Quote:
Originally Posted by TimeFadesAway
The 2 jurisdictions in Canada with the lowest wireless rates are Saskatchewan and Manitoba, who both have strong local telcos.
|
This used to be true but Vidétron, a division of Quebecor, operating in the province of Quebec as a company similar to Shaw locally, won wireless spectrum in the auctions sometime back and has actually become a strong competitor in the Quebec wireless market.
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Unknown Poster
I think prices will go up but I dont think it will be a shock. The other companies will be looking at this as an opportunity to gain market share so in the early going I'd suspect there will be some price wars.
|
A partly true fact. Wired Internet costs will mostly go the same and on the higher end actually decrease significantly, $140 for MTS to $100 for Bell with Bell having a 50% speed boost. Wireless costs Bell is currently higher than MTS but as mentioned elsewhere, MTS wasn't originally the low cost driver in the province so I would call that too early to call either way.
That said, my larger concern is with the wireless spectrum ownership in Manitoba. With MTS here the wireless spectrum is spread over four companies, as it is in most provinces. The Bell deal would reduce the spectrum ownership to three companies and put Manitoba at a disadvantage compared to the rest of Canada. Potentially this could have Manitoba paying 40% more for wireless compared to other provinces, basically the opposite of how things are today.
My personal preference would be to have the 1/3 wireless customers, and a hefty chunk of spectrum rights, transferred from MTS to Shaw as part of the Bell deal as Shaw now owns Wind. This would continue to maintain the four wireless networks in Manitoba. Shaw also has a historically good working relationship with Rogers which could help them quickly establish wireless coverage in Manitoba.