TAGGED AS WIND MOBILE
Shaw founder JR Shaw dies at 85
telecom | 03/25/2020 2:23 pm EDT
Shaw Communications Inc. founder JR Shaw has passed away at the age of 85, the company said Tuesday.
Shaw founded Capital Cable Television Co. Ltd in 1966, which eventually as Shaw Communications grew into Canada’s largest TV service provider. The company also included a broadcasting division that was spun off into Corus Entertainment Inc., while Shaw entered the wireless market in 2016.
“I spoke to JR every day about the business. He was engaged and interested in everything the company was doing – from the...
Telecom execs praise ‘healthier,’ ‘balanced’ regulatory environment
telecom | 09/26/2018 5:51 pm EDT
Representatives from BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. described a favourable relationship with regulators at a CIBC investors conference Wednesday, where they also addressed competition between the largest telecoms. “It’s healthier in that there’s a desire for two-way dialogue with us and the regulator. Many years ago, with the previous government, we were frustrated that that dialogue didn’t exist and I believe it does today,” Bell chief financial officer Glen LeBlanc said...
Spike in complaints causing delays at CCTS, mid-year report outlines
Media | 04/10/2018 6:00 am EDT
Complaints by Canadians about their telecom services increased so much in...
Big Three launch $60, 10 GB plans in Freedom territory
telecom | 12/15/2017 5:18 pm EST
Following the launch of a 10 GB wireless plan for $50 by Shaw...
Shaw connects Freedom Mobile to WiFi hotspots
telecom | 12/07/2016 11:08 pm EST
Shaw Communications Inc. is allowing customers of its Freedom Mobile to connect to its network of Wi-Fi hotspots. Freedom Mobile subscribers will have access to more than 65,000 hot spots in Western Canada, Shaw said in a...
Limited handsets a concern as Wind rebrands: analyst
Media | 11/21/2016 9:41 pm EST
Shaw Communications Inc.’s Wind Mobile will be rebranded as Freedom Mobile and its LTE roll-out will come sooner than expected in two cities, the company’s CEO said Monday. The move comes despite some analyst...
Wind won’t be as disruptive as T-Mobile, Krstajic says
telecom | 11/03/2016 12:02 am EDT
Shaw Communications Inc. reported revenues of $1.31 billion for the three months ended Aug. 31, an increase from $1.13 billion from the same quarter a year earlier, due to the addition of wireless revenues following its acquisition of Wind Mobile. The company reported $148 million in wireless revenues in the quarter, the second quarter that included the revenues from its purchase of Wind earlier this year. In a conference call with financial analysts Wednesday afternoon, Wind CEO Alek Krstajic was asked about what approach Shaw would take on wireless, and whether...
Wind’s reduced Ont. focus message to government: Huang
telecom | 10/24/2016 5:24 pm EDT
Shaw Communications Inc. is putting less emphasis on growing subscribers for Wind in Ontario in favour of boosting its wireless network in Western Canada, according to Barclays analyst...
Shaw best-positioned carrier, regardless of Liberal policy: Barclays
telecom | 09/26/2016 6:47 pm EDT
Shaw Communications Inc. is “the one player in the industry who is very well positioned” regardless of the direction the Liberal government takes on wireless policy,...
Telecoms among least-trusted Canadian companies: report
telecom | 09/26/2016 5:21 pm EDT
In a University of Victoria study ranking Canadians’ trust of various brands, all the telecom providers included were at the bottom of the list. The Gustavson Brand Trust Index,...
Wireline competition, pick-and-pay could pressure telecoms in 2017: Canaccord
telecom | 09/20/2016 3:46 pm EDT
Certain events leading into 2017 could spell increased pressure on telecommunications companies, but there’s “not much to be excited about” otherwise, according to Canaccord Genuity....
Shaw primed for Western success with Wind: RBC
telecom | 09/09/2016 4:32 pm EDT
Shaw Communications Inc.’s acquisition of Wind has potential for wireless success in Western Canada similar to that of Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron in Quebec, according to RBC Capital Markets’ Drew McReynolds....
