Canada veto complicates BlackBerry, telecom deal making

SUBJECT TO RESTRICTIONS: BlackBerry has to be selective as to which companies it is going to sell its assets to as the Canadian governent could veto it. - Reuters

TORONTO: When Canada blocked the sale of a fiber optic network to a company backed by an Egyptian telecom tycoon this week, it telegraphed its resolve to make national security paramount when considering whether to allow a foreign firm to acquire what it considers a strategic asset.

That warning may effectively limit the pool of would-be buyers of BlackBerry Ltd or foreigners interested in Canada's telecom industry, and it could rule out all but a few well-established players based in North America, industry executives, lawyers and analysts say.