He left Canadian National Railway to join Bell Canada Enterprises in 1999 and became chief executive in 2002, succeeding Jean Monty. In 2007, the BCE board of directors accepted an offer from the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan to privatize the telecommunications company. Later that year, Sabia said he would leave Bell after the privatization deal was finalized. Sabia left Bell in July 2008 and was succeeded by George Cope. By December 2008, following the collapse of the debt market, the privatization deal fell apart.