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Canada gets Amp'd
Amp'd Canada has officially launched in... well, Canada. Originally announced by Telus way back in August, the March 14th launch coincided conveniently -- and we're sure totally coincidentally -- with the launch of number portability up there. The only handset available at launch is the Motorola Q, available both through Amp'd retail setups and Telus stores. Package options are pretty sweet, from $30 to 75 CDN for voice and a bevy of entertainment add-ons for radio and TV services.[Via MocoNews]
Telus unleashes LG 8600
Canada's been doing a respectable job keeping up with LG's Chocolate releases with both Rogers and Telus offering variants of the Korean slider; next up, Telus is rolling deep with the Chocolate flip. Known by various model names on different carriers -- all typically ending in 8600 -- Telus' version will go simply by "8600" and offer the same comprehensive music support, touch sensitive external controls, EV-DO, and strapping good looks that have brought it success elsewhere. Look for it for $130 CDN on a three-year agreement -- a harsh sentence to be sure, but hey, at least they throw in a 1GB microSD card and reader.[Via Howard Forums, thanks Jay]
Telus adds Samsung u510, white Motorola KRZR
We feel like we can barely tell the difference between the white KRZR from Moto and the original gray -- especially if you squint your eyes a bit -- but choice is always good nonetheless, and to that end Telus has added the paler variant to its lineup. Going toe to toe with the K1m in the high-fashion game, Samsung's u510 has also found its way onto the CDMA carrier (look familiar?) with a 220 x 176 display, 1.3 megapixel cam, microSD slot -- something its Helio doppelganger lacks -- and touch-sensitive controls. Grab your white KRZR for the same price as its grayer counterpart, $149 CDN -- or a u510 for $50 CDN less, $100, both on a three-year agreement.[Thanks, Jay]Read - Samsung u510Read - Motorola K1m MOTOKRZR
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]
Telus, Sierra Wireless carrying EV-DO Rev A to Canada
If the Canucks out there have been getting a bit jealous at all the Rev A love going around down south, your resentment ends now -- well, sometime this year, anyway. Thanks to Telus and Sierra Wireless, EV-DO Rev A connectvitiy is headed to Canada in the coming months, as interested users will be able to pop the AirCard 595 into their laptop's PCMCIA slot and reportedly reach peak speeds of up to 3.1Mbps downstream and 1.8Mbps upstream. Of course, it is noted that typical speeds will range between 300 to 400Kbps whilst uploading, and 450 to 800Kbps on the downward slope, but you Canadians will probably take what you can get, eh? Unfortunately, there's no set dates for the future rollouts, and "select markets" is all we have to go on for availability, but we do know that Telus will be charging $349.99 for the AirCard 595 sans a contract, or you can lock yourself in for a whopping three years if you've only got $99.99 to spare.
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]
Telus brings Fastap to Canada with LG 490
It looks like Canadians are getting a second shot at Digit Wireless' love-it-or-hate-it Fastap keypad layout with Telus' introduction of the LG 490 clamshell. As you might recall, this same model came to Alltel a couple months back, though we're guessing the Telus incarnation is cleansed of the NASCAR fodder strewn about on its American equivalent. Strangely, Telus customers are going to pay a good deal more for the phone, commanding $129 CAD (about $115 USD) on a two-year contract compared to Alltel's $60 -- the carrier must be brimming with confidence that 38 keys are exactly what text-savvy Canadians yearn for.
Pantech's 3200 heads to Canada by way of Telus
Say you're on Telus and you're looking for a fresh low-end flip. You'd like it to be Korean, but you're opposed to Samsung and LG. Pretty tough requirements to satisfy, eh? Pantech's swooping in to your rescue with their PN3200, a basic clamshell with 220 x 176 internal and 96 x 96 external displays, Bluetooth, a VGA cam, 64-tone polyphony, music player, and little ol' 1xRTT for data. Not a bad freshman effort for Pantech's entry into the Canadian marketplace, especially at $99.99 CAD on a 2-year contract.[Via Slashgear]
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.
Amp'd gets licensing deal, $7.5 million infusion from up north
Even as Amp'd has seemingly failed to live up to expectations in the US of A, the young MVNO is looking to expand its business outside its home borders -- though not quite as an MVNO. A deal with Telus gives the carrier exclusive rights to the Amp'd name in Canada, though instead of running its own virtual network, Amp'd will be turning the reigns over to Telus, which in turn will be offering Amp'd-branded goods and services directly. Meanwhile, subsidiary Telus Ventures has dropped a cool $7.5 million into Amp'd (purely a coincidence, we're sure), we're guessing as a little "thank you" for the deal. Look for Telus to light up Amp'd Canada early next year, though unfortunately for Canadian pre-paid fans, it sounds like only Amp'd's post-paid service will be making the jump.[Via MocoNews]
When it rains, it pours: Telus gets some Nokia love, too
It seems Motorola isn't the only manufacturer spreading joy north of the border this week. Our colleagues at Engadget Chinese brought word of Nokia's new CDMA slider late last year: 24MB of shared flash, 2.0 megapixel camera, and QVGA display all sitting atop S40 3rd Edition, making the 6265i Nokia's flagship CDMA piece. Not bad for a company known far better for its GSM efforts, and at least Qualcomm won't get all bent out of shape when this one goes on sale. Available now for our friends on Telus for $99.99 with a 3-year (yikes!) contract.[Thanks, Gerald and Bernie]
Telus gets the Q
See now, that wasn't so bad, was it? Apparently Verizon's world exclusivity on the Q wasn't so worldly exclusive after all, as Telus is already showing stock after our suggestion a couple days ago that Canadians might need to wait a little while. Remember, folks: a pessimist is never disappointed. Now go, friends; get thee to a Telus store for thy Q.[Thanks, everyone]
Telus poised to get the Q
Our Canadian readers drooling over Verizon's recent release of the Motorola Q may not have much longer to wait. In fact, we can say with certainty that it's coming -- Telus' own site says so -- but naturally the term "coming soon" is open to interpretation. It's safe to say that Verizon's long arm of exclusivity on the Q extends into the Great White North, and while we don't know how long it runs, six months is a safe guess. In the mean time, we trust Telus customers can keep themselves occupied with the nifty retro Motorola M800 bag phones they appear to sell.
