Koodo
Canadian Contracts Are Vampires: Study
Aug 11th
Get it? Flipout?
Canadians pay too much for their monthly cell phone bill, and are dragged into lengthy contracts that punish consumers for ending them before their term, according to a SeaBord Group study entitled “Death Grip.” (Great name!)
There will likely be another wireless spectrum auction in 2012 or 2013, and could increase competition again in the country, as the auction did in 2008, leading to the creation of WIND Mobile and Mobilicity, two companies who are completely contract-free.
But these companies will always be at a disadvantage to the three incumbents, Rogers, Telus and Bell, in part because they are established brands within the country, whose networks extend nationally, but also because they offer huge phone subsidies when signing a contract.
The problem comes in when customers want to remove themselves from the contract; they have already received promotional prices on their phone, and likely preferred monthly rates on their plan, but the cancellation fee is directly tied to how many months remain in his or her contract. Sometimes these penalties can cost more than the cost of the phone itself, which is the whole reason the contract exists in the first place.
But contracts are guaranteed revenue for these carriers, and they are loathe to change their business model, especially for higher-end business and data clients, who spend $100+ every month on their smartphone plan.
The report goes on to say that even though the Canadian carriers have less “buying power” when purchasing handsets, the discrepancy between the cost to the consumer and to the carrier is too high, and consumers end up with the brunt of it.
Read the entire report, and see for yourself.
(via The Globe and Mail)
First Look: Koodo INQ Chat 3G
Jul 29th
Koodo’s second HSPA device is a doozy. UK-based manufacturer INQ has a very unique branding style that they hope will appeal to teens and young adults. Along with their new $40 Stay Social Combo, the company plans to counter Chatr, WIND and Mobilicity before they heavily penetrate the market. With unlimited text, incoming calls, 7pm weekdays and 300 daytime minutes, plus unlimited Social (for BlackBerry) or 100MB (non-Blackberry smartphones), the price plan is fairly competitive.
The INQ Chat 3G is one of the phones that Koodo hopes to use to attract new and existing customers with, since it’s a superior phone to a lot of the discount competition. I had a chance to play with the phone today, sans SIM card, so I don’t know how it runs on Telus’ HSPA+ network, but the phone itself seems to be quite capable.
The keyboard sits below a non-touch screen, and feels quite a lot like a BlackBerry QWERTY, though a bit more rubbery. I could certainly touch-type on it, after only using it for a few minutes. The interface is quite simple, with a number of icons sitting on the lower portion of the screen, which you can flip through using the four-way directional pad. There are a number of buttons above the phone, and it feels a bit cluttered, but ultimately the buttons act as menu or confirmation keys.
Installed onto the phone are Twitter and Facebook clients, as well as email and messaging apps, all of which seem usable. The surprise of the day was seeing Opera 5 Mini installed on the phone, which, according to the Koodo rep, should operate quite similar to the BlackBerry version. The interface, from what I could see, was quite complete.
The box included with the INQ Chat 3G is considered a collectors’ item. The company has made 15 of them in assorted designs, and in the UK at least, the enterprise has taken off, with people trading them online and trying to collect all of them. The instruction manual, peppered with interesting illustrations and creative designs, seems more like a graphic novel than user manual, with sparse text and profuse slang. But it’s not me they’re aiming at, and I can definitely see the mass appeal.
Hopefully we’ll get to test out the phone more comprehensively in the coming weeks, but until then, enjoy the pics after the break!
Koodo Mobile Adds New Voice/Data Packages, Releases INQ Chat 3G
Jul 27th
Koodo is moving on up! Telus’ little brother subsidiary is releasing several new voice and data plans, as well as the new INQ Chat 3G that we reported earlier in the week.
The new plans, according to a leaked brochure, will be as follows:
$40 Stay Social Plan – Unlimited text and picture messages, unlimited incoming calls, 300 anytime minutes with unlimited evenings(7pm) and weekends, and the social add-on
$70 More Nationwide Talk and Text Combo – Unlimited text and picture messages, no long-distance or roaming charges within Canada, up to 1000 nationwide anytime minutes, unlimited evenings(7pm) and weekends, and voicemail/call display.
They are also launching 2 new data plans, the first of which costs $10 and includes 100MB of usage for web browsing, Twitter and Facebook, Windows Live, etc. The second plan costs $25, and includes 500MB of data usage.
This is in conjunction with the INQ Chat 3G, a messaging phone available on Koodo and soon on Telus, for $200 (or $50 on the Tab). The phone boasts “One inbox for all your texts, Facebook messages, Tweets and emails,” which is sure to appeal to the hyper texters of the teenage persuasion.
(Mobile Syrup and MobileInCanada)
Koodo Mobile Getting BlackBerry 8530 on May 25th, Two Plans To Choose From
May 19th
Pretty simply, we’ve known Koodo (who is owned by Telus) will be getting the BlackBerry 8530 for a number of weeks now. We knew that it was going to arrive sometime late in May, and be around $150 on the tab (or $300 outright). This is now confirmed.
The two things we didn’t know were pricing, and they have been revealed too. And are equally simple:
The BlackBerry Social Plan will be $10, and include unlimited social networking such as BBM, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc., though only through approved apps. No data service will be allowed.
For $25/month, you can add on a generic 500MB to your account to do with as you please. Not exactly pittance, but still generally competitive.
And you can have any colour you want, as long as it’s silver.
(via Mobile Syrup)
Koodo Mobile to Launch Blackberry Service
Apr 1st
LOVES
A Koodo BIS Login page has confirmed that Koodo Mobile will be getting Blackberry devices on its network in the near future. As reported by Mobile Syrup a couple days ago, this will enable the low-cost provider to launch Blackberry phones on Telus’ old CDMA network, likely starting out with the Curve 8530.
It is unknown whether the phones will be available on a pre-paid basis, but if it is true, and you can use the Tab to significantly lower the outright cost of the phone, and with no contract, the 8530 could launch for as little as $149 with a $150 Tab allowance.
While this is still a rumour, it is exciting to know that the Blackberry is being extended to even the lowest-cost providers in Canada. Based on their $710-million profit last quarter and quick expansion overseas, low-cost Blackberry phones seem to be the main driver of increased market share for RIM.
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