Tag: Anthony Lacavera

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Mobile Syrup

Globalive launches new public push against Rogers-Shaw merger

Globalive has launched a new avenue for people to share their concerns about the Rogers-Shaw merger with members of the federal government.

NoMerger.ca provides a template message opposing the merger and allows Canadians to share it with their Member of Parliament based on the postal code they provide.

“The Rogers-Shaw merger will only reduce competition and increase prices. Tell [Minister François-Philippe Champagne] to follow the advice of the Competition Commissioner and the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology and reject this merger,” the template reads.

Anthony Lacavera is the founder of Globalive and has been one of the many persistent voices against the merger.

Globalive had previously offered to buy Freedom Mobile when Rogers and Shaw agreed to sell it. The company’s $3.75 billion offer was rejected in favour of Vidéotron’s $2.85 billion offer. Lacavera was the founder and CEO of Wind Mobile before the company was sold to Shaw and rebranded to Freedom.

The $26 billion Rogers-Shaw merger needs approval from three parties. The Competition Bureau sought to block it through a hearing with the Competition Tribunal, which backed the telecoms. The bureau will present its case to the Federal Court of Appeal Tuesday.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approved the broadcasts aspect of the merger in March 2022. However, a recent application from TekSavvy asks the CRTC to examine Rogers’ plans to lease its broadband network to Vidéotron at a lower price than wholesale rates, which it alleges violates the Telecommunications Act. The CRTC has yet to respond to the application.

Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne must provide the third avenue of approval.

This isn’t the only time Lacavera has pushed for the Innovation Minister to stop the merger. He launched a similar measure on his personal website last year, asking Minister Champagne and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to end “the fake competition in wireless.”

Lacavera told MobileSyrup the original measure on his personal website was in response to many of the early concerns he heard for Canadians on the merger. But it only targeted Minister Champagne and Prime Minister Trudeau. He was also getting similar requests on how people could contact their MPs directly, resulting in the creation of NoMerger.ca.

While both websites are similar, Lacavera said he wouldn’t get rid of one or the other. “We are checking the form inputs to ensure there are no bots or duplicates.”

The new website launched Tuesday, and 4,000 Canadians have sent emails in the first 24 hours.

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Mobile Syrup

Anthony Lacavera says Rogers’ sale of Freedom Mobile an “engineered process”

Anthony Lacavera, the founder and former CEO of Wind Mobile, is calling on the government to reject Rogers proposed offer to have Xplornet acquire Freedom Mobile.

Lacavera is also the chairman of Globalive, a group that has shown extreme interest in acquiring Freedom Mobile. According to the Globe and Mail, Lacavera sent a letter to several government officials, including François-Philippe Champagne, the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry.

The letter states Rogers omitted Globalive and other potential bidders in the process, denying Freedom Mobile was even for sale.

Lacavera warns the government to be “highly skeptical of any transaction presented to you that is a product of this non-competitive and engineered process, which appears to have as its goal the establishment of an anemic and ineffective owner of the fourth carrier business.”

The deal with Xplornet, also first reported by the Globe and Mail, is something Rogers isn’t commenting on. “We’re not going to comment on any rumours that are out there,” CEO Tony Staffieri said during the 2022 Q1 results conference call.

The government has not publicly commented on the sale, and Lacavera is utilizing that silence.

He’s released numerous messages on social media platforms telling Canadians Freedom Mobile needs to be acquired by an independent carrier.

His most recent public plea comes through survey results commissioned by Globalive.

According to the results, 67 percent of respondents want the company to be sold to an independent carrier to ensure increased competition. 87 percent of respondents list a commitment to lower prices as the most critical factor in the sale of Freedom Mobile.

“It’s crucial that we continue to demand a transparent sale process on behalf of Rogers, and that the appropriate discretion is used at the federal level when choosing a final buyer. We are counting on Minister Champagne to make the decision that is in the best interests of Canadians,” Lacavera said.

