Well, that didn't take long. Shortly after a report claimed that Verizon is considering an entry into the Canadian wireless market with an acquisition of Wind Mobile or Mobilicity, the big red carrier has confirmed that it is thinking about making a move to the north.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo said that his company is "looking at the opportunity" of entering the Canadian wireless market and taking part in a Canadian spectrum auction that's set for January. However, Shammo went on to explain that Verizon is currently just "dipping [its] toe in the water," saying that the company is still in the early stages of weighing an entry into Canada and warning that such a move could be complicated by regulations.
Shammo wouldn't say which Canadian carrier(s) that Verizon is currently in talks with, but Verizon spokesman Bob Varettoni later confirmed that Wind Mobile is one of the entities that Verizon is interested in. "We constantly evaluate a wide variety of business opportunities, and this is one of many," Varettoni said in a statement to Bloomberg.
Verizon is currently one of the two largest U.S. operators, and with the Canadian government's desire to create a fourth major wireless operator to take on Rogers, Bell and Telus, Verizon could very well decide to enter the Canadian market. With its experience in rolling out LTE service and spectrum purchases, it'd be pretty interesting to see what Verizon could do if it does end up invading Canada. Now we just have to wait and see if the Verizon thinks that the possibility of becoming a major player in the Canadian wireless market is worth the effort of buying up a smaller carrier and taking part in a spectrum auction. Do you think that Verizon will make a move into Canada?
