Public Mobile launching in mid-May: 'you're not going to see us at Yorkville'

Canada's Public Mobile -- one of the wireless start-ups to benefit from the country's AWS spectrum auction -- has started detailing its launch plans this week behind its contemporaries at WIND Mobile and Mobilicity. These guys are being totally forthcoming about the fact that they're targeting the lower end of the market, a segment they claim to be "underserved" by the big guys (we're sure Koodo, Fido, and Virgin would all disagree) -- even going so far as to make their launch announcement in an area of Toronto ominously described as "hardscrabble." So what's the deal? Stores are open immediately to the tune of 15 in Toronto and another 10 in Montreal, the only markets Public Mobile says it's going to target for now, with service launching in mid-May to the tune of CAD $40 (about $39) a month for unlimited talk and text. That's great pricing, but obviously, great pricing means nothing without a great network to go along with -- so we'll see how this shakes out in a few weeks' time.