BCE: Bells are ringing

The buyout boom had nearly screeched to a halt last year when the $52bn buyout of BCE was announced. Shortly after Providence Equity Partners and Ontario Teachers Pension Plan announced the deal, the credit crunch hit. Mega-deals were over. While a ruling today by Canada’s Supreme Court allows the Canadian bell company’s buyout to live another day, it still cast a spotlight on the end of an era. BCE still faces hurdles, and deals of its girth won’t be seen again for a long time. There are sever...