Appeal may follow dismissal of suit over Wind confidentiality breach: Catalyst
telecom | 08/22/2016 9:30 pm EDT
The Ontario Superior Court last week threw out a lawsuit involving allegations that an analyst tipped off a competing fund manager about the strategy behind its Wind Mobile acquisition. On...
Federal gov’t facing second legal battle over wireless wipeout
telecom | 08/05/2016 7:11 pm EDT
The Canadian government could end up fighting a war on two fronts over the previous government’s drive to have four national wireless carriers. According to a notice on the Global Affairs...
Impact of Alberta fires on Shaw, Telus $5M-$10M: Barclays
telecom | 07/08/2016 5:50 pm EDT
Barclays analyst Phillip Huang said in a research note Friday that he estimates Shaw Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. lost about one month of cable revenues as a result of...
Wind upgrades Calgary network
telecom | 04/27/2016 8:36 pm EDT
Wind Mobile has completed a Calgary-area network infrastructure upgrade, the Shaw Communications Inc.-owned company said in a Wednesday press release. The “additional wireless spectrum now means better, faster network” for Wind customers, the release said, noting the Calgary work was the company’s second major western network upgrade. Upgrades to the Vancouver area were announced last year. Similar enhancements have now started in Edmonton, Wind said....
Cogeco open to Shaw partnership: Audet
telecom | 04/14/2016 10:03 pm EDT
Cogeco Inc. CEO Louis Audet said his company would be “delighted” to partner with Shaw Communications Inc. on its newly acquired wireless business, Wind Mobile. During the company’s second-quarter...
Telecom policy should focus on innovation, not competition: report
telecom | 03/03/2016 10:34 pm EST
Shaw Communications Inc.'s acquisition of Wind Mobile has fulfilled the previous federal government's push for four national carriers, which means the new government has the chance to hit the...
Shaw-Wind close deal
telecom | 03/01/2016 10:18 pm EST
Shaw Communications Inc. confirmed Tuesday that it has closed the deal to purchase Wind Mobile. The $1.6 billion transaction brings Shaw into the wireless market, with the acquisition of Wind's 940,000 subscribers. Shaw first announced its intention to purchase Wind in December....
Shaw to keep Wind’s current strategy in place: exec
telecom | 02/09/2016 9:51 pm EST
As it takes ownership of Wind Mobile, Shaw Communications Inc. will continue positioning Wind as a cheaper option compared to the big three national wireless carriers, according to the company’s chief operating officer....
Shaw-Wind deal cleared by Competition Bureau
telecom | 02/05/2016 2:40 pm EST
The Competition Bureau said it wouldn’t stand in the way of Shaw Communication Inc.'s purchase of Wind Mobile. Shaw announced its plans for the $1.6 billion acquisition in December and on Thursday, the bureau confirmed that it wouldn't challenge the proposal in a posting on its website. The bureau said it is unlikely the acquisition will prevent competition, since Shaw does not currently own wireless assets. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada also announced on Thursday it had approved the transfer of 46 spectrum licences from Wind to Shaw....
Wind completes Vancouver expansion, begins Calgary work
telecom | 02/04/2016 5:30 pm EST
Wind Mobile announced Thursday it has completed its network infrastructure upgrades in Vancouver and has begun a similar expansion in Calgary. The company said in a press release that...
CRTC opens consultation on Shaw-Corus deal
Media | 01/21/2016 8:12 pm EST
The CRTC on Thursday acknowledged receipt of an application from Shaw Communications Inc. to sell its media division to Corus Entertainment Inc., and said interested parties have until Feb. 15 to file submissions on the matter....
Shaw-Wind deal means no Rogers merger on horizon: analysts
Media | 12/17/2015 11:00 pm EST
Financial analysts said Thursday that the surprising move by Shaw Communications Inc. to buy Wind Mobile means any potential merger between Shaw and Rogers Communications Inc. won’t happen any...
Shaw looks to enter wireless market with $1.6B deal for Wind
telecom | 12/17/2015 1:45 am EST
The Big Three may have just become the Big Four, as Shaw Communications Inc. announced Wednesday it is attempting to become a wireless provider by acquiring Wind Mobile. Shaw said in a press release...
