Canada's Wind Mobile is for sale, and rumor has it Verizon is thinking of going shopping. News outlet Reuters cites one source that says Verizon Wireless has offered Wind Mobile a deal worth between $600 million and $800 million. Not only that, but Verizon is apparently also talking to a second carrier in Canada, the struggling Mobilicity.
Mobilicity recently agreed to an acquisition by Telus Mobile but that deal was blocked by the Canadian government. Wind Mobile has also expressed interest in consolidating the companies, along with a possible third party, Public Mobile. The idea is that if all three smaller networks were to merge, they'd have a better chance of competing with Canada's big three (Rogers, Bell and Telus).
Wind, Verizon and Mobilicity all refused to comment on the report, though Reuters reports that Verizon recently vocalized an interest in entering the Canadian market.
Wind Mobile launched just three and a half years ago, in December 2009, and uses the AWS spectrum for its network. It is tied for fourth largest Canadian carrier with SaskTel Mobility. The carrier offers service to residents living in Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, Ottawa, Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, part of the Niagara Region, London, Barrie, Kingston, Windsor, Woodstock and Peterborough (all in Ontario). There's also coverage in Gatineau (QB); Calgary and Edmonton (AB); the Greater Vancouver region, Whistler and Abbotsford (BC).