Bell has announced plans to acquire AlarmForce Industries, a home security and monitoring services company, for a cost of approximately $166 million CAD.
“Bell is excited to welcome the AlarmForce team as we pursue the significant growth and innovation opportunities represented by the connected home. It’s a natural next step for Bell as one of Canada’s most trusted brands in residential services,” said George Cope, president and CEO of BCE and Bell Canada.
“Leveraging Bell’s network and service leadership and our place in millions of Canadian homes, we look forward to growing our nascent position in security and automation services to ensure Bell residential customers are at the leading edge of connected home innovation.”
AlarmForce is one of Canada’s largest security companies with more than 100,000 home and business subscribers. Along with security solutions, the company also offers smoke, flood and carbon monoxide detection, as well as smart home systems that include lighting, climate, lock and medical alert systems.
Bell discusses plans to combine AlarmForce’s “assets and experience” with its “strength in networks” in an effort to expand into the connected home sector in Ontario and Quebec.
The Canadian telecom giant says it already provides security and monitoring services in Atlantic Canada and Manitoba through its Bell Aliant’s NextGen Home Security and AAA Security companies, subsidiaries of BellMTS.
Rogers, Bell’s main competitor in Canada along with other major carriers like Telus and SaskTel, also offer similar smart home services.
Bell expects this acquisition to close in January 2018.
Source: Bell
