Videotron, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Quebecor, now owns Freedom Mobile. Quebecor and Shaw Communications announced that this creates the "fourth strong, competitive wireless service provider" in the country. Videotron has promised François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, to lower prices to benefit Canadians.
But that isn't just what the company promised. Its press release on the acquisition vowed a few more things, which you'll see under the cut.
- Ensure that over a period of ten years, Freedom’s plans will be at least 20% more affordable than the equivalent plans currently offered by the incumbents in the British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario markets;
- Maintain prices for Freedom’s existing customers for five years. Existing Freedom customers will also automatically receive a 10% increase in their local data limit at no additional cost. In addition, Freedom will participate, within its wireline footprint, in the Connecting Families initiative available to low-income Canadian families and seniors, as Videotron already does;
- Invest more than CAD 150 million to upgrade Freedom’s infrastructure, which will, among other things, enable 90% of its customers to access the 5G network using a compatible device within two years. Quebecor has also committed to keeping Freedom’s spectrum licences for at least 10 years after they are transferred.
Residents in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario can expect multi-service bundles that include wireless, Internet, and television services coming within the next few months.