Canadian wireless operator Rogers Wireless Communications Inc. said it has filed a request with the Canadian Competition Bureau for an advanced ruling certificate and a short form pre-merger notification relating to a possible offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of rival Microcell Telecommunications Inc. Rogers Wireless noted the filings were made to allow the company to make an offer for Microcell, though the company has not made a final decision to make an offer.
The filing follows an agreement earlier this week between Rogers Wireless parent company Rogers Communications Inc. and AT&T Wireless Services Inc. for AWS to sell its 34-percent interest in Rogers Wireless for approximately $1.3 billion and for AWS to give up its consent requirement for RCI to make an offer for Microcell.
Canada’s second-largest wireless operator Telus Corp. announced an unsolicited $780 million offer for Microcell, which is the country’s smallest nationwide operator, which Microcell’s management has encouraged its shareholders to refuse. Microcell has acknowledged that it is in negotiations with several domestic and foreign companies, including Telus, regarding a possible sale,
