Vipal Monga

Rogers, Shaw to Combine in $16 Billion Deal

Rogers Communications has agreed to buy Shaw Communications for about 20 billion Canadian dollars, equivalent to roughly $16 billion. The deal, which would remove Canada’s fourth-largest wireless provider from a thin competitive arena, will be scrutinized by three federal government agencies, including the competition bureau, the Canadian telecommunications regulator and the department of industry. Innovation, Science and Industry minister François-Philippe Champagne said in a statement that the government would focus on affordability, competition, and innovation in its analysis of the deal

Alphabet/Sidewalk Labs Drops Smart City Project in Toronto

Google’s parent abandoned plans to develop a “smart city” in a Toronto neighborhood, a controversial project that once embodied the tech giant’s futuristic ambitions. The move is the highest-profile example yet of retrenchment by Alphabet under new Chief Executive Sundar Pichai. The Toronto project, under Alphabet arm Sidewalk Labs, was a favorite of Google co-founder Larry Page, who held the CEO role until December. Sidewalk Labs cited economic uncertainty and pressure on the local real-estate market in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.