MONTREAL—Canadian telecom companies Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. and Aliant Inc. announced that they are combining their operations to form what they say is one of the largest regional telecommunications service providers in North America.
As part of the deal, BCE will receive Aliant’s wireless business, which offers service in areas of Newfoundland, Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. BCE also will take over Aliant’s 51 DownEast retail outlets. Bell Canada expects the transaction to strengthen its wireless position.
The companies will unite Bell Canada’s wireline operations in Ontario and Quebec with Aliant’s wireline operations. The companies will also add Bell Canada’s majority interest in the Bell Nordiq Income Fund to form a new consolidated income trust with 3.4 million local access lines and more than 400,000 high-speed Internet subscribers in six provinces. The trust will be controlled by BCE.
BCE is currently slugging it out with rivals Telus Mobility and Rogers Communications Inc. BCE operates a network-sharing arrangement with Telus.
