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Canadian court certifies class-action lawsuit against carriers
If you're sick and tired of wireless carriers charging an arm and a leg for so-called "system access fees," you aren't alone. As wireless carriers up north rack in close to $800 million a year in said fees, they continue to brand the fees as required by the Canadian Radio-Television Commission -- even though the Government says that fees are no longer valid and don't need to be charged. Carriers were whacking Canadians with charges ranging from $6.95 for Rogers and Telus and up to $8.95 for Bell customers. Naturally, that kind of apparent overcharging can only lead to one thing: a class-action lawsuit. Get in while the gettin's good!
Bell brings unlimited data to Canada
Bell Mobility of Canada has announced that customers can sign up for its new unlimited data plans for $75 CAD (about $74) per month. The service is only available with wireless modems, so tethering is a negative. The data speeds are right up there with those in the States and is delivered via EV-DO Rev. A courtesy of Bell. Customers can choose between three different modems: the Sierra Wireless AC595, the Novatel U720, and the Novatel P720. Seeing how it used to cost $100 for 1GB of data, the boys and girls at Bell seem to be getting the bigger picture.[Via Boy Genius Report]
Bell reels in HTC 5800
Canada and the US regionals are now officially pwning Sprint and Verizon on this one. Bell becomes the latest carrier to offer the Windows Mobile 2006-based QWERTY slider -- Libra -- as the HTC 5800, offering EV-DO, a 2 megapixel cam, stereo Bluetooth, tethering capability, and microSD expansion. Come on Verizon, we're getting impatient! Grab it now north of the border for a nice, round $149.95 CAD (about $141) on a three-year agreement.[Via cell phones etc.]
Bell Canada releases HTC 6800
Bell Canada has finally shipped HTC's beastiest, beast as the HTC 6800. This is, of course, the same goods shipped by both Sprint (branded as Mogul), Telus (as P4000), and the oft-promised Verizon VX6800, but unlike Telus, it rocks WIndows Mobile 6, not 5. This'll go out the door from a Bell shop for as little as CAN $199 -- that is, if you're crazy enough to commit for 3 years -- with a minimum monthly package purchase. This is hands-down Bell's best Pocket PC offering, so if you've been dawdling and contemplating stepping up to Windows Mobile, now's the time.[Thanks, rockdamic]
Will Bell Canada buyout lead to a GSM conversion?
Now that BCE's $51.7 billion buyout looks solid with the potential victory going to the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, we can finally issue a collective sigh or relief. Bell is likely going to stay Bell, no merger with Telus looms on the Horizon, and all is well and good in Canadian CDMA-land. Or is it? The Financial Post is reporting on some Analyst's predictions that will see Bell shift from CDMA to GSM. We see these types of rumors surface now and again, and while Bell likely salivates at Rogers Wireless' annual $450 million GSM roaming revenue, the cost of said conversion would be out of the park. Of course, this is all fantasy 'til we here something official but we definitely aren't counting chickens around here.
Telus backs out: BCE Inc. and Telus won't unite
Round two for big Telco mergers seems set to have fallen off the rails in Canada -- round one saw Rogers Wireless merge with Microcell Communications (Fido). While bigger can sometimes be better, in the wireless world lack of competition can hurt and Canadian users may have just ended up with bigger bills, the same service, and fewer choices. Of course, said merger would have involved both wireless and wireline services of the two giants, but the wireless parts alone would have seen a combined subscriber list 10.9 million names long. Apparently BCE Inc. was in such a hurry to get this done that the time pressures are what gave Telus cold feet. Of course, a group led by Cerberus Capital Management and the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan (BCE's biggest shareholder) are still in the running, so expect an update as soon as the dust settles.
Bell Canada jumps on BlackBerry 8830 bandwagon
Somehow Bell Canada missed the boat yesterday when Sprint and Verizon announced the BlackBerry 8830 (or we missed it) but we have it today, and Bell should have it this summer. Sporting the same features as we mentioned in a small pile of lead up articles, Bell customers will now have the luxury of wandering the world while staying connected to mail from home. Nothing is up on the site yet as far as pricing and plans go, but they will definitely appear between now and release day X.
Bell Canada for sale
So, is Bell Canada ready for a buyout? Yep. Bell Canada's corporate baby daddy, BCE Inc., has announced that it's in talks with four companies -- three Canadian and one US -- to sell out in a deal that could ultimately fetch as much as $40 CDN (about $35) for a company that's currently trading in the $38.50 CDN range. Of course, this all runs counter to the firm denials Bell was issuing just a couple weeks back (no surprise there). Current indications are that none of the firms involved in buyout discussions are already in the wireless carrier biz, so our hopes (read: fears) of a US-Canadian supercarrier are, at least for the moment, dashed.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Is Bell Canada ready for a buyout?
