Wind Mobile pulls out on Canadian Spectrum Auction
19 replies, posted
[quote]Wind Mobile is dropping out of the 700 megahertz spectrum auction set for Tuesday after failing to get financial support from its parent company, VimpelCom.[/quote]
[quote][B]Without Wind’s bid, Ottawa has failed in its efforts to create a fourth player in the telecom marke[/B]t in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.
Other small new entrants are non-starters — Mobilicity is under bankruptcy protection, while Public Mobile was sold to Telus Corp. late last year.[/quote]
[quote]Amsterdam-based VimpelCom Ltd., Wind’s main investor, told the government of its intention to withdraw from the 700 MHz spectrum auction earlier Monday.
The parent, backed by a Russian conglomerate, has run afoul of Ottawa’s foreign investment rules, which prevent it from taking full control of Wind.
Ottawa’s decision to block the sale of MTS Allstream to Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris because of unspecified national security concerns may also have spooked VimpelCom. [/quote]
[url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/wind-mobile-backs-out-of-700-mhz-spectrum-auction-1.2495225]**SOURCE**[/url]
Alongside the refusal to transfer the old CDMA to the low budget cell firms where customers couldn't give two shits about what they use, this essentially cockblocks everyone but Bell, Telus and Rogers from getting at the latest phones.
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck
I was banking on Wind buying up some of the spectrum to improve their service in metro Vancouver so that I could drop Telus already.
Looks like I might just have to deal with the shittier service to be free from Telus' bullshit.
FUCK, and wind has amazing prices
Wind getting LTE would really bring a lot of people in.
Why are Canadians putting up with this bullshit? Exorbitant prices, terrible plans, godAWFUL customer service, it's a damn shame we don't protest. Oh wait, I got an update from facebook on my phone, just a second.
[QUOTE=RoflKawpter;43530105]Why are Canadians putting up with this bullshit? Exorbitant prices, terrible plans, godAWFUL customer service, it's a damn shame we don't protest. Oh wait, I got an update from facebook on my phone, just a second.[/QUOTE]
I'm not all that convinced we really [i]are[/i] overpaying, at least compared to the United States (compared to Europe, yes). I read on Verge/Ars Technica articles all the time of people paying $75+ on Verizon for a limited number of texts and minutes, usually around 400 of each, and 1-3GB of data.
Meanwhile I'm paying 65 on Rogers for 3GB of data and unlimited talk/text, which seems reasonable compared to what the US has.
Sure I'd love a $40 unlimited everything plan but considering I live in the middle of nowhere but still get 4G coverage on Rogers it's not that bad.
I pay $50 a month for unlimited text, 200 minutes, and 500MB of data. To renew my almost 3-year old contract with an equivalent plan, it would cost me literally $85+ a month. Fuck Telus and everything they stand for.
Not to mention I frequently lose my reception in my basement, among other places.
[editline]14th January 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=Zeke129;43530512]I'm not all that convinced we really [i]are[/i] overpaying, at least compared to the United States (compared to Europe, yes). I read on Verge/Ars Technica articles all the time of people paying $75+ on Verizon for a limited number of texts and minutes, usually around 400 of each, and 1-3GB of data.
Meanwhile I'm paying 65 on Rogers for 3GB of data and unlimited talk/text, which seems reasonable compared to what the US has.
Sure I'd love a $40 unlimited everything plan but considering I live in the middle of nowhere but still get 4G coverage on Rogers it's not that bad.[/QUOTE]
I don't know where you're at that you get prices like that, everywhere in metro Vancouver has the same shitty pricing for the same spotty service. It's awful.
I don't really understand why this is so much of an issue in America.
Here in Germany you can often have 5 or 6 different mobile networks in range at the same time and they are resold to the point where you can choose between dozens of different plans.
[QUOTE=Tamschi;43532354]I don't really understand why this is so much of an issue in America.
Here in Germany you can often have 5 or 6 different mobile networks in range at the same time and they are resold to the point where you can choose between dozens of different plans.[/QUOTE]
North America is the birthplace of modern Capitalism. If a company can't buy out everyone around it, they will steamroll them all to bankruptcy for total control of the industry. The possibility that they are to share the space is unthinkable because it means someone else is making MONEY.
About fifteen years ago they went the way of Bell and AT&T and bought up all the local telephone services. Any independent services that still exist are constantly pushed to give up and join the monopoly.
