Bell seeks injunction against MTS acquisition
Bell Canada has filed an action in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to prevent Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. (MTS) from acquiring Allstream Inc. in a deal announced last March (NL, March. 31/04). The suit asserts that the acquisition would tread on several commercial and ownership rights between Bell and Allstream, including agreements with respect to using common telecommunications network platforms, not to have a sales presence in each other’s operating territories, and to refer business opportunities to each other from their prime customers. Some of those agreements include three-year termination clauses. Bell is also hoping the court will squash the deal on the grounds that changes are afoot to remove it from MTS’s board of directors. The court has set May 31 as the hearing date, one day before the $1.5-billion deal is set to close.

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