Wind Mobile is close to securing a new — but familiar — ownership group, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Dutch telecom giant VimpelCom — Wind Mobile’s major shareholder — is prepared to sell its stake in the carrier to Toronto’s Globalive Capital and West Face Capital for about $300 million, the newspaper reported September 15.
Wind Mobile CEO Anthony Lacavera is also the chairman and CEO of Globalive.
In January, Wind Mobile withdrew from the 700-megahertz wireless spectrum auction after VimpelCom decided it did not wish to fund the effort.
Wind Mobile was founded in the lead up to a 2008 spectrum auction, which also brought on other regional players like Mobilicity and Public Mobile.
Mobilicity is now under creditor protection following three failed attempts by Telus (TSX:T) to acquire the struggling carrier.
Each time, the federal government nixed plans by one of Canada’s “Big Three” carriers — which also include Rogers (TSX:RCI.A) and Bell (TSX:BCE) — to acquire a regional wireless provider.
Wind Mobile’s withdrawal from the 2014 spectrum auction was considered to be a blow to the Conservative government’s ongoing efforts to create a fourth major carrier.
Calls and emails to Wind Mobile, Globalive, VimpelCom and West Face were not returned to Business in Vancouver by press time.
A spokesman from VimpelCom said the company had no comment.