Wind Mobile upgrades Vancouver area coverage
telecom | 12/15/2015 6:25 pm EST
Wind Mobile announced Tuesday that it is adding antennas and deploying new spectrum in the Vancouver area as an initial step in a cross-Canada network upgrade. "Wind customers in the greater Vancouver area are already...
Wind to launch LTE by end of 2016 with new financing
telecom | 12/10/2015 10:46 pm EST
Wind Mobile is looking to make LTE service available to at least some of its customers by the end of next year, after announcing it has borrowed $425 million to help it do so. On Thursday, Wind issued a press release that...
CRTC says incumbents can’t change terms in interim roaming rates
telecom | 11/30/2015 8:55 pm EST
The CRTC has told Rogers Communications Inc., BCE Inc., and Telus Corp. that the terms and conditions in interim tariffs the incumbents filed following the CRTC’s move in May to regulate some...
Wind launches referral reward program
telecom | 11/19/2015 9:08 pm EST
Wind Mobile announced the launch of “Refer a Friend” Thursday, a program that rewards customers for recommending the company to friends. It said in a press release that customers who use the program to refer friends...
Wind adds 3rd domestic roaming partner
telecom | 11/17/2015 3:28 pm EST
Wind Mobile said Tuesday it has added "a third major roaming partner" in Canada. It did not disclose which company is the new partner, though given that Wind's operating territory is Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, having three "major" roaming partners indicates it is now working with all three national incumbents, BCE Inc., Telus Corp. and Roger Communications Inc. It was previously revealed through regulatory proceedings that Wind had been piggybacking on Rogers' network. Wind then announced in December 2014 that it had struck a roaming agreement with...
Big Three reluctant to finance smartphone purchases
telecom | 09/15/2015 8:33 pm EDT
Executives from BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. said Tuesday they are not interested in offering the type of smartphone leasing or financing plans that are increasingly available to customers in the U.S.,...
Wind expands signal in Toronto subway stations
telecom | 07/13/2015 2:00 pm EDT
Wind Mobile said Monday it has expanded its coverage in stations that are part of Toronto's subway system. The wireless carrier said in a press release it now has the entire downtown loop of Line 1 covered and has added...
Rogers IPTV launch to coincide with skinny-basic offering
telecom | 06/17/2015 8:07 pm EDT
Rogers Communications Inc. will launch its IPTV service at about the same time it starts adjusting to new rules that require service providers to provide skinny-basic TV packages for no more than $25...
Wind offering cellular service in Toronto subway
telecom | 06/17/2015 4:30 pm EDT
Wind Mobile is the first wireless carrier to provide its customers with cellular service in the Toronto subway system, the company said in a press release Wednesday. Wind customers will have immediate “access to cellular...
Quebecor adds spectrum, still non-committal on national expansion
telecom | 05/12/2015 2:43 pm EDT
Quebecor Inc. is still publicly sitting on the fence when it comes to expanding its wireless service throughout Canada despite bidding $187 million on 2500 MHz spectrum, including for licences outside Quebec, in an auction for which results were announced Tuesday. After Telus Corp., Quebecor was the second-biggest spender in the auction, acquiring 18 licences in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. Industry Canada said the purchases increased Quebecor's spectrum holdings by 28 per...
Incumbents could have fared worse in wholesale wireless decision: analyst
telecom | 05/05/2015 8:10 pm EDT
GATINEAU, Que. — Wireless incumbents are going to have to play by a different set of rules than smaller carriers when it comes to providing network access to competitors, though one industry...
Mobilicity monitor says Wind promotion did little harm
telecom | 05/01/2015 5:41 pm EDT
New court documents show Mobilicity lost only 1,600 customers during the first four months of 2015 despite Wind Mobile’s offer of six months of free service to defectors from Mobilicity. An...
Wind adds two new executives
telecom | 04/23/2015 7:37 pm EDT
One month after Alek Krstajic took over the top job at Wind Mobile, two other key jobs at the wireless carrier are also seeing change. Bob Boron has replaced Simon Lockie as chief regulatory officer at Wind, while Bruce Kirby has...
Quebecor roaming plan could point to national ambition: analyst
Media | 04/14/2015 8:53 pm EDT
Quebecor Inc.’s Tuesday announcement of nationwide roaming at no charge for its Videotron wireless customers could allow the company to test the waters for a national mobile service, according...
