Telecoms extend deadline to close Rogers-Shaw deal to March 31

The firms concerned in Rogers Communications Inc.’s $26-billion deal to purchase telecommunications rival Shaw Communications Inc. have prolonged their deadline to finish the transaction.

Rogers, Shaw, the Shaw Family Living Trust and Quebecor Inc. say they’ve pushed the deadline again to March 31 from Feb. 17.

If authorised, the deal first introduced in March 2021 will see Rogers purchase Shaw, whereas Quebecor’s Videotron subsidiary will nab Shaw’s Freedom Mobile wi-fi business.

The deal has but to shut as a result of it’s nonetheless ready for approval by Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne who should log off on the switch of wi-fi spectrum licenses from Shaw to Videotron.

The firms, which have prolonged their deadline a number of instances, say they’re persevering with to work with the federal government to safe the ultimate approvals wanted to proceed.

The deal cleared a key hurdle in January, when the Federal Court of Appeal dismissed a Competition Bureau request to overturn approval of the settlement by the Competition Tribunal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Feb. 17, 2023