WIND Mobile, Mobilicity & Public Mobile withdraw from CWTA

[Azure]

They wouldn't have a much bigger network as all 3 pretty much have the same coverage right now.

WIND needs more time to build out, and a lot more money as well. If they could get someone to finance their complete Canadian build out over the next 5 years on LTE, they could easily be competitive.

[To Be Quite Honest]

Originally Posted by Azure

They wouldn't have a much bigger network as all 3 pretty much have the same coverage right now.

WIND needs more time to build out, and a lot more money as well. If they could get someone to finance their complete Canadian build out over the next 5 years on LTE, they could easily be competitive.

That's why they could move the redundant towers into new zones. Instead of 3 towers in one area. This would have the potential to make the network 3x's larger. Current funds pooled together made to build their separate networks could be used for funding the re-zoning.

[Igster]

Originally Posted by Rathji

I think you guys are seriously under estimating what American's pay for their phones/plans.

These are just some random examples:

Galaxy S3
Verizon:
$99 on a 2 year plan. No early upgrade.
Rogers:
$49 on a 3 year plan, with the ability to hardware upgrade after 30 months.

Note 2:
Verizon:
$299 on a 2 year plan. - No early Upgrade.
Rogers:
$149 on a 3 year plan. Early upgrade after 30 months.

IPhone 5 (16 GB)
$199, 2 year plan, no early upgrade.
$179, 3 year plan. Early upgrade after 30 months.

So realistically, you have 6 months of extra time with a phone, and are playing less across the board, from $20 with the iPhone 5 (Apple's fault though) to $150 less on a Note 2.

Where are you getting this early upgrade after 30 months on Rogers? I've been with Rogers for over 8 years now and I've never been allowed to upgrade early, other than doing so and paying for the early upgrade (as in there is still $100 to pay on your device so you can upgrade if you pay that $100 plus the cost of the phone plus the $35 admin fee) so after 30 months a GS3 is $49 + $100 + $35 admin fee.

Still getting screwed here in Canada.

[Rathji]

You can quality for a hardware upgrade after 30 months on Rogers. I wasn't saying you got it for free. Its an option that doesn't exist on Verizon.

I didn't say we didn't get screwed, but we get screwed on everything, even with the dollar on par. Acting like it is something extreme in this case is a little unfounded, imo.

[Swarly]

Well I just switched to Wind and no complaints so far. Same coverage in the city, from where I've been so far, data seems the same. $30 a month instead of the $80+ I was paying, yes please. I don't need to be paying for my phone to have coverage 50km outside of Peace River.

Also of note if anyone is looking at new phones in the near future, you can buy the Nexus 4 direct from Google play store online for $360 ($390ish after shipping) rather than the $550 that the providers try to say is the retail price.

[AR_Six]

Soooooo... what does this mean for those of us on open-ended Wind contracts?

[SebC]

Originally Posted by AR_Six

Soooooo... what does this mean for those of us on open-ended Wind contracts?

Nothing, yet. Stay tuned.

[secol]

i'd think if big 3 does absorb wind, being on a contract is actually a good thing since you'd have to be grandfathered in i'd asume

[Suave]

Looks like everyone might get their wish.

Verizon Communications Inc. is looking at a move into Canada’s cellular telephone business, one of several possible new entrants whose arrival would salvage the federal government’s ambitions for a fourth wireless player across the country.

Ottawa, which is weighing alternatives as it seeks to preserve its plan for enhanced wireless competition, views Verizon as the most likely foreign option. Verizon has held exploratory talks with investors in Wind Mobile – one of two struggling new entrants in the wireless market – in recent weeks, but those discussions are still at an early stage. AT&T Corp. of the U.S., Vodafone Group Plc of Britain and Telenor Group of Norway are other names circulating within the telecommunications industry as possible investors, sources said.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repor...ticle12595163/

[CaramonLS]

As long as they have good coverage and fair prices, I will switch out of sheer spite.

Just don't pull a Target and adjust your prices to match whatever your competitors are paying.

[Azure]

Update: We’ve received a note that Scotiabank analyst Jeff Fan sent to his clients stating that he sees the Globe’s report as “noise… like many other headlines over the past few weeks.”

Scotia believes that Verizon taking over WIND is “highly unlikely” because “VZW cannot invest in wireless outside the continental U.S. due to the VZ/Vodafone shareholder agreement and it would be unlikely that VZ would invest in wireless outside of VZW… We do not believe VZ sees Canada’s 4th operator as attractive based on the track record, the lack of spectrum and inferior network. We also believe that VZ does not see the Canadian regulatory environment as stable based on the policies that the Canadian government has put in place to artificially support a 4th operator.”

http://mobilesyrup.com/2013/06/17/ve...ith-investors/

[Azure]

The big 3 must be doing one hell of a good lobbying job considering how archaic the Canadian government when it comes to foreign investment in the telecom sector.