Cordova was never meant to be permanent Wind CEO: source
telecom | 03/23/2015 8:06 pm EDT
When Pietro Cordova was introduced as Wind Mobile's new chief executive officer in October, it was not presented as an interim role, yet that was always the plan, according to a person with...
Broadcasters seeking compensation for 600 MHz changes
telecom | 03/17/2015 2:30 pm EDT
Broadcasters participating in a consultation on moving 600 MHz spectrum from its role of carrying television signals to mobile usage are intent on avoiding the kind of costs borne by the industry as a result of the 2011 conversion...
Wind spectrum sale to SaskTel prevented: report
telecom | 03/13/2015 2:54 pm EDT
A proposed sale of spectrum in Saskatchewan from Wind Mobile to Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. was cancelled because of a negative reaction by federal government officials, the Financial Post reported. An article...
Mobilicity might have lost AWS-3 funding: report
telecom | 03/05/2015 2:42 pm EST
Mobilicity might have been unable to raise the funds to bid in Tuesday’s AWS-3 spectrum auction because a $200-million financing deal fell through just minutes before the deadline, according to a report by the Financial...
Mobilicity hoping for post-auction sale approval: report
telecom | 02/12/2015 9:11 pm EST
Mobilicity is hoping that spectrum ownership in Canada after two upcoming auctions becomes diluted enough that the government changes course on its previous refusal to allow the sale of the company and the spectrum it holds to an incumbent wireless company, the Financial Post reported Wednesday. An article appearing on Post's website quoted a source it said is familiar with the company's strategy as saying: “We have a higher probability that we can do a transaction with an incumbent because there is no more spectrum concentration if Wind or other smaller players have scooped it...
Wind, Mobilicity held recent acquisition talks: report
telecom | 02/11/2015 4:48 pm EST
Wind Mobile had last-minute talks about a purchase of bankrupt carrier Mobilicity in advance of the Jan. 30 application deadline for bidding in the two upcoming spectrum auctions, according to a...
Mobilicity, Wind backers battle in court: report
telecom | 02/02/2015 4:36 pm EST
Catalyst Capital Group Inc., a secured creditor of wireless service provider Mobilicity, is asking for a court injunction that would prevent West Face Capital Inc., an investment firm that was part of the group that bought out...
Wind confirms participation in spectrum auctions
telecom | 01/29/2015 4:22 pm EST
Wind Mobile on Thursday confirmed its participation in the upcoming AWS-3 and 2500 MHz spectrum auctions. The registration deadline for both is Friday. The AWS-3 auction is set to begin on March 3 and the 2500 MHz auction will...
Mobilicity, Wind in stare-down as AWS-3 deadline looms
telecom | 01/27/2015 3:39 pm EST
Mobilicity's intent to access up to $65 million in debt to participate in the upcoming AWS-3 auction has important implications for Wind Mobile, which would otherwise face no competition for the...
Wind promotion seen as shot against Mobilicity
telecom | 01/15/2015 9:08 pm EST
Wind Mobile's offer of free wireless service to customers of Mobilicity, with unlimited data, text and calls for six months, could be an offensive move to help clear away competition for set-aside spectrum in the upcoming AWS-3 auction, analysts say. A offer on Wind's website says Mobilicity customers can get free service from Wind that features no data caps plus unlimited in-province calling and unlimited cross-Canada texting for six months if they sign up before Jan. 26. A free SIM card is also part of the offer, which Wind spokesman Robert Sauer said usually costs $25 for those...
Wind Mobile expands out-of-network coverage
telecom | 12/02/2014 9:37 pm EST
Wind Mobile said Tuesday it has struck a deal with another network operator to provide its customers with greater coverage when traveling outside Wind's core network in Canada. Wind did not name the company in the press...
Catalyst would fund spectrum purchase for Mobility: report
telecom | 11/24/2014 10:25 pm EST
Catalyst Capital Group Inc. would help fund Mobilicity's purchase of new spectrum in the government's AWS-3 auction next year, its leader said in an interview with the Globe and Mail. An...
