We’re just over 3 months into the launch of one of Canada’s new wireless carriers, WIND Mobile (who I am a customer of and quite happy with for disclosure’s sake) and for the first time in a long time, Canadians are actually getting real choice in wireless.
With WIND having launched in December, we also have Public Mobile (a new entrant in the GTA and Montreal only at this time) and Mobilicity (formerly DAVE Wireless) both launching later in the year, which shows that the wireless business is seriously heating up, and definitely getting some teeth.
Thus far, WIND has geared a lot of their marketing towards people that are frustrated with the idea of wireless contracts (which most consumers are, let’s face it), along with customers that wanted a better prepaid experience (They offer all the same pricing, phones and most services (US roaming being an exception right now) to both postpaid and prepaid). Along the way they have had some pretty nasty issues, including a stream of complaints about network issues (I’ve had a few, but they got better) and their website being down for just about 2 days after the launch in Toronto, crippling it to some extent up to the Calgary launch. All this has provided fuel for Mobilicity, who on their website says “There’s nothing worse than making all kinds of promises then messing up because you were in a rush.” Granted, WIND did probably launch a bit sooner than was practical for them, but for what they have done right they have been doing a pretty good job.
Mobilicity, formerly under the less attractive moniker DAVE Wireless, is planning to launch in spring of this year according to their website, in the same space that they took a swipe at WIND’s issues. Nothing is said of their plans or phone offerings at this time, but they are promising unlimited plans, “uncomplicated wireless” and no contracts. Given they plan to launch in major Canadian cities, this puts them in a position much like the one Fido was in when Microcell launched them several years back, but sets them up to put fierce competition up with the big 3 (Rogers, TELUS and Bell).
Public Mobile is offering a single plan at the $40 price point for unlimited talk and SMS, with the ability to get free, unlimited Canadian long distance “for life” if customers join during the pre-launch promotion. They currently have just 4 phones, none of them being considered smartphones, where a sizable chunk of the marketplace is headed, but offering a phone in the sub-$100 price point without a contract, which will undoubtedly be attractive to some. However, as Public is only building a network between Toronto and Quebec City, they are going to be a relative non-threat to the big 3 and a relatively limited threat to WIND and Mobilicity (that and I’m really against this concentration in Eastern Canada, but that’s just me).
Worth mention as well is Videotron, which is a brand well known in Quebec for their offering as a cable provider. Quebecor, Videotron’s parent, purchased most, if not all of the spectrum set aside for new entrants in Quebec, with Public Mobile having acquired two licenses in Quebec to facilitate their coverage. Nothing is said about phones or plans with Videotron either, but it’s clear that they plan to cover all of Quebec.
No matter how you look at it though, the competition is definitely heating up and should provide the change Canadians have been hoping for.
