WIND MOBILE FOUNDER Anthony Lacavera (above) wants Canadians (and the federal government) to know he knows they deserve better.
In an open letter posted to his website, Lacavera argues Canada now has the “opportunity to permanently solve our decades-old mobile competition problem.”
That opportunity, of course, is centred around the sale of Freedom Mobile.
Early last month, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne issued a statement saying he would not allow Rogers Communications to acquire all of Shaw Communications’ wireless licences.
Rogers’ acquisition of Shaw requires approval from ISED, the Competition Bureau and the CRTC. (The CRTC is the only one of the three to have released a decision on the matter thus far.)
After Champagne made his statement about the wireless side of the deal, it was reported Rogers entered into talks with potential buyers for Freedom Mobile, which was formerly Wind Mobile.
Among those potential buyers is Globalive, a global investment firm founded and chaired by Lacavera, who has not been shy about expressing his desire to buy Wind back. (And Globalive reportedly made a bid of $3.75 billion to do so.)
Lacavera’s open letter suggests (without outright saying) this is the best option for Canadians.
“The last time we had a real competitor in the industry was in 2009, when Globalive brought WIND Mobile to market,” his open letter says.
“The launch of WIND resulted in an average cost savings of $400 a year to every Canadian household with a mobile plan, whether they were a WIND customer or not,” according to the letter. “Innovation and services went up, and prices came down. That’s competition. And strong competition benefits consumers.”
Lacavera argues the government must ensure whoever buys Freedom “is a real alternative – a truly independent alternative to the Big Three (Rogers, Bell and Telus).”
“We need a mobile carrier that both wants and has to earn the business of Canadians every single day,” his letter says. “A mobile carrier that doesn’t have current or historical ties to the Big Three carriers – no cozy personal relationships, employment history or closed-door, back-room deals that benefit everyone – but the consumer.”
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Image borrowed from Lacavera’s Twitter page.
