Wind Mobile launches service (CBC)

[Drew Wilson]

Wind Mobile, the company that aims to become Canada's fourth major cellphone provider, has launched service in Toronto, with a Calgary opening slated for Friday.

Wind, owned by Globalive Communications, opened its first store in Toronto at noon on Wednesday. The company is opening five other stores, as well as 13 kiosks in Blockbuster video stores, in the Greater Toronto Area.

Chief executive officer Ken Campbell said the company's network in Vancouver, Ottawa and Edmonton is nearly ready to go and will launch in those cities soon.

Chairman Anthony Lacavera unveiled the company's pricing plans, which range from $15 to $45. He said the plans represent a normalization with what's found in the rest of the world, where there are no fees for system access, 911 or activation. The plans also offer customers free caller ID, call forward and unlimited Wind-to-Wind calling across the country.

More... (http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/12/16/wind-mobile-cellphone-launch.html)

Interesting.

[mountain_rage]

Sounds too good to be true... Whats the scam?

[Drew Wilson]

Sounds too good to be true... Whats the scam?

I'm guessing that we'll have to wait for the first lawsuits for that. :frown:

[moneoa]

no scam, they bought the frequency from the government last year and are now launching. They are using a european business model for cellular where you pay the full cost of the phone up front and this allows them to offer cheaper service as there are no subsidized costs on the handset.

Cancellation fees are also an attempt to recoup the cost of selling you a cheap phone.

I find it amazing you both are so suspicious when canada has been getting assraped by the big three for years now.

lol canada is the only country in the world where customers pay for 911 access and network access fee's and we have been fed that bullshit for so long even we are starting to believe we have to.

Rogers CEO says Canada does not have enough clients to support 4 national cellphone carriers and it's laughable. This regime is out the window soon and if you google DAVE Wireless and PUBLIC mobile you will see that we will have 6 national carriers really soon and more competition will bring lower prices for all

[mountain_rage]

no scam, they bought the frequency from the government last year and are now launching. They are using a european business model for cellular where you pay the full cost of the phone up front and this allows them to offer cheaper service as there are no subsidized costs on the handset.

Cancellation fees are also an attempt to recoup the cost of selling you a cheap phone.

I find it amazing you both are so suspicious when canada has been getting assraped by the big three for years now.

lol canada is the only country in the world where customers pay for 911 access and network access fee's and we have been fed that bullshit for so long even we are starting to believe we have to.

Rogers CEO says Canada does not have enough clients to support 4 national cellphone carriers and it's laughable. This regime is out the window soon and if you google DAVE Wireless and PUBLIC mobile you will see that we will have 6 national carriers really soon and more competition will bring lower prices for all

Its more that I'm skeptical of the terms of service, and hidden fees. Even the companies claiming to get rid of the hidden fees have hidden fees. Either way, I hope this model is a trend of things to come because this is exactly what I want from a cellphone provider. They let me buy whatever phone I want, and I pay only for my plan. If I want to leave for another company I'm not tied in, and my phone comes with me. This is how the business should of always been run.

[Drew Wilson]

I'm thinking that we Canadians have been screwed over for so long with cell phone rates, that having a less than ass-raped deal is a foreign concept to us. :\