Wind promises government it will invest in network
telecom | 11/04/2014 9:33 pm EST
The government has approved the buyout of Wind Mobile from VimpelCom Ltd. by a consortium led by Anthony Lacavera's Globalive Capital with a number of attached conditions, including that the new ownership group...
Canadian mobile carriers rankings vary by city
telecom | 10/28/2014 3:36 pm EDT
A look at Canada's three biggest cities by a U.S.-based mobile analytics company found different carriers' dominance fluctuated in the second half of this year, depending on the location. For Toronto, the report on...
LTE network top priority for new Wind CEO: Lacavera
telecom | 10/27/2014 8:48 pm EDT
As Wind Mobile’s chief operating officer, Pietro Cordova, steps into the CEO role vacated by Anthony Lacavera Monday, his top priority will be to put an LTE network in place, the outgoing CEO said in a phone interview....
Buyout puts Wind on solid ground, says Lacavera
telecom | 09/16/2014 1:51 pm EDT
Wind Mobile CEO Anthony Lacavera says his $285-million buyout of majority shareholder VimpelCom Ltd., announced Tuesday, brings stability to his company after years of ownership uncertainty. Lacavera will buy out the majority...
Paper billing issue small potatoes for telecom sector: analysts
telecom | 08/29/2014 7:28 pm EDT
Much has been made this week about the practice of levying extra fees for the privilege of getting a physical bill for telecommunications services, and some industry watchers are downplaying the...
CRTC releases figures on wireless wholesale caps
telecom | 08/06/2014 8:54 pm EDT
On Wednesday the CRTC released average domestic retail prices for wireless carriers as part of its ongoing examination of the wholesale wireless market in Canada. The CRTC declined a request from Wind Mobile to make public the...
Wind Mobile reports subscriber, ARPU growth
telecom | 08/06/2014 8:11 pm EDT
Wind Mobile posted subscriber growth and an increase in average revenue per user (ARPU) in the second quarter, according to a financial filing from co-owner Global Telecom Holding SAE. Wind’s subscriber base grew to 741,000 in the second quarter of 2014, up 5.5 per cent from 702,000 in the first quarter and an increase of one fifth from 620,000 in the same period last year. “WIND Mobile continued to deliver on its ‘value plus’ strategy by adding both postpaid and prepaid subscribers while carefully managing economics for voice and mobile broadband customers,...
CRTC finds Rogers’ treatment of Wind Mobile ‘unjust’
telecom | 07/31/2014 9:45 pm EDT
The CRTC issued a decision Thursday in the first of its two reviews of wholesale wireless roaming in Canada, finding that Rogers Communications Inc. committed “unjust discrimination” in...
American private equity firm reportedly interested in Wind Mobile
telecom | 07/30/2014 7:54 pm EDT
Providence Equity Partners Inc., an American private equity firm, is interested in a stake in Wind Mobile, according to a Tuesday report from Bloomberg based on unnamed sources. Providence was...
Wind launches account-management app
telecom | 07/22/2014 9:10 pm EDT
Wind Mobile has launched an app that allows customers to manage their Wind account, including the ability to view their account balance, pay bills, monitor their phone usage and change their plan, among other options. Wind said...
Wind looking to offer 3G roaming thanks to price cap
telecom | 07/08/2014 10:06 pm EDT
Now that the federal government’s domestic roaming caps are in place, Wind Mobile is looking to upgrade to 3G for its roaming network by the end of the summer, chief regulatory officer Simon Lockie said on Tuesday. His...
Wind Mobile expands in Ontario
telecom | 07/03/2014 8:27 pm EDT
Wind Mobile said Thursday it has expanded into Branford, Ont. It said in a press release that it has opened two retail outlets there. Robert Sauer, a spokesman for Wind, said by email that this coincided with the expansion of Wind's network into Brantford. Wind Mobile's website shows it has network availability in areas in and surrounding Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto and other spots in southern Ontario....
Rene Schuster named VimpelCom COO
telecom | 07/02/2014 5:48 pm EDT
VimpelCom Ltd., the Amsterdam-based company that is majority owner of Canada's Wind Mobile, on Tuesday named Rene Schuster as chief operating officer. The company said in a press release that Schuster was previously CEO of...
