Update: WIND and Eastlink to participate in the upcoming 700 Mhz spectrum auction

We’re coming down to crunch time for those interested parties to declare their intentions for the upcoming 700 Mhz spectrum auction in January. The deadline for those to submit deposits is tomorrow (September 17th at noon) and it’s expected that the Big 3 will participate, but today WIND Mobile has confirmed they’ll make their presence known.

In an email to us they stated that “WIND Mobile would like to announce its intention to enter the 700 Mhz auction. We have long maintained that there is a dire need for additional wireless spectrum in Canada to ensure the long-term success of any independent wireless provider. WIND Mobile has grown into Canada’s fourth national carrier, with over 650,000 subscribers, and we have no intention of stopping now. We would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm our long-term commitment to Canada and we look forward to bringing true mobile freedom to more Canadians.”

Looks like WIND is here to stay and determined to be Canada’s 4th national wireless carrier. In addition, the ‘over 650,000 subscribers’ is new. Last month they announced their Q2 numbers reached 620,451 – which is an increase of 30,000.

Public Mobile announced their participation in the 700 Mhz spectrum auction back in June, but there’s no word yet on Mobilicity.

Update: East coast regional wireless carrier Eastlink has also confirmed its participating in the upcoming wireless auction in January. In an interview with Cartt, Lee Bragg, EastLink’s CEO, confirmed they’ll make their mark and bid for spectrum, stating “I would definitely like some 700 MHz spectrum… That’s likely all I’m allowed to say.”