We have a local ISP known as OnCall. Have a pretty cheap and fast microwave link. Telus tries to shut them down and purchase their assets whenever they can. They tried unsuccessfuly several times last year.
[QUOTE=Zeke129;43530512]I'm not all that convinced we really [i]are[/i] overpaying, at least compared to the United States (compared to Europe, yes). I read on Verge/Ars Technica articles all the time of people paying $75+ on Verizon for a limited number of texts and minutes, usually around 400 of each, and 1-3GB of data.
Meanwhile I'm paying 65 on Rogers for 3GB of data and unlimited talk/text, which seems reasonable compared to what the US has.
Sure I'd love a $40 unlimited everything plan but considering I live in the middle of nowhere but still get 4G coverage on Rogers it's not that bad.[/QUOTE]
Don't forget, they've also redefined the word "unlimited".
I have unlimited data. Sorry, "Unlimited" data. 16 GB and then they start charging extra. Great job lads.
I know 16 GB is a SHITTON, but seriously, why do they have to pull shit tactics like that?
I pay 15 a month for unlimited text and picture
I pay 10 bi monthly for 100 call min, stacking.
pretty much 20 a month unlimited text/picture and 50 more call min
oh and I bought a used telus iphone 4s for that plan
[QUOTE=A_Pigeon;43537668]I pay 15 a month for unlimited text and picture
I pay 10 bi monthly for 100 call min, stacking.
pretty much 20 a month unlimited text/picture and 50 more call min
oh and I bought a used telus iphone 4s for that plan[/QUOTE]
I pay 35 a month on mobilicity for unlimited data, unlimited text, unlimited minutes, some decent number of long-distance minutes that i've never used, voicemail and call display. but i guess that excellent deal is why they are close to bankruptcy.
[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;43537815]I pay 35 a month on mobilicity for unlimited data, unlimited text, unlimited minutes, some decent number of long-distance minutes that i've never used, voicemail and call display. but i guess that excellent deal is why they are close to bankruptcy.[/QUOTE]
Nova scotia
The entirety of my province is a roaming zone on mobilicty
[QUOTE=A_Pigeon;43537932]Nova scotia
The entirety of my province is a roaming zone on mobilicty[/QUOTE]
Yeah well I live in downtown Toronto, work in downtown Toronto, go to school in downtown Toronto. If you're a student in the zone for wind/mobilicity it's basically always a better deal.
Which is why none of the small carriers are succeeding. They can't get any coverage at all with the big three in the way
[QUOTE=A_Pigeon;43537932]Nova scotia
The entirety of my province is a roaming zone on mobilicty[/QUOTE]
Eastlink has no roaming fees now, check them out.
[QUOTE=OogalaBoogal;43538014]Eastlink has no roaming fees now, check them out.[/QUOTE]
I already use koodo prepaid, better coverage and no roaming in Canada. only problem I really have is going to america and needing to buy a US phone because there's no US booster on prepaid.
[QUOTE=A_Pigeon;43538126]I already use koodo prepaid, better coverage and no roaming in Canada. only problem I really have is going to america and needing to buy a US phone because there's no US booster on prepaid.[/QUOTE]
No roaming on Eastlink meaning if you drop off signal on Eastlink anywhere in a Rogers/Bell/Telus service zone, you get picked up on Rogers/Bell/Telus towers for free, anywhere in Canada. It's a very good deal.
TMobile has pretty good prepaid if you are going to a core area in the US, just pop those SIM cards and you'll be ready to go!
[QUOTE=FunkyDisko77;43531570]
I don't know where you're at that you get prices like that, everywhere in metro Vancouver has the same shitty pricing for the same spotty service. It's awful.[/QUOTE]
In Manitoba and Saskatchewan the big three carriers are forced to compete with MTS and Sasktel (which are actually good) so we get some great promos here.
[QUOTE=Zeke129;43538531]In Manitoba and Saskatchewan the big three carriers are forced to compete with MTS and Sasktel (which are actually good) so we get some great promos here.[/QUOTE]
Here it's either Telus, Bell, Rogers, Fido (aka Rogers), or Koodo (aka Telus). Wind is the only cell provider that isn't owned/run by the other big ones, so they charge whatever the fuck they want and we have to deal.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.