Canadian wireless startup, Wind Mobile, is extending its $150 porting credit to Bell and Telus subscribers, so as to encourage an influx of new customers from all three major Canadian carriers.

The $150 credit was initially available only to Rogers Wireless customers, and was seen as preemptive counterstrike against Rogers’ forthcoming discount brand, Chatr. Now that Wind has made its point, however, it makes competitive sense to extend the offer to as many people as possible.

Wind Mobile has backed off targeting Rogers with a promotion that seeks to lure its customers specifically, with Bell and Telus now included in the deal.

The upstart wireless carrier on Thursday announced a promotion that offered Rogers customers — including those on its Fido and yet-to-be-launched Chatr brands — a $150 credit for taking their business to Wind. The deal, a continuation of a promotion previously aimed at all three major carriers, is intended to alleviate the early termination fees some customers face when cancelling their existing contracts.

Wind Mobile will be announcing today a retail distribution agreement with Value Mobile locations in the GTA. There will be 4 locations in total that are specifically targeting “newcomer communities”:
- York Gate Mall, Etobicoke – 1 Yorkgate Blvd
- Malvern – 31 Tapscott Rd, Unit T41B
- East York – 45 Overlea Blvd, Unit 161
- Cedarbrae – 3495 Lawrence Ave East

Startup wireless companies continue to expand their subscriber bases, one by expanding distribution, the other by tweaking its plans.

Wind Mobile is expanding its retail presence in Toronto by hooking up with Value Mobile, which has outlets in four shopping malls. Value Mobile, which used to be called Cellular Point,already sells phones and connectivity to Bell Canada’s Virgin line, Telus’ Koodo and startup Mobilicity.

“A compelling part of Wind Mobile’s value is the control offered to mobile consumers including the freedom to choose international calling plans,” said Bobby Maker, CEO of Value Mobile, said in a statement. “Value Mobile is here to stay and we’re delighted to partner with Wind Mobile who will also have sustainability in the market for generations to come.”

While Mobilicity has decided to launch a lawsuit against Rogers for its Chatr brand, WIND Mobile is taking a different approach.

With WIND doing relatively well on the customer satisfaction front, the provider has decided to fire up a brand new campaign designed almost exclusively at pulling subscribers away from Rogers and its various in-house brands.

The promotion offers $150 credit when customers from Rogers, Fido or the soon-to-launch Chatr bring their numbers over to WIND. Applied in $25 installments over six months, the promotion starts in September and is for customers who sign up for WIND’s “Always Talk or Always Shout” plan.

There are a number of rumours out there about how many customers have signed up with WIND: 75,000, 90,000 and 100,000. Yesterday I caught up with Chairman of Wind Mobile Tony Lacavera and he avoided giving me exact numbers but did state an official announcement will be made within 30-60 days.

Wind Mobile is pre-empting the launch of a discount wireless brand from Rogers by targeting the larger company’s customers with a special discount offer.

Wind on Thursday announced it would give Rogers customers, including those on its Fido and yet-to-be-launched Chatr brands, a $150 credit to switch. Rogers, Fido and Chatr subscribers coming over to Wind before Aug. 15 will get a $25-a-month credit for six months, the company said.

Wind Mobile is backing a proposal by the federal government that would scrap stringent foreign ownership rules in the Canadian telecommunications market but only for the little guys, the upstart’s Chief Executive said Monday.

“The Red Wilson report which suggested a staged approach to foreign investment where companies with smaller market share could have easier access to foreign capital to start is the recommended approach,” Wind Mobile Chief Executive Ken Campbell told the Canadian Club of Toronto.

AT&T scrapped its unlimited data plans to deal with consumers’ growing appetite for bandwidth. So, could unlimited data plans in Canada also be on the chopping block? BNN interviews Anthony Lacavera, chairman and CEO of Wind Mobile

Wind Mobile, one of Canada’s new wireless companies, markets itself to the disaffected and disillusioned customers of Canada’s Big Three wireless guys. Part of the company’s shtick has been bashing the large companies every chance they get. At launch, Anthony Lacavera, the company’s chairman, said the Big Three had “set the bar low.”

And, most recently, at the Canadian Telecom Summit on June 9th, Mr. Lacavera said: “Trash-talking your local phone service provider has become almost as much of a national pastime in Canada as hockey.” e Wind.