The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition BCE has revealed plans to acquire the stake it does not already own in Bell Aliant in a $4-billion transaction that will help support dividend growth. The Globe's Christine Dobby writes BCE has used big acquisitions to fuel growth in the past, like CTV and Astral Media, and bringing its Eastern Canada telco affiliate fully under its wing helps accomplish a similar goal. BCE owns 44 per cent of Bell Aliant's shares and plans to acquire the remaining 127.5 million shares for $31 a share or $3.95-billion. "The privatization of Bell Aliant dramatically simplifies BCE's corporate and operating structure," BCE chief executive officer George Cope said during a call Wednesday. He pointed to the ability to harmonize billing platforms and also share product development costs. BCE said the deal will immediately add to earnings per share and expects to realize about $100-million in pretax annual operating and capital savings, while improving annual free cash flow by $200-million. Canaccord Genuity's Dvai Ghose played down the threat of of Quebecor emerging as a fourth national carrier, but agreed that the long-term growth prospects remain challenging.