Mike Temporale
09-17-2004, 04:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=e8b3ea29-b7cc-4e89-a272-2425c042778a' target='_blank'>http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=e8b3ea29-b7cc-4e89-a272-2425c042778a</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Rogers Wireless Communications Inc. said Thursday it may join the bidding for rival Microcell Telecommunications Inc., operator of the Fido mobile phone network. Rogers Wireless said it has filed a request for an advance-ruling certificate and a short form pre-merger notification with the federal Competition Bureau in connection with a possible offer. "Those filings have been made in order to put Rogers Wireless in a position to make such an offer on an expedited basis if a decision were to be made to do so," the company said in a release. If Rogers bids for Montreal-based Microcell, it will have to contend with a standing offer of $1.1 billion from Telus Corp. for the company."</i><br /><br />The Telus offer has been rejected by Fido. I was kind of hoping that the takeover bids would have ended with that. :( If Rogers does put forth an offer, I think we could see Telus return, and we will see this turn into a bidding war. Which is good for Fido shareholders.<br /><br />This quote is very interesting. <i>"Analysts have also suggested it would be in the interest of all the mobile phone companies in Canada to get rid of Microcell, whose low rates are driving down prices."</i> So it's not about building a bigger customer base, or improved coverage. It's all about getting rid of the little guy so you can drive up prices and rip of the consumer. :twisted: