Wind Mobile to take part in wireless spectrum auction
Posted September 17, 2013 6:08 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
MONTREAL – Small wireless player Wind Mobile says it will bid for radio waves needed to build a cellphone network in the wireless auction next January.
The application is being submitted by Toronto-based Globalive Wireless Management Corp., which provides home phone and long-distance service, data and Internet service to businesses and telecom services to hotels, universities and hospitals.
Globalive’s chief executive is Anthony Lacavera, who owns a 35 per cent stake in Wind Mobile. Amsterdam-based telecom VimpleCom owns the remainder of Wind Mobile and its Russian owners have put their majority stake up for sale.
Lacavera has always said he wants Wind Mobile, which has 650,000 cellphone customers, to become Canada’s fourth national carrier to compete with Rogers, Telus and Bell.
Registration opens Tuesday for bids in the government auction for wireless spectrum. America’s AT&T, Norway’s Telenor and U.K.’s Vodafone have been rumoured to be interested, now that U.S. giant Verizon has announced it’s no longer considering an expansion north.
Industry Canada said it won’t publish a list of those who have put down a refundable deposit for the auction until Sept. 23.
