Bell Canada Enterprises (Bell) launched Bell MTS following the completion of a CAD3.9 billion ($3 billion) acquisition of Manitoba Telecom Services (MTS).

Bell MTS will implement a five year, $1 billion broadband network expansion plan for the cities, traffic corridors, rural locations and remote communities in Manitoba, a Canadian province. It will maintain current MTS wireless price plans for at least 12 months.

The company announced it successfully delivered its first Bell MTS infrastructure project covering LTE technology in the town of Churchill in Manitoba.

A company statement indicated the combined company plans to invest heavily in broadband for Manitoba, with a work programme which includes deploying updated services as part of its Fibe TV service, and plans to take the crown as Canada’s fastest-ranked wireless network.

George Cope, president and CEO of BCE and Bell Canada, said: “With the talent and experience of the MTS team backed by Bell’s scale and proven broadband strategy, Bell MTS will lead the way in Manitoba’s competitive communications industry.”

Bell MTS is now the top mobile provider in Manitoba with more than 470,000 total wireless subscribers. Closing the deal also boosted its overall broadband customer base by 5 per cent to around 710,000.

The newly formed operator will be led by Dan McKeen, vice chair of Bell MTS and Western Canada.

Earlier this month, MTS CEO Jay Forbes announced he would be leaving the company.

In February, Canada’s competition regulator cleared the deal on the condition Bell sell assets and services to rivals Xplornet and Telus.

The terms imposed were the regulator’s attempt to encourage regional telecoms service providers to challenge the dominance of Bell, Telus and Rogers, which hold a combined 85 per cent market share in the country.