The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that on Monday, Bell parent BCE surprised investors and triggered a sell-off in its stock by launching a U.S. expansion strategy anchored on the $5-billion acquisition of Internet provider Ziply Fiber. The Globe's Andrew Willis and Irene Galea write that since then, it has become clear Bell had far loftier ambitions in the rapidly growing U.S. sector. BCE executives have spent six months pursuing a supersized prize, Dallas-based Frontier Communications Parent Inc. In the final round of the auction for Frontier in September, Verizon topped Bell and won the company with a $20-billion (U.S.) bid. Ziply owner Searchlight Capital then invited Bell to bid on Ziply. Investors reacted poorly this week to Bell's planned purchase of Ziply, which owns fibre networks in four Northwestern U.S. states. Bell is also pausing dividend increases after 16 years of consecutive increases. The frosty reception given to Bell's U.S. expansion plans and the scale of investment needed to keep pace with rivals such as Verizon highlight the challenges Bell chief executive officer Mirko Bibic faces as he attempts to boost profits at a telecom with limited growth opportunities in its home market.