Source: Globalive and the Globe and Mail

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Mobile Syrup

Wind founder’s company Globalive offers to buy Freedom for $3.75 billion

Globalive has offered to buy Freedom Mobile for $3.75 billion.

Anthony Lacavera is the founder and chairman of Globalive, and he also founded Wind in 2008. Lacavera sold Wind to Shaw Communications in 2016 for $1.6 billion. Shaw rebranded the company to Freedom.

According to the Globe and Mail, the all-cash offer includes acquiring the company’s wireless licenses, customer accounts, cell towers, and stores.

The news comes as Rogers tries to gain regulatory approval to merge with Shaw. But to do that, the company may have to sell Freedom to create competition in Canada’s telecom market.

Rogers is currently meeting with prospective buyers, but it isn’t clear if Globalive was ever on that list. The Globe and Mail reports representatives presented Globalive’s offer to Rogers last week.

Lacavera has been vocal about his interest in buying back Freedom. In December, he made his interests clear, stating it would be good for the Canadian market if Freedom became independent.

The Globe and Mail reports Twin Point Capital and Baupost Group, two U.S.-based investment groups, will finance the transaction.

MobileSyrup has reached out to both Lacavera and Globalive for comment and will provide a response once available.

Source: Globe and Mail

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Mobile Syrup

Wind Mobile founder Anthony Lacavera wants to buy Freedom Mobile

Wind Mobile founder Anthony Lacavera wants to buy it back, now that the wireless carrier may be up for sale again.

Lacavera founded Wind in 2008 and sold it to Shaw Communications in 2016 for $1.6 billion. Since then, Wind was renamed Freedom Mobile. Now as Rogers works to acquire Shaw for $26 billion, some expect regulators will force it to sell Freedom to avoid a reduction in wireless competition as part of the deal.

A lengthy report from the Globe and Mail details Lacavera’s plan to buy Freedom should the Rogers-Shaw deal come to pass, which involves leveraging a group of investors including pension funds, private equity and family offices. Lacavera declined to share the names of investors with the Globe, although he did admit to sticking with investors from Canada, the U.S. and Britain to avoid controversy. (Wind’s launch was delayed due to issues raised by the CRTC over its ownership).

“I think that would be good for the Canadian market if [Freedom] was restored to being an independent, pure play wireless company,” Lacavera told the Globe. Lacavera previously expressed disappointment over the proposed Rogers-Shaw deal, saying that “prices most definitely are going to go up.”

Should Freedom go up for sale and Lacavera succeed in his bid to acquire the carrier, he plans to make 5G accessible to all Canadians with innovative pricing. Additionally, Lacavera believes Canadian wireless rates should be 20 to 30 percent lower. Dynamic pricing could be one way Lacavera will do that — he explained that networks can be dynamic now and that it can switch customers between 5G and 4G depending on their needs. As such, pricing could change dynamically depending on what customers are doing on their phones.

Others are interested in buying Freedom Mobile

However, Lacavera isn’t the only one interested in scooping up Freedom if it goes up for sale. Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau previously expressed interest in buying Freedom as part of its plan to expand Vidéotron into Western Canada.

The Globe notes that Eastlink founder John Bragg also expressed interest in purchasing Freedom, but that the company’s not holding its breath.

However, none of this matters if Freedom doesn’t go up for sale — so far, it’s not clear if it will. Even if selling Freedom becomes part of the Rogers-Shaw deal, it’s unclear how much of the carrier will need to be sold. Rogers may be forced to part with only a certain amount of customers contracts, spectrum licences, physical stores and towers to appease regulators.

Plus, Freedom could find itself behind others on 5G since Shaw opted out of the recent 3,500MHz spectrum auction due to the Rogers acquisition. The 3,500MHz spectrum will be key in rolling out actual 5G since the mid-band spectrum offers several benefits over the low-band 5G currently deployed in Canada.

The CRTC, Competition Bureau and Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development are still reviewing the Rogers-Shaw deal.

Source: Globe and Mail