Cellphone market faces shakeup as new and old players bid $4.25B for spectrum

By: Julian Beltrame, THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA - Canada's wireless landscape faces a major shakeup over the next year with the potential addition of a national and several regional cellphone providers offering users more services, options and lower charges. The federal government's wireless spectrum auction concluded Monday with 15 firms - current and prospective entrants - bidding a surprising $4.25 billion for bandwidth space across the country. "I think you will see significant changes over the next 12 months," said Iain Grant of telecommunications consultants the Seaboard Group. "You will see new players, more choices and for sure lower prices." The total haul of the auction was almost triple analyst expectations, and some analysts said the sizable outlays of cash from industry could limit how far providers can go in... [read full story]