LTE network top priority for new Wind CEO: Lacavera

As Wind Mobile’s chief operating officer, Pietro Cordova, steps into the CEO role vacated by Anthony Lacavera Monday, his top priority will be to put an LTE network in place, the outgoing CEO said in a phone interview. “That’s obviously the No. 1 mandate for Pietro in the coming two, three, four years, is to roll out that LTE network so we’re offering 4G services to our customer base,” Lacavera said, noting that for that to happen, the company will need more spectrum. “ a number of different sources for spectrum. Including upcoming auctions … but also, obviously, there’s spectrum that’s owned out there, by competitive carriers like Mobilicity and so on, that are potential sources of spectrum,” he added. “So yes, more spectrum is needed over the next 12 to 24 months, and we plan to acquire that spectrum. And then the second thing is obviously upgrading all our existing network infrastructure from 3G to 4G.” It was just this past summer that Wind said it was going to be able to provide 3G service to its customers when roaming domestically, thanks to price caps imposed on wholesale access by the government. Lacavera made the comments in an interview a few hours after Wind Mobile announced in a press release that he will step down as CEO and be replaced by Cordova, effective immediately. Cordova, who joined Wind in 2012, previously worked at Wind Telecomunicazioni S.p.A in Italy as its deputy chief financial officer. Lacavera will remain chairman and a shareholder of the company with “an active role at the board level, including working with the company on business planning and strategy and continuing to advocate for Wind Mobile in Canada,” according to the release. Iain Grant, a telecom analyst with the SeaBoard Group, said in email that he doesn’t expect any changes in the company's strategy, service or operation. He noted that the new CEO has already held a key position with the company for the last two years, and during that time could have already shifted the direction of the company. The new arrangement will allow Lacavera “more time to focus on broader pictures." “I don't think 'change' is in the wind,” Grant said. Lacavera said the company will continue with business as usual. He noted that while he founded the company, he didn’t start out as CEO. “About four years ago, we got into a great deal of regulatory trouble, and I stepped in as CEO at that time, and then, just for a variety of reasons, it’s made sense to keep me on as CEO,” Lacavera said. Now the company is “on a very solid growth track, so I’m comfortable handing the reins to Pietro,” he added. “An enormous amount of heavy lifting has been done over the last number of years,” Lacavera said, referring to a battle over ownership that ended up going to the Supreme Court in 2012, and more recently in 2013, questions about security concerns that led to Industry Canada blocking a deal in which Amsterdam-based majority owners VimpelCom Ltd. had tried to buy the share of Wind Mobile it did not own. “I wanted to see it through all of that,” Lacavera said. “When you say, 'Why now?' the big event that happened very recently that gives me comfort that we’re on a very solid track is that we successfully bought out VimpelCom.” In September, Lacavera announced he would lead a group of investors to buy out VimpelCom's stake in Wind Mobile in a $285-million deal. Lacavera said Monday that deal is still awaiting regulatory approval. Earlier this year, VimpelCom wrote down the total value of its $768-million US investment in Wind, two months after Wind withdrew from Industry Canada's 700 MHz auction due to a lack of financial support from VimpelCom. Following Lacavera’s announced buyout, Quebecor Inc. senior vice-president and chief financial officer Jean-Francois Pruneau said the company is “still interested” in potentially acquiring Wind, as it mulls launching wireless services nationally. Lacavera said he plans to be “a very active chairman” and will “continue to be very active in the business planning and ongoing strategy of the company. It’s just from a day-to-day perspective I’m handing it over.” — With reporting by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca and editing by Derek Abma at dabma@thewirereport.ca

LTE network top priority for new Wind CEO: Lacavera

News | October 27, 2014

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

FREE TRIAL

SUBSCRIBE

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us

LTE network top priority for new Wind CEO: Lacavera

News | October 27, 2014

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

FREE TRIAL

SUBSCRIBE

Related Stories

Freedom plans could drive big three back to subsidies: analysts

Freedom answers to ‘unlimited’, offers $0 phones on select plans

Shaw says patience, not regulation, required to see organic MVNO market

Analysts surprised by Bell’s lack of 600 MHz, incumbent spend

Reuse & Permissions

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us