Whoa -- Bell Canada is looking for a buyout partner? The larger-than-life private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company is rumored to be possibly looking at taking the Canadian telecom into a buyout situation. Most likely, Bell Canada wold go private and be taken off the public market completely (at least for the time being). Although current Canadian regulations may make it difficult for KKR to get its equity mitts on Bell Canada (and its wireless arm, Bell Mobility), KKR may be talking to the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan -- since that entity holds a 5% stake in Bell Canada at the moment. The number? How about $30 billion -- that is how much the deal would be roughly worth to a buyout firm. Bell Canada responded by officially stating that "there are no ongoing discussions being held with any private equity investor...and there are no plans to pursue such discussions." [Thanks, Kevin]
Bell Canada rolls out Motorola Q Music Edition
What's a surefire way to revive a smartphone when it starts to get a little long in the tooth? Why, pull a Nokia: bundle it with some relevant accessories and rebrand it as a "Music Edition," of course! To be perfectly clear, this here Q is the same old Q we know and love; Bell's simply given it a new face by throwing in a 2GB miniSD card, stereo 'phones, and a $25 (CDN, we're assuming) gift card redeemable through the MSN Music Store. Get it by signing up for a three-year contract on a voice / data combo plan -- if you dare -- for $130.[Thanks, Terry]
Switchers, rejoice: Canada gets WNP today
Let's be honest: even if you like your carrier, being married to it sucks. Whether you're staring down the business end of a three-year contract (Canadian carriers, we're looking squarely at you), your company is engaged in some sort of business relationship with a particular carrier, or you can't take your beloved phone number with you -- whatever the reason may be, getting locked in instills a feeling of dread and unease that we'd personally rather be without. Contracts and business deals may be here to stay, but for our friends north of the border, your government has finally solved that whole number conundrum. As of today, carriers doing business in metropolitan areas are required to support wireless number portability (WNP, as the kids are calling it these days), opening the floodgates from Rogers to Telus, Telus to Bell, Bell to Fido, and so on. We're not sure what carrier(s) stand to benefit the most from the move, but if you've been waiting for today with bated breath, let us know all about your move in comments![Via Scott Robinson]
Canadian government launches public consultation for spectrum auction
Remember the joy that the AWS auctions brought us? The thrills, chills, intrigue, and ultimately the huge dollars that were raked in by the FCC? Well, grab your popcorn an' soda because the stage is being set for the same brouhaha in Canada. The Honorable Maxime Bernier – the Minister of Industry announced the launch of a public consultation on a framework for said auction in the 2 GHz band (read: Advanced Wireless Services). In total, 105 MHz of bandwidth will be available for auction; to put that in perspective – the AWS auction was for 1122 licenses covering an 90 MHz chunk of 3G spectrum, this auction will be for more spectrum, with an unknown quantity of licenses and far fewer subscribers. Bear in mind, this is only a consultation and is the first in many steps before this auction is truly ready to start. This could be terribly slow going because in Canada, we live for committees, consultations, and inquiries. If the event is anything like the 161-round nail biter covered in the late summer – you can be 100 percent sure that we will not be there covering any of the action.[Via HowardForums]
Moto Q in Black hits the Great White North
Well folks, it appears that our friends to the north have greased Motorola's palms with a few extra loonies, eh. Indeed, the northerly division of Motorola will be the first company to launch the new Moto Q in Black, available exclusively from Bell Canada. This new piece of ebony elegance comes with all the same features you'd expect from the previous Q: EV-DO, 2.4-inch screen, 65,000 colors, 64MB RAM / 128MB ROM, and a 1.3 megapixel camera. It's basically the same as the old Q, except that it's black (duh), with a soft touch finish. It's available for C$150 ($132) with a new voice plan, and minimum C$60 ($53) data package on a three-year contract. To our American countrymen and countrywomen who are already making a run for the border, a word of advice: that same trick with the loonies probably won't work with US Customs when you try to smuggle it into the lower 48. Instead, just sit tight and wait until this handset hits Verizon -- sometime soon, we hope.
Canada on verge of number portability
Americans have been enjoying number portability for a while now (though not without its fair share of hiccups), but some surprising names make the list of countries that haven't yet taken the plunge; Japan, for example, just flipped the switch for fickle customers this month. It appears that next up will be our neighbors to the North, with Fido noting on their website that all major Canadian carriers will be allowing number transfers in "all metropolitan areas" no later than March 14 of next year. Regional carriers will still be on the hook to allow outbound transfers by the same date, but are given a reprieve until next September to get the inbound side working. Any Canadian readers out there anxious to make the switch? Tell us all those heart-wrenching stories in comments![Thanks, Frank]
Bell Canada gets some Moto Q action
Telus may have already had the Motorola Q for a couple of months now, but it's no longer the only carrier in Canada to offer the EV-DO smartphone, with Bell now jumping in to give them a little competition. Bell's deal looks to be a tad less attractive than Telus' though -- the Q will cost you the same $249 with a three-year contract, but you'll need to get a minimum $60 data plan, as opposed to just $45 with Telus. Unfortunately, not all Bell customers can get their hands on one right away, with folks in B.C. and Alberta having to wait until October 16th to get theirs, while customers in Ontario and Quebec can get their QWERTY kicks right now.[Via Smartphone Thoughts]
Sona's video player for BlackBerry powers "bbTV"
Last time we checked in with SonaMobile, their video player was in beta and it was looking a bit, well, beta-like -- download times were hurting, video quality left a lot to be desired, and content selection was limited at best. Well, times are a-changin', and it looks like these guys are just about ready to flip the switch for Canadian BlackBerry users on Rogers, Bell, and Telus. So what's changed? For starters, Sona's claiming faster download times and reduced storage requirements thanks to an improved compression scheme, though you're still looking at a 3-5 minute download for a 1-2 minute clip. The commercial launch has also been renamed "bbTV," offering news, sports, and financial content from Canada's Global National, and they've added an archive feature for reminiscing about last week's... uh, news, sports, and finances. No word on launch plans outside Canada, though users are claiming it's easy enough to fool Sona's site into letting anyone download the goods; the only question is whether you want to put up with some pretty painful download times to watch exclusively Canadian content.
