AT&T Canada says it is breaking away from parent company AT&T Corp. and planning to go it alone. The Toronto-based service provider this month said it was negotiating new commercial agreements that would see AT&T Canada become an independent entity, albeit one that maintains its network connections to the U.S. company’s global and cross-border backbone. AT&T Canada plans to drop its current moniker in the next 18 months to signify the breakup. The company also said AT&T Corp. probably would drop its equity stake in the Canadian venture.
Bell and Sprint team up on 1X
Bell Mobility and U.S.-based carrier Sprint plan to team up on wireless advancements. The companies earlier this month announced an agreement whereby they would share research and development discoveries, as well as jointly promote and market the benefits of CDMA2000 1XRTT (or “1X”) technology, which both service providers employ in their backbones. The firms in a statement said the partnership would facilitate improved network access for users, would speed innovation in the application space and also spur new developments in the handset market. 1X networks support wireless downloads in the 60Kbps range.
GT chats with suitor
Even though Group Telecom Inc. (GT) has chosen a merger or acquisition partner, the Toronto CLEC is not out of the woods yet. The company in November announced plans to enter an exclusive, silent courtship with another firm, but GT also asked for, and received, extended protection from creditors. The Ontario Superior Court obliged with protection until Dec. 11 and approved GT’s exclusivity agreement with the other company, whose name had not been released at press time. GT first sought protection from creditors in June. It received approval to enter a merger and acquisition process in October.