Telus to buy Public Mobile

Telus has received approval from Ottawa to acquire strugglingwireless providerPublic Mobile, a primarily talk-and-text service with 280,000 customers in Ontario and Quebec.

Federal Industry Minister James Moore says he has approved the transfer of Public Mobile's spectrum licence to Vancouver-based Telus and says the transaction doesn't affect competition in the wireless industry.

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Moore says Public Mobile's spectrum radio waves needed to operate cellphone networks isn't used for the latest smartphones and data plans.

"This means Canadians will continue to benefit from quality spectrum being deployed across the country, resulting in dependable high-speed wireless services with the latest technologies at thebest prices, Moore said in a statement Wednesday.

Public Mobile bought its spectrum in 2008 and it was never under any restrictions preventing it from being sold unlike new mobile players Wind Mobile and Mobilicity which bought a different kind of spectrum the government doesn't want sold to wireless incumbents Rogers, Bell or Telus.

Telus tried to buy struggling Mobilicity last spring, but the $380-million deal was rejected by Industry Canada.

Financial terms of the deal with Public Mobile, which launched in 2009, have not been disclosed.