Canada will sell off wireless spectrum next year as planned, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Friday, despite protests by major telecoms firms that the auction rules favor the entry into the market of U.S. giant Verizon Communications Inc. The government - which has a policy of trying to increase wireless competition - expects to raise billions of dollars from the January 2014 auction of the spectrum that telecoms companies need to operate their wireless services."We have every intention of continuing that policy in the interests of Canadian consumers and the broad Canadian public, including proceeding with the auction as we have laid out for some time," Harper told reporters in Miramichi, New Brunswick.Under the rules of the auction, Canada's three dominant players - Rogers Communications Inc, BCE Inc and Telus Corp - may each only bid for one of four prime blocks of spectrum, while other companies may bid for two apiece.The big three, already unhappy that Verizon may be set up a Canadian operation, say the auction rules would unfairly favor the U.S. company. They have launched a high-profile public relations campaign to persuade Ottawa to change its mind.
BCE Inc. is a communications company, providing residential, business and wholesale customers with a range of solutions to all their communications needs. Shares of BCE fell by 0.02% or $-0.01/share to $40.58. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $38.72 and as high as $48.06. On average, 924326 shares of BCE exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 1388179.
BCE Inc. is a communications company, providing residential, business and wholesale customers with a range of solutions to all their communications needs. Shares of BCE fell by 0.31% or $-0.13/share to $41.77. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $40.58 and as high as $48.90. On average, 1904630 shares of BCE.TO exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 1111260.
Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI) is a diversified public communications and media company. Shares of RCI traded higher by 0.48% or $0.19/share to $39.58. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $38.32 and as high as $51.98. On average, 709185 shares of RCI exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 742284.
Verizon Communications Inc. (Verizon) is a holding company. Shares of VZ fell by 0.6% or $-0.3/share to $49.32. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $40.51 and as high as $54.31. On average, 10939400 shares of VZ exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 8583331.
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