Mobilicity less attractive than Wind for Quebecor: analyst
telecom | 06/25/2014 7:07 pm EDT
New-entrant wireless carrier Mobilicity is in a holding pattern after the collapse of a buyout deal with Telus Corp. that could harm its chances of being rescued from bankruptcy protection,...
Wind seeks LTE spectrum from Shaw, Quebecor
telecom | 06/17/2014 8:27 pm EDT
TORONTO — Wind Mobile CEO Anthony Lacavera said Tuesday that his company needs access to LTE spectrum, perhaps from unused space held by Quebecor Inc. or Shaw Communications Inc., if his company is to continue to be a viable...
Wholesale roaming caps won’t solve problem: Wind
telecom | 05/27/2014 6:02 pm EDT
OTTAWA — Proposed federal legislation that caps wholesale wireless prices is a good start but “doesn’t solve the issue,” Wind Mobile co-founder and chief regulatory officer Simon Lockie told a Senate...
CRTC should have more authority in telecom, PIAC lawyers say
telecom | 05/15/2014 8:01 pm EDT
A recent paper from the lawyers representing the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) calls for changes in government structure that would give the CRTC more uncontested authority in governing the...
Wind claims Q1 ‘best quarter ever’
telecom | 05/14/2014 2:34 pm EDT
Wind Mobile said the first quarter of 2014 was its “best quarter ever” as it gained more than 25,000 subscribers and saw its average revenue per user jump to 12 per cent more than it was a year earlier. The company...
Wind aiming to poach Mobilicity, Public Mobile customers
telecom | 05/05/2014 9:10 pm EDT
Analysts say a new advertising campaign by Wind Mobile that aims to pick up customers from Mobilicity and Public Mobile may be successful as the new-entrant carrier tries to capitalize on the woes of...
Telecoms don’t give out customer info ‘willy-nilly’: Bell ombudsman
telecom | 05/02/2014 8:50 pm EDT
OTTAWA — Telecommunications companies don’t voluntarily give out confidential customer information to the government, said William Abbott, senior counsel and privacy ombudsman at BCE Inc....
VimpelCom under investigation by U.S., Dutch authorities
telecom | 03/12/2014 2:25 pm EDT
VimpelCom Ltd., the Amsterdam-based majority owner of Wind Mobile, announced on Wednesday that it is under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as well as Dutch authorities in relation to its operations in Uzbekistan. On March 11, the company said in a press release, representatives from the government of the Netherlands, including members of the Dutch public prosecutor’s office, visited the company’s Amsterdam headquarters and told executives the company was the focus of a criminal investigation. On the same day, VimpelCom received a letter from the SEC,...
VimpelCom ends talks to buy Pakistan carrier: report
telecom | 03/10/2014 4:13 pm EDT
VimpelCom Ltd., the majority owner of Canada’s Wind Mobile, has ended talks for the possible acquisition of Pakistan-based carrier Warid Telecom, Bloomberg reported Monday. Warid is owned by Abu Dhabi Group and one of five...
Wind Mobile worth ‘more than zero’: Lacavera
telecom | 03/06/2014 9:52 pm EST
Wind Mobile CEO Anthony Lacavera said it’s “business as usual” at his company following the decision by majority owner VimpelCom Ltd. to write down the value of its $768-million US stake in the Canadian wireless...
Wind approved as bidder for Mobilicity: Lacavera
telecom | 12/09/2013 8:57 pm EST
Globalive Wireless Management Corp.’s Wind Mobile has been approved as a bidder for the assets of Dave Wireless Inc.’s Mobilicity, though it hasn’t decided yet whether to make a bid, Wind CEO Anthony Lacavera...
Wind Mobile wants Mobilicity’s spectrum for LTE network: Lacavera
telecom | 12/03/2013 10:12 pm EST
Globalive Wireless Management Corp., operator of Wind Mobile, is looking at buying Mobilicity because it needs more spectrum in order to roll out an LTE network, Wind CEO Anthony Lacavera said....
