In announcing a broad "business review", Manitoba Tel has conceded that its troubled Allstream division needs some serious attention, which could mean even more cost-cutting or scaling back operations or a sale, although the last option seems remote unless Allstream is literally given away. I hate to say I told you so but the decision to buy Allstream last year for $1.7-billion was a bad strategic move that made absolutely no sense at the time. If ex-CEO Bill Fraser was really intent on transforming MTS into a national player, he should have acquired Microcell before Rogers got its hand on the fourth-largest wireless carrier and quickly shrank the competitive landscape to three players. MTS may have been forced to over-pay for Microcell but at least it would have acquired a company operating in a fast-growing marketplace with a strong brand name, rather than a second-tier player in an ultra-competitive business. MTS would have also picked up Microcell's stake in Inukshuk, which has a license to launch a Wi-Max network across the country. Not only did MTS make this move, but it sold its stake in Inukshuk to Rogers, which means the possiblity of a third broadband service provider in many markets disappeared. If anything, MTS CEO Pierre Blouin may find himself into a no-win situation. No matter what he does to try to fix Allstream, there may not be a way to stop the Titantic from sinking.