Much news on the Rogers/Shaw sale in the past few days. That and a couple other stories I’ve found interesting.
Rogers and Shaw Reach Deal to Sell Freedom Mobile to Quebecor
As Rogers and Shaw attempt to get the deal to have the former company buy the latter done, one of the requirements put in place was that the company would be forced to sell the Freedom Mobile division of Shaw. Rogers has found a buyer in Quebecor, operator of the Videotron brand in Quebec. The deal is valued at $2.85 Billion, and Rogers says it will allow a 4th national mobile phone provider to continue. The sale of Freedom Mobile to Quebecor does not include the Shaw Mobile brand and customers. The company says those customers are intertwined with Shaw’s landline internet service in ways that Freedom Mobile is now.
https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/06/20/quebecor-wins-the-freedom-mobile-jackpot/
Competition Bureau Files New Documents Opposing Rogers/Shaw Deal
Despite the agreed on sale of Freedom Mobile to Quebecor, the overall deal that would see Rogers buying Shaw is not a sure thing. The Canadian Competition Bureau has filed new legal briefs continuing its opposition to the deal, stating that the sale of Freedom Mobile does not adequately relieve their concerns, and that the overall consolidation of the Rogers and Shaw businesses would not be in the best interest of the public.
Public hearings will take place on the proposed sale in the fall. They’re sure to be interesting.
https://globalnews.ca/news/8929953/competition-bureau-rogers-shaw-deal-more-submissions/
Telus Begins 3500MHz 5G Deployment
3500MHz is what is described as “mid-band 5G” and in the long term is likely to be the preferred frequency for 5G, featuring much faster speeds than lower frequencies, but not the extreme short range that 6GHz 5G suffers from. Canada’s 3500MHz auction took place in 2021, and carriers are beginning to roll out their coverage.
Telus is rolling out service in Victoria, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal. Access to this spectrum and the faster speeds appears to be locked behind Telus’ new “Unlimited 5G+ plans” which are the two most expensive plans in the Telus portfolio. This mirrors carriers attempting to charge more for early 5G service when that began to roll out, though that quickly changed with every carrier dropping plans to charge more for 5G, some before even launching. Hopefully that happens to this new, faster spectrum soon.
https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/06/17/telus-3500mhz-5g-deployment/
Activision Blizzard Shareholders Approve Public Reporting Plan
While the Microsoft purchase of Activision Blizzard purchase is still pending, the company is operating independently and taking steps to address the culture of sexual harassment that appears to have been significant within its walls. Part of that plan is a new public disclosure on steps the company is taking to address the sexual harassment complaints. The report will be annual, and details the steps the company has taken in the prior year.
While a good step, if the Microsoft purchase goes through, it is unknown if this will continue, or disappear.