[Finger Cookin]

Wind ready to bid in next spectrum auction

Wind, the small carrier with ambitions of spreading across the country, was unable to bid in February’s auction because its backer, Vimpelcom, was not willing to advance more capital.

However, Wind has since restructured with a new group taking over Vimpelcom’s stake and has said it hopes to bid for next generation wireless spectrum.

In an interview with CBC's The Exchange with Amanda Lang, Wind chairman Tony Lacavera expressed optimism that the opening up of new spectrum would make Wind a national player.

“We’ve still a long way to make ourselves a truly competitive player on a level playing field with the incumbents but in six or so years we have come a very long way," he said.

Lacavera said recent roaming regulations have expanded Wind's coverage to about 97 per cent of the Canadian market. But it needs access to high-speed service over new bandwidths.

"The mobile internet is exploding and Canadians are increasingly watching video on their mobile phones. There’s incredible growth in demand for more mobile internet and that translates into the need for more real estate to give more services to Canadians," Lacavera said.

Wind Press Release

Come on, WIND!