Posts tagged AWS
Mobilicity is alive and well
Aug 20th
Recently there has been rumors circulating the blogosphere that Mobilicity wasn’t doing well, and in fact had plans to close their doors.
Shortly thereafter my Twitter timeline exploded, followers looked to me for answers, asking me what was going on and some even dropping tips to our hotline mentioning “Mobilicity is preparing to announce bankruptcy.” Instead of posting on hearsay I reached out to my contact at Mobilicity for some answers and here is what she had to say:
Hi Corey,
Appreciate your call.
We wouldn’t put stock into slanderous rumours likely started by the competition. We have a more aggressive growth trajectory than any other new entrant and must be having a greater impact on their businesses than we first anticipated.
As you can see the rumors are just rumors.
Mobilicity is doing well and growing faster than they had ever expected, they already have a retail reach of over 300+ stores and that number is growing rapidly.
Thanks to all for the tips, I hope this post has cleared up any doubt in your minds.
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WIND slashes prices on entire device lineup
Aug 13th
We spoke yesterday on WIND Mobile surpassing the 100,000 subscriber mark earlier than expected, and with promotions like this it comes as no surprise.
On top of the $150 porting credit and 50% off for 6 months, you will now save between $20-$40 off of the handset of your choice. There is no word yet on the new back-to school device lineup WIND has planned, but these price drops probably mean a late spring cleanup to make way for them.
To learn more about which devices have been discounted check out WIND’s website, but remember to act fast as this promotion ends September 15th, 2010.
[Via MobileSyrup]
Follow me on twitterWIND Mobile doing better than expected?
Aug 12th
With great leadership comes great results and WIND Mobile is a prime example of this.
Despite hiccups leading to a delayed launch, and increasing competition in both the Canadian wireless sector as a whole and the rapidly growing “Unlimited” market, WIND led by Anthony (Tony) Lacavera has commanded a confident stance and has always fought back against adversity.
Today, WIND released a press statement stating that as of July 2010, they officially exceeded 100,000 users. Pretty impressive for a startup carrier that is just over 6 months old that no one ever expected to succeed in the Canadian wireless oligopoly.
Anthony Lacavera was quoted saying:
“We will continue to rally for increased wireless choice in Canada. We will continue to expand and grow, and we welcome competition as part of our commitment to offering Canadians the kind of mobile experience they want and deserve.”
Ken Campbell, CEO of WIND had this to say as well:
“We’re seeing strong customer growth. Results show that Canadians are welcoming competitive choice and the great value WIND is bringing to the marketplace. We will continue to encourage this growth by extending our offer of $150 credit to customers who bring their phone numbers to WIND by September 15.”
It’s a known fact that WIND forecasts about 1.5 million subscribers over the next 3 years and at the rate they are going, this doesn’t seem to far fetched.
Congratulations, Mr. Lacavera and WIND Mobile on your success!
[via CNW]
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The Nokia 5250: A successor to the 5230, a bit more attractive.
Aug 10th
The Nokia 5230 touchscreen device has/had been somewhat of a darling to AWS carriers as of recent. Although it never sold exorbitantly, it did give the AWS carriers (T-Mobile in the US and WIND/Mobilicity here in Canada) the ability to sell a discount touchscreen device with or without contract. Bad part is the 5230 was never the best performing device or the most attractive for that matter and to this day Nokia hasn’t released a successor to it.
Today, Engadget posted a picture of what could be the Nokia 5250 launching on T-Mobile. It has much of the same features in a larger housing and similar low end touch screen display. One can expect this device to launch in the near future with T-Mobile followed by a Canadian launch shortly after, with a price tag of $119.99 off-contract.
[via Engadget]
Follow me on twitterWhy T-Mobile won’t get the iPhone
Jul 22nd
Common among tech bloggers is a healthy speculation surrounding when the exclusive contract with AT&T will end, and the iPhone will safely land on another carrier. So the latest rumour has the iPhone 4 arriving on T-Mobile later in the year. This parallels the earlier rumours of the popular Apple device going to Verizon.
But the T-Mobile rumour has less legs than the Verizon one, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, AWS band, at 1700MHZ and 2100MHZ (UMTS IV), is not a well-used frequency. In fact, the only places it is widely used in the world are in North America: T-Mobile in the US and WIND/Mobilicity in Canada.
The iPhone 4 is one of the only pentaband 3G phones in existence. That means that it supports 850/900/1800/1900/2100MHZ 3G bands, which covers the majority of the world’s GSM carriers. They purposefully left out the 1700MHZ band making 3G on T-Mobile in the US impossible, even on an unlocked device.
Now why would they decide, after making that business decision to leave that spectrum out, to build a phone with those specifications for a very, very small subsection of North American users? Likely, they won’t. It doesn’t make a lot of business sense, and unless they have enormous financial incentive from T-Mobile, Apple will likely turn down the chance. It would make more sense for them to develop a CDMA device for Verizon, since the market is much larger. And even then, it’s pretty unlikely.
The AWS spectrum is also known for its limited ability to penetrate walls. Couple that with the iPhone 4′s antenna issues and you have a recipe for no service except outdoors. I may be exaggerating, but not really.
But this is just my opinion. I don’t know the inner workings of Apple’s boardroom, nor how Steve Jobs’ mind works. He obviously chose AT&T for a reason back in 2007, and for whatever reason has stuck it out with their spotty service and irate customers.
