This Bidder Just Withdrew from Ottawa’s 700MHz Wireless Spectrum Auction

The Catalyst Capital Group Inc., the private equity firm based in Toronto and the largest debt holder of struggling wireless entrant Mobilicity, has dropped out of Ottawa’s 700MHz wireless spectrum auction, as noted by a change on Industry Canada’s website, notes the Globe and Mail.

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This now leaves the following 11 companies set to bid on the 700MHz spectrum, seen as ‘beach front property’ since these airwaves are able to easily penetrate building and have signals go further. With one less bidder, this means incumbent carriers now have one less competitor to deal with.

  • Bell Mobility Inc.
  • Bragg Communications Incorporated (Eastlink)
  • Feenix Wireless Inc. (owned by John Bitove, the founder and executive chairman of Mobilicity)
  • Globalive Wireless Management Corp. (official name of WIND Mobile)
  • MTS Inc.
  • Novus Wireless Inc. (2.2% owned by Concord Pacific CEO; 97.8% owned by Luxembourg Famous Star SARL, a subsidiary of Famous Star Investments Limited, which is a subsidiary of Taiwan-based ASUSTeK Computer Inc)
  • Rogers Communications Partnership
  • Saskatchewan Telecommunications
  • TBayTel (City of Thunder Bay)
  • TELUS Communications Company
  • Vidéotron s.e.n.c. (Quebecor)

Ottawa revealed the final list of bidders last month. The auction is set to take place on January 14, 2014.

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