Canada). More options, with already-established companies that know what they're doing and have the capital for this type of business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTania Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 Greedy corporations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvis15 Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 ... http://newamerica.ne...lans_and_prices ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverpig Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 Yup, I'm sure they looked at other options to keep the company going but it was at the point where they either sold or let the creditors take over. This way, at least they don't layoff employees and have customers lose service. Nice thought, but what network will the US companies use? They don't have their own towers here, so they have to either build them or pay to use existing towers. Considering the cost it takes to maintain a network in a company the size of Canada, they certainly won't let them use it for free. Apart from ensuring roaming coverage for their US clients, I'd think companies like AT&T, Sprint, etc aren't interested in paying for a network with less available clients to pay for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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