Bell Quietly Cuts Workers From its Acquired Internet Brands

Bell has cut more jobs this week as it continues to shrink parts of its business that handle smaller, independent internet brands it previously acquired.

A Bell spokesperson confirmed to iPhone in Canada that “a small number of reductions took place yesterday” as the company simplifies its internet services portfolio, without specifying numbers. Bell says it plans to focus on its EBOX brand for “value segment” internet offerings, while still keeping Primus around.

But behind the corporate message, some longtime employees are feeling the impact. A post on Reddit said that half the staff at Bell’s Independent Consumer Group (ICG) — which includes people who had worked for acquired brands — were let go. “Some who’ve been with their brand for over 25 years,” the poster wrote. “Bell just likes to buy companies like EBOX, B2B2C, Oricon, Distributel, Primus and Acanac and over time dissolve them.”

Over the past few years, Bell has bought several independent internet providers. Here’s a quick recap:

• EBOX, a Quebec-based ISP known for affordable plans, was acquired in early 2022.
• Primus, another budget-friendly telecom, was bought by Distributel in 2021, which Bell then acquired later that year.
• Other smaller brands like Acanac, B2B2C, and Oricom were also swallowed up under Bell’s umbrella.

Now, it appears Bell is folding many of these smaller teams and shifting focus to just a few core brands, mostly aimed at budget-conscious customers. While jobs are being cut in Canada, Bell has invested heavily recently into its U.S. ISP purchase of Ziply for a cool $5 billion.

“It’s a sad day today. A lot of good talent is gone,” said the user on Reddit.

While Bell is presenting this as a business decision to streamline services, it’s another round of job losses for an industry that’s already seen multiple waves of cuts in recent years.