WIND Mobile made news late yesterday as it was reported that their major financial backer Orascom, who’s now owned by VimpelCom Group, declared they’d be asking shareholders to approve a proposal that would see them take control of the WIND Mobile brand in Canada. This, in accordance with the new foreign ownership investment rules, started the rumours of a possible merger with other newer carrier Mobilicity.
At one time it was also Public Mobile who was possibly uniting with WIND, but the rumour of a WIND/Mobilicity partnership has been circling for about a year. However, to douse any confusion in the marketplace, Tony Lacavera, Chairman and CEO of WIND Mobile, has declared that “VimpelCom Group and WIND Mobile remain committed to the Canadian marketplace and becoming Canada’s fourth-largest carrier. Contrary to certain preliminary stories in the media this morning, while we’re always considering our strategic options, the company is not currently engaged in any active merger discussion.”
The press release also noted that “The decision has no impact on how WIND Mobile operates in Canada – the shareholders’ agreement remains in place and unchanged.”
At last count WIND has over 500,000 subscribers. Rumours are that they have set an internal target to hit 600,000 by the end of the year. New devices that we can expect in their lineup are the Samsung Galaxy Note II (October 30th) and the Sony Xperia ion.
Source: CNW
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