Verizon Wireless won't be expanding into Canada, says Verizon's CEO. The news comes on the heels of Verizon Communications' announced plans to buy out Vodafone's 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless. While Verizon had looked into a northern expansion, CEO Lowell McAdam left no room for interpretation in a recent comment, according to The Globe and Mail. "Verizon is not going to Canada," he told Bloomberg.
The Canadian government under current prime minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party wants to expand nationwide coverage from three carriers - Rogers, Bell Wireless and Telus - to four (several smaller companies offer regional coverage in various parts of Canada). It looked like Verizon would gain a foothold in the Canadian market by buying one of those smaller regional carriers then acquiring spectrum in an upcoming government auction.
Now those plans are off the table, and the long-term viability of some of those carriers - as well as the outcome of the spectrum auction - is causing concern for some Canadian officials.
