The telco followed through on plans to pay down debt by selling a 49.9 per cent stake in part of the system connecting wireless towers to its main network. The buyers, led by U.S.-based asset manager Blackstone, include CPP Investments, Quebec’s Caisse de dépôt, PSP Investments and the B.C. Investment Management Corp. Rogers said it will pay out about $400 million a year to Blackstone as a result of the deal. (The Logic)

Talking point: Rogers has been trying to pay down debt after borrowing heavily to buy Shaw. Rival Telus said in March it is considering following Rogers’ lead, and looking to raise a reported $1 billion or so by selling a minority interest in its own wireless network. Though both moves would leave the telcos with majority ownership (and Rogers said it’s keeping operational control in its new arrangement), some of their smaller competitors have long argued that Canadians would be better served if telecom infrastructure owners were separate from service providers.