An expert witness said Wednesday at a hearing that Quebecor will replace Shaw Communications if it is acquired by Rogers.
Mark Israel, a U.S.-based expert in competition economics, was hired by Rogers to testify.
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The Competition Bureau claims that the transaction will result in less competition if Shaw is wiped from the market.
Israel said that with the combination of spectrum, towers and a near-national presence, Vidotron is stronger than Shaw.
The transaction between Rogers and Shaw will leave four competitors in the wireless market in relevant provinces, Israel said.
The merger will result in a realignment of wireline and wireless assets with no reduction in the number of competitors.
On Wednesday, the tribunal heard from Roger Ware, an economics professor at Queen's University, who argued that wireless services don't qualify as a necessary good.
Some people own a television while others don't. Ware was hired as an expert by Rogers.
Ware testified that regulated low-cost plans will continue to be an option after the merger, and that no analogous group of poor and needy consumers would not have alternative suppliers of wireless services.
The evidentiary portion of the hearing will end on Thursday.
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