Standard&Poor's Ratings Services today said BCE Inc.'s (A/Stable/A-1) sale of its Bell Canada directories business, Bell Actimedia Inc., to Kohlberg Roberts and Co. (KKR) and The Teachers' Merchant Bank, does not affect the ratings or outlook on BCE or its subsidiary, Bell Canada (A/Stable/A-1). Although viewed favorably, the prospect of a sale had been built into Standard&Poor's expectations for the ratings. The transaction price of C$3 billion, paid in cash, includes 209 print White Pages and Yellow Pages directories in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, the electronic yellowpages.ca, and toll-free and Canada 411 directories. Bell Actimedia generates annual revenues of about C$590 million and EBITDA of around C$333 million. Partial proceeds from the sale will
