MONTREAL — Industry Minister Tony Clement says he will review a CRTC decision that prevents new national cellphone company Globalive from launching its service.
“Let me just say we believe in competition in the telecom industry,” Clement said Friday. “So that remains our policy, and as to the specifics of that CRTC decision, obviously we’re going to be reviewing it and we’ll come to some conclusions in due course.”
The CRTC ruled Thursday that Globalive wasn’t Canadian-owned and controlled, putting its planned launch in the coming weeks in doubt.
Globalive, which plans to operate under the WIND Mobile banner, wants to be Canada’s fourth major wireless carrier and compete with Rogers, (TSX:RCI.B), Bell (TSX:BCE) and Telus (TSX:T).
DAVE Wireless and Public Mobile are expected to launch their services in the coming months, while Quebec-based Videotron (TSX:QBR.B) is expected to get into the cellphone business in that province and in parts of Eastern Ontario next year.
Egyptian telecom company Orascom owns 65 per cent of Globalive and much of its debt, a structure accepted by Industry Canada when its licence was granted last March.