Cogeco Communications – bidding through its Cogeco Connexion subsidiary – has successfully bid on 23 licences comprising 2300MHz and 2500MHz spectrum, primarily covering its Ontario and Quebec fixed line footprint, in the auction for ‘residual spectrum licences’ held by Innovation, Science & Economic Development (ISED) Canada. The cableco paid CAD24.3 million (USD18.8 million) for the frequencies, which cover a total of 5.415 million people.
Other bidders include: Freedom Mobile, which paid CAD8.642 million for eleven 2500MHz licences; Xplornet, which paid CAD8.235 million for 16 2500MHz permits; Ecotel (an affiliate of industrial/M2M/remote network specialist Ambra Solutions), which paid CAD1.245 million for a combination of 700MHz and 2500MHz concessions; Telus Communications, which paid CAD907,000 for a pair of PCS-G licences; and Iristel (VoIP provider and parent of far-northern cellco Ice Wireless, registered as Iris Technologies Inc), which acquired a solitary 700MHz licence covering the Yukon territory for CAD100,607.