Can Cindy Klassen Save Manitoba Tel?

Cindy Klassen is an Olympic hero after coming home from Turino with five medals but can she save Manitoba Telecom from its growing troubles after signing a multi-year endorsement deal with the Winnipeg-based apparently worth more than $1-million? The involvement of Klassen, a Winnipeg-native, can't hurt if it can help Manitoba Tel regain some of the luster it has lost in the past two years since the ill-fated $1.7-billion acquisition of Allstream. Then again, there may little that can stop the further erosion of Allstream's corporate telecom services business, which finds itself in a war against Rogers, Bell and Telus but without the finances resources to aggressively compete. In many markets, Allstream now finds itself the third option – not a great position in a business where margins are under pressure. Manitoba Tel doesn't appear to be thinking of selling Allstream after it unveiled a new organization structure that divides its business into two divisions: consumer and enterprise.
Tags: Cindy Klassen, Manitoba Telecom, Allstream