Just about a year ago, a peer of mine talked about how he preferred I called him in the evenings just so he didn't get charged for the calls. The "evenings and weekends free" concept has been around for a while now, but had recently started to fade away. A few years ago, Canadian cellular companies offered many bells and whistles to attract customers to their side of the pond. This however has started to fade away. I remember a time when Fido had free Fido-to-Fido calling, unlimited evenings and weekends, as well as unlimited incoming calling. Best of all, you could get these features in almost any plan without having to pay extra. Since those days, Rogers had taken over Fido and many of those wonderful gimmicks started to fade away.
Until recently, the cell phone industry has been one big oligopoly. Three major players Rogers, TELUS, and Bell, have been setting and matching their prices to take advantage of customers. These people have even tried to conceal the actual Wireless Number Portability behave typically, an behave law which allows mobile clients to consider their own cell phone number with them if they choose to move to an additional service. Moreover, they have customers locked in to an agreement - a factor that explains why Canada's cell phone market is competitively inactive for the most part.
Now, there are new players to change the game. They will be playing a new game, however - the game of unlimited. In December 2006, WIND Mobile, an entirely new cellular start up, launched in Toronto. WIND Mobile is a subsidiary of Globalive Communications. Their aim was to develop plans that were built around customers' needs. They offer a wide range of plans and don't charge for extras, unlike other cellular companies. They even offer a few unlimited plans, an idea that's considered a no-no amongst the big-three. Their ad campaigns feature around the customer, hence portraying them as a consumer's advocate. Their website is designed more as a conversation piece and less like a corporate eye-sore. In the four months since their launch, they have already attracted over 35,000 subscribers.
Another up-and-coming player to watch out for is Public Mobile. Their launch date is set for the month of May, yet they have already opened up a total of 25 stores in their operating cities, Toronto and Montreal. They plan to launch with just one cell phone plan - one they believe will attract a whole slew of customers. The proposal is simple - unlimited talk and text for the price of $40 a month. Although this will attract many phone yakkers and texters, I still think they are missing a huge market. They are missing out on the normalites - the category of people who don't spend most of their waking hours on the phone. These people spend no more than $25 - $35 a month on a cell phone plan. However, Public Mobile might attract those cell phone users who end up spending over $60 because of overuse.
Both WIND Mobile and Public Mobile will attract a lot of attention over the next few months. WIND Mobile, however, will be getting a lot more fans because of their early move into the unlimited market as well as their modern selection of mobile devices. As of now, I will make the prediction that Rogers, TELUS, and Bell, will be reducing their price or offering more gimmicks to retain their existing customers. As for the future, I am also predicting that both, WIND Mobile and Public Mobile will be raising their prices to match the big-three, but only after they have attracted an adequate number of customers. Yes, this does mean that they might just be as arrogant as the big-three in the near future. For now however, if you are paying too much for your cell phone bill, try something new for a change. Go with the underdog and show your current cell phone company who wears the pants in your mobile relationship
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