WIND Mobile leads the charge of new entrants in Canada
- August 5, 2010
Several of the new Canadian mobile operators that acquired spectrum in the country’s 2008 auctions switched on their first mobile networks in the first half of the year and have reported early subscriber numbers. According to the latest Wireless Intelligence research, new market entrants WIND Mobile (Globalive), Public Mobile and Mobilicity have all launched services using the new spectrum so far this year, while Quebecor’s Videotron subsidiary and cable firm Shaw Communications are scheduled to launch soon. While the new players have yet to report significant customer numbers, Canada’s three incumbent operators – Rogers, Bell Mobility and Telus – are already developing counter strategies in response to the new competition.
The most significant new player is WIND Mobile, backed by Egypt’s Orascom Telecom, which holds spectrum covering every part of the country with the exception of Quebec. WIND switched on its first services in Toronto in December 2009, and has subsequently launched in Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa and Vancouver. The operator is expected to publish subscriber numbers on 12 August and – following some bullish recent comments from its chairman – it is thought that WIND will have hit the 100,000 connections mark by early July. This would give the new operator almost a 0.5 percent share of the total Canadian mobile market, according to our data (see table). WIND is targeting 1.5 million subscribers within three years from launch with a long-term target of 3.5 million