Wind adds 17,000 subscribers in Q3
telecom | 11/06/2013 10:16 pm EST
Wind Mobile had 637,000 Canadian subscribers in the three-month period ended Sept. 30, VimpelCom Ltd. said Wednesday. VimpelCom, which has a 65 per cent stake in Wind Mobile, said in its quarterly results that Wind’s Canadian subscriber numbers showed a 25 per cent increase from the same period a year earlier, when the company had 510,000 subscribers in Canada. Wind reported 620,000 Canadian subscribers in the second quarter of 2013. It passed the 600,000 subscriber mark for the first time in the first three months of 2013....
With new roaming plans, customers still vulnerable to extra charges: PIAC
telecom | 10/07/2013 9:28 pm EDT
Some of the incumbents' new and cheaper roaming plans offer small data packages that smartphone users will quickly exceed, incurring extra charges, said John Lawford, executive director of the...
Wind offers Mobilicity customers $300 credit to switch
telecom | 10/04/2013 8:26 pm EDT
Wind Mobile targeted Mobilicity’s wireless customers the same week that Mobilicity filed for and received bankruptcy protection in advance of a possible sale of the company. “We’ve...
Charges for paper bills justified, providers say
Media | 07/23/2013 2:54 pm EDT
Canadian consumers need incentives to make the switch to environmentally friendly electronic bills, SaskTel said in response to CRTC questions about telcos' charges for paper billing. SaskTel, a provincial Crown...
Wind-Mobilicity merger increasingly likely as debtholder vote postponed
telecom | 07/10/2013 7:08 pm EDT
A merger of Mobilicity and Wind Mobile looks more likely as news reports said Mobilicity delayed a debtholder vote on its recapitalization plan due to acquisition talks with Verizon Communications...
Sawiris re-enters Canadian market with deal for Allstream
telecom | 05/24/2013 6:40 pm EDT
Former Wind Mobile backer Naguib Sawiris said he is re-entering the Canadian telecom market with a “long-term commitment” and the purchase of Allstream from Manitoba Telecom Services Inc....
Wind targeting Mobilicity customers
telecom | 05/24/2013 5:16 pm EDT
Wind Mobile is appealing to customers of fellow new entrant Mobilicity, operated by Dave Wireless Inc., to “switch to Wind” as Mobilicity waits to hear whether Industry Canada will approve its acquisition by Telus...
VimpelCom says it could hold on to Wind
Media | 05/17/2013 8:48 pm EDT
Wind Mobile’s parent company VimpelCom Ltd. is keeping its options open in the Canadian market and is not yet committed to selling the new entrant carrier, Jo Lunder, VimpelCom’s CEO, said. In a conference call with...
Rogers also in talks to purchase Wind; BCE for Public Mobile
telecom | 05/17/2013 7:34 pm EDT
Further consolidation in Canada's wireless market is expected this year as Rogers Communications Inc. is another player in talks with Wind Mobile about purchasing the new entrant carrier and BCE...
Wind passes 600,000 subscriber mark
telecom | 05/15/2013 10:10 pm EDT
Wind Mobile's Canadian subscriber base rose by 11,000 customers in the first three months of 2013, reaching 600,000 for the first time, said Wind owner Orascom Telecom Holding S.A.E., which is owned by parent company VimpelCom Ltd. In a quarterly financial statement released Wednesday, Orascom said Wind's Canadian subscriber base rose by 44.9 per cent in the 12-month period that ended March 31, 2013 bringing its total subscriber base to 601,719 customers. Wind added 11,281 subscribers in the first quarter, the company said, for a growth rate of 1.86 per cent in the three-month...
Accelero only foreign player in four bids for Wind: industry sources
telecom | 03/28/2013 8:48 pm EDT
Accelero Capital, an investment firm owned by former Wind Mobile investor Naguib Sawiris, is the only foreign bidder so far for the Canadian new entrant carrier, among two bids from incumbent telcos...
Wind subscribers pass 590,000
telecom | 03/06/2013 9:42 pm EST
Wind Mobile increased its Canadian subscriber base by 15 per cent during the fourth quarter of 2012, reaching 590,000 subscribers, Wind owner Orascom Telecom Holdings S.A.E. said. In a fourth quarter financial statement released...
