Communications giant Bell Canada does not get often get much praise by consumers, telco professionals, and the media in its "home and native land".

This traditional of the traditional telcos has plodded behind the cable companies and others in offering competitive pricing and new services like residential IP and sometimes indifferent service. Not surprisingly, more consumers have let the old TDM-carrying copper wires go dead and instead are plugging into coaxial cable or go wireless altogether--including with firms other than Bell.

Bell, and some of its other communications counterparts have been ripped into by consumer advocates for their decision to charge for inbound text messages, including spam. Two Quebec residents, one a Bell customer, and the other a Telus subscriber, have just launched a lawsuit against the two carriers.

Yet Bell deserves some applause for its decision to let go old-line executives and managers rather line staff as part of its reorganization and cost cutting as part of its recent and record-breaking $35 billion+ leveraged buyout.

More surprisingly for jaded observers it is reportedly increasing its customer-facing staff: who are usually but shortsightedly canned when such deals take place.

Could this mean that Bell will emerge as a truly competitive, dynamic carrier, one that will provide leading-edge price-savvy services to back its customer care, to contact centers, other businesses, and to consumers, and win back those it has been attriting to other companies?

Bell has the network, and the resources to win, and not just by default. The service and pricing of some of its competitors is not exactly great, in absolute terms. It could also probably show the equally 'loved' US carriers a few things too.