Bell's impending acquisition of Manitoba's regional telecommunications incumbent, MTS, still needs approval by Canada's various regulators and government bodies, but the company's biggest test is with the province's own cellphone customers.
According to an interview with Winnipeg Free Press, Bell CEO Wade Oosterman says that while price changes are not guaranteed, service improvements are:
"I think it's way too early to speculate on (price changes). What I know with certainty is that quality will go up."
At the same time, Manitoba's own Premier, Brian Pallister, a member of the provincial Progressive Conservative party, supports the deal, noting, "We've had cheaper, limited services. Now we get better service."
Bell promises $1 billion in investment across the province over the next five years, including the filling of cellular dead zones, the beginnings of which have already begun in areas along Highway 75, near the Manitoba-North Dakota border.