Globalive approves share conversion, ownership change
telecom | 11/22/2012 8:07 pm EST
Globalive Wireless Management Corp., operating in Canada as Wind Mobile, filed foreign ownership applications with the federal government in light of shareholder approval last week for a share conversion in the company, said Simon...
Wind hits 510,484 subscribers
telecom | 11/21/2012 6:41 pm EST
Globalive Wireless Management Corp.'s total mobile subscribers rose to 510,484 by the end of the third quarter of 2012, Orascom Telecom Holdings S.A.E. said in an earnings statement last week. For the third quarter ended...
Wind not in consolidation talks: Lacavera
telecom | 10/23/2012 1:20 am EDT
Egyptian-based Orascom Telecom Holdings S.A.E., owned by Amsterdam-based VimpelComLtd., said it will hold a shareholders meeting in November to approve a plan to convert its non-voting shares into voting shares in holding company Globalive Investment Holding Corp. Globalive operates in Canada under the brand Wind Mobile. Orascom, which holds 32.02 per cent of the voting shares and 65.08 per cent of all shares in Globalive, said in a release Sunday that the conversion will allow it to take control of Globalive, restructure its loans to Globalive, and cancel $450 million of accrued interest...
Wind, Telus close to deal on Vancouver infrastructure access
telecom | 10/15/2012 8:02 pm EDT
Telus Corp. and Globalive Wireless Management Corp. said they are “working diligently” towards a deal to allow Globalive to build wireless infrastructure in underground tunnels in...
New entrants not likely to carry iPhone before 2014, analyst says
telecom | 09/19/2012 4:19 pm EDT
Canada’s new entrant carriers are not likely to carry Apple Inc.’s popular iPhone smartphone before 2014 after their network configurations were shut out of Apple’s newly released...
Wind tops 500,000 subs
telecom | 09/18/2012 8:46 pm EDT
Globalive Wireless Management Corp.’s Wind Mobile wireless brand has surpassed 500,000 Canadian subscribers, the company said Tuesday. In a release, Wind said it now provides voice and data services to “more than 500,000 subscribers across Canada” through its HSPA+ network,...
Wind boosts subs, ARPU in Q2
telecom | 08/15/2012 9:14 pm EDT
Wind Mobile added 41,000 subscribers during the second quarter by targeting high-value, postpaid customers, Orascom Telecom Holding S.A.E. said in a quarterly report released Wednesday. Orascom, which backed Wind’s parent...
CRTC orders Telus to answer foreign ownership questions
telecom | 08/14/2012 8:25 pm EDT
The CRTC is giving Telus Corp. until Aug. 24 to answer questions about its foreign ownership levels and the mechanisms it uses to ensure it does not pass federal foreign ownership limits for large...
Telus still faces foreign ownership questions, Wind says
telecom | 08/02/2012 9:05 pm EDT
Wind Mobile has reiterated its call for a CRTC-led public review of Telus Corp.’s foreign investment levels and the mechanisms Telus uses to ensure it does not pass federal foreign ownership...
Cordova joining Wind as COO
telecom | 07/27/2012 7:06 pm EDT
Pietro Cordova will replace Gianluca Corti as chief operating officer of Wind Mobile, the company said Friday. In a release, Wind, which operates in Canada under Globalive Wireless Management Corp., said Cordova will join the new entrant carrier from its Italian counterpart, Wind Telecomunicazioni...
Telus-Bell spectrum sharing unfair, leads to larger, superior 700 MHz blocks: Rogers
telecom | 07/03/2012 8:37 pm EDT
Telus Corp. and BCE Inc.'s spectrum sharing agreement will allow the companies to combine their 700 MHz spectrum licensed in next year's auction and build superior 20 MHz blocks supporting...
Foreign ownership proceeding on Telus for better industry guidance, Wind says
telecom | 06/21/2012 7:35 pm EDT
Wind Mobile wants the CRTC to hold a hearing on Telus Corp.'s compliance with the foreign ownership rules for better “guidance” on how to comply with the law, Simon Lockie, Wind’s chief regulatory officer, said in an interview. Wind parent company Globalive Wireless Management Corp. on Wednesday filed a request with the CRTC for a public hearing to determine whether Telus breached the ownership rules under the Telecommunications Act. The 18-page request to the...