Canadian Spectrum Auction Ends; Newcomer May Provide Low-Cost Service

On Monday, a Canadian spectrum auction concluded with the government raising $4.2 billion, or the $1.5 billion the country expected to raise, cbc.ca reports. Among new entrants, the big winner was Toronto-based Globalive Communications, which currently sells home phone and internet services under the Yak brand in Canada. The company paid $442 million for 30 licenses, which will be enough to launch a national cellphone service with the exception of Quebec. Globalive has not yet said what it will do with the spectrum, but observers believe it may provide a low-cost alternative based on the history of the company’s investors. The company is backed by two foreign billionaires