Today we got to visit the flagship Wind Mobile store on Queen Street in Toronto where they gave a full demonstration of the Microsoft Surface. With the Surface you can check out plans, rates, compare devices to each other with general descriptions. CCO Chris Robbins was on hand to explain the overall design and feel of the store experience, but more impressive are the reasons they brought on the highly attractive Surface.

Canada’s mobile-phone penetration rate, which trails poorer countries like Algeria, may climb to 100 percent within a decade as more customers opt for prepaid contracts, according to Orascom Telecom Holding SAE.

Canada may reach 100 per cent mobile phone uptake within the next decade, matching rates now seen in most of the world, according to Wind Mobile backer Orascom Telecom Holding. “Passing 100 per cent is a matter of when not if,” Khaled Bichara, chief executive officer of Egypt-based Orascom, told Bloomberg News on Tuesday.

New wireless entrant Globalive is seeking bank financing to fund an expansion of its network, according to a report from Reuters. The story says that Globalive hopes to raise “several hundred million dollars” and would consider an initial public offering in the future in order to accelerate its network and distribution build.

Globalive Communications Corp. is seeking a fresh injection of cash to finance the expansion of the company’s Wind Mobile wireless business across Canada. Globalive plans to raise “several hundred million” dollars from the financing, company chairman and chief executive officer Anthony Lacavera said in an interview yesterday, though the financing could be as much as $700-million according to industry estimates.

Globalive Communications Corp., Canada’s newest wireless carrier, is in talks with banks to raise “several hundred” million dollars in debt to finance expansion, Chief Executive Officer Anthony Lacavera said.

Toronto-based Globalive — the parent company of Wind Mobile — said Friday it is in talks with U.S. and international banks to raise “several hundred million dollars” in the rollout of its new wireless phone service in Canada. CEO Anthony Lacavera said he also hopes to entice Canadian banks to invest in its growth. “We are hopeful we can bring some Canadian capital into the picture,” Lacavera said.

Globalive Communications Corp. is in talks with various lenders to accelerate the expansion of its Wind Mobile cellular brand across the rest of Canada, the company’s chairman and chief executive said today.

WIND Mobile came into the Canadian marketplace with initial launch cities being first Toronto and Calgary, plans to launch in Edmonton and Ottawa are scheduled for next month. We spoke with Globalive CEO Anthony Lacavera last week when they surpassed the 5,000 subscribers… they are now upwards of surpassing 10,000 with targets of signing up 1.5 million within 3 years.

Anthony Lacavera, CEO of Canada’s newest wireless carrier Globalive Communications Corp., said Friday he plans to raise several hundred million dollars via syndicated loans, bonds and equity to back expansion in Ontario and Western Canada.