WIND Gets Even With Rogers
Jul 15th
Remember that contract-killing campaign WIND Mobile launched not too long ago called “Everybody Winds?” aimed at seducing disgruntled consumers nearing the end of their contracts with the big 3 to port over to WIND. The offer was simple: bring a bill from your respective carrier and receive a $150 bill credit (paid in installments over 6 months) to help offset the sometimes exorbitant cancellation fees one may face.
Fast forward to July, (WIND is gaining customer satisfaction in waves) and Rogers (knowing they need to respond to this new discount trend) announces Chat-r, pitting it directly against WIND Mobile and Mobilicity. In true never back down mind-set WIND CEO Anthony (Tony) Lacavera humbly says “Bring it” in a recent interview with BNN, whereas Mobilicity’s CEO Dave Dobbin decided to launch a lawsuit against Rogers, citing an “Anti-Compete” clause being obstructed.
Well, WIND has now taken this newfound competition to the next level, with a new campaign launched directly at pulling customers from Rogers’ in-house brands Rogers Wireless, Fido and the yet-to-launch Chat-r. The offer is the same: $150 paid out over 6 months, but nowhere in the ad do they mention Telus, Kudo, Bell, Virgin or Solo. Is this WIND saying “Don’t get mad, get even?” or is there other motives? You decide.
[Via WindMobile.ca]
Follow me on twitterCTS 2010: WIND Mobile CEO Anthony Lacavera Keynote Speech [Video]
Jun 9th
Simply put, Anthony Lacavera is as strong a speaker as he is a tireless CEO. Since the notorious spectrum auction of 2008 he has maintained confidence and composure in the strong face of wireless adversity that is the Canadian telecom industry. What makes the delivery of this speech so powerful is the fact that WIND has only been live for 6 months (June 11th officially) and to now they have lived up to each promise made on their “conversation” blog (ie. no contracts or any hidden fees), in which he and his marketing team are extremely active.
He declared aggravation with how Canadian customers are still paying 2.2% more than those of our American counterparts; how we as an industry are limited to fewer hardware choices and plans; that we are last in wireless penetration among 30 countries worldwide; and, in his words, “trash talking our national carriers has become as much of a Canadian past time as hockey.”
Of the 15 minute speech, what stuck with me the most (and the portion I am sharing on video) is how he speaks openly on how the Big Three (Rogers, Bell, Telus) have treated WIND as a fly to be swatted and not legitimate competition. Their marketing campaigns have been effective in promoting the misgivings many consumers have with the incumbent providers, while stating confidently that WIND is alive, well, and here for the long haul.
[Click here for mobile friendly viewing]
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North Americans Take Heed: This Is Data Usage At Its Finest
Jun 4th
The big three carriers claim they don’t market “Unlimited” data plans because average mobile data user doesn’t come close to their standard data cap of xxMB, and this is true nine out of ten times. Recently, AT&T, who had an Unlimited package (which glorified new iPad owners) decided they were going to eliminate it it in exchange for a cheaper, capped plan.
With all this talk of data and usage, a good question gets raised: “What is the most mobile data a person has used on a given carrier in a month?” Iain Marlow, of the Globe and Mail, decided to do some research on this with one of the only carriers in Canada offering “Unlimited” data as a market offer, WIND Mobile, and you will be surprised at the findings. Anthony Lacavera, CEO of WIND released the following stats exclusively to The Globe of the heaviest mobile data consumers on their network in the country. The results are as follows:
The Top 10 Heaviest Users of Data on WIND Mobile’s Cellular Network (Measured in Gigabytes Per Month)
- 118.56
- 95.12
- 55.32
- 51.70
- 44.51
- 39.21
- 33.72
- 33.59
- 28.94
- 26.85
For the record, half of those are mobile data sticks and half of them are smart phone tetherers, who are attaching their smart phone to their laptop and using it as a modem. Yes, like most carriers, WIND still has a fair use “throttling” policy in effect for those who eat through data like a buffet, but due to the light user base, WIND’s network is fairly open, leaving plenty of room for these heavy consumers.
In my opinion, to use that much data in a given month is irresponsible, but the user is definitely getting his/her money’s worth. This is an exact reason why the big three would never follow suit. There are too many users on an already-congested Canadian HSPA series of networks.
Read the full story at the Globe and Mail.
Follow me on twitterThe Day Has Arrived, WIND Mobile Launches in Vancouver, BC
Jun 3rd
Following up on what we reported a few days ago, WIND will officially activate its “Home Zone” service in Vancouver, as well as open the doors to its flagship store at 10am to the press and media, with a public opening an hour later at 11am.
The event will be co-hosted by WIND Mobile CEO Ken Campbell. Chairman Anthony Lacavera, and CMO Scott Campbell, and rounds off their originally announced 5 city Canadian launch. With the launch they are also extending their “Everybody WIND’s” promotion through to June 30th, so let’s see how welcoming Vancouverites are to something new.
Read the official press release here
Follow me on twitterWIND Mobile Officially Launching in Vancouver June 3rd
May 31st
West Coasters you are in luck, as announced a few weeks ago, WIND Mobile is officially launching in Vancouver this Thursday, June 3rd 2010, at 10am at their flagship store 116 Davie St, Yaletown, BC.
This launch will round off the carriers 5 city Canadian deployment (Which has already launched in Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, and Calgary). And in conjunction with the launch, WIND is extending their 6 month 50% promotion called “Everybody WINDs” through to June 30th!
If you are in the area check out the festivities and let us know how it is!
To read up more on the post in WIND’s official blog click here
To read up on the plans and services currently offered from WIND Mobile click here
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