Quebecor a credible bidder for Shaw’s Freedom Mobile business, federal government source says

Canadian telecoms operator Quebecor Inc QBR-B-T is found as a credible buyer for Shaw Communications’ SJR-B-T Freedom Cell wireless small business, a federal government resource claimed on Wednesday, an option that could enable pave the way for the approval of Rogers Communications’ RCI-B-T bid for Shaw.

Canada’s Competitiveness Bureau has blocked Rogers’ $20-billion bid for Calgary-centered Shaw, saying it would undermine competitiveness in a place that presently has some of the world’s maximum wireless charges.

Toronto-dependent Rogers asked Quebecor, a Montreal-based telecommunications and media business, to bid for Shaw’s wi-fi company, the Globe and Mail claimed on Friday, the identical day that Rogers and Shaw reported they experienced been informed the level of competition watchdog would block the merger.

“Quebecor is a credible opportunity buyer of Flexibility Cellular,” a governing administration supply, who was not licensed to communicate on the record, explained to Reuters.

“If it (Quebecor) had been to acquire Independence Cell, the govt would look at the Rogers-Shaw merger on its deserves, in particular if it ensured levels of competition and a lot more cost-effective mobile options for Canadians.”

Quebecor declined to comment.

The opposition watchdog explained on Tuesday that concessions supplied by Rogers to purchase Shaw were being insufficient and that the merger, as proposed, would undermine level of competition.

The providers can now seek a compromise with regulators.

“Rogers and Shaw have 45 days to file a response,” the Opposition Bureau mentioned. “Once the get-togethers file a response … the Bureau has 14 days to reply. All other timelines are identified on a circumstance-by-situation basis.”

On Monday a Rogers spokesperson claimed the corporation would “continue to have interaction constructively with regulators to achieve a resolution” and that it would file a formal response “in owing system.”

A consortium that includes the relatives that owns the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, a pension approach and British Columbia indigenous teams have made an supply for Flexibility Cell, the World and Mail reported on Tuesday.

The Rogers-Shaw merger would generate Canada’s 2nd-premier mobile and cable operator.

The offer involves acceptance from the telecommunications commission, Canada’s Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and the Opposition Bureau.

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