Analyst opines T-Mobile might want in on Canadian spectrum sale
By Chris Ziegler 
posted Mar 3rd 2008 1:18PM
posted Mar 3rd 2008 1:18PM
[Via Mobile In Canada]
posted Mar 3rd 2008 1:18PM
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I support additional carriers (a.k.a. competitors to Rogers, Bell, and Telus). The big 3 in Canada are currently holding us 'hostage' so to speak with unattractive rates and plans. There is not a huge difference among them in terms of plan features and options. What concerns me here is that they would have to partner with one of them initially to overcome our pesky (mob-like) domestic ownership rules. We want service. We want savings. We welcome T-Mobile, and any others. Please come. We are good customers.
I applaud the idea of T-Mobile coming into Canada!!
As was said by both you Michael F and Joel Varty above any competition to the Triumvirate of Rogers (and its vassal carrier Fido), Bell, and Telus can only be good for the Canadian consumer.
However, Michael F I don't think that they will necessarily have to partner with one of the Triumvirate. From what I understand about this auction the winner will be building a new network anyway (because they are bidding on previously unavailable spectrum) and they do not need to use the network(s) of the Triumvirate.
Instead they can use one of the smaller more local carriers i.e. MTS, Sasktel, Aliant, or Videotron.
In fact, I don't see why they couldn't even partner with one of the MVNOs like Virgin, Petro Canada Mobile, 7-11 Speak Out, or PC Mobile. Indeed, I can see Richard Branson of Virgin owner of Virgin Mobile being very interested in such an idea and he would definitely be a great addition for T-Mobile what with his financial resources and general business attitude.
Partnership with Vigin sounds very plausible, given that Virgin already runs an MVNO based on T-Mobile in the UK.
Please please please T-Mobile, come to Canada and save us from the evil that is Rogers and bring your european GSM goodness with you too.
Any competition to Rogers on GSM would be a good thing. There are rumors about Telus providing GSM coverage, too. It would be nice to have the full spread of phones available too, without having to jailbreak them...
I agree with Michael and Joel, we need more variety. If I want GSM - I have to go with Rogers. And if I want certain phones either 1-jailbreak, or 2-get it unlocked if its from another manufacturer/US carrier. Canada is so far behind in the cell phone technology market and I cry a little inside every time a friend comes up and shows me his "Cool Razr"
i am currently a telus customer and have been for about 8 years ever since it was clearnet. while telus has been the first to provide PROPER data rates i am bored of cdma phones. i would love to get a kaiser but rogers stranglehold on gsm and terrible service i would NEVER go to them well lately that never has been dwindling. but tmobile BRING THEM ON. if they can have better service and PROPER rates a la telus then im goneeeeeeee. HTC kaiser here i come UNLESSSSSSSSSSS HTC makes me a nice cookie and makes the kaiser in CDMA. maybe that sony experia too i would be down for that if tmobile got it.
Canada is GSM starved. With the Rogers/Fido oligopoly, they control the entire GSM market. I say partner up with whoever you need to and bring in TMobile/et al. We're years behind in rates/services compared to the US, nevermind Europe, Asia, etc. Definitely need some competition, more importantly; choices.
The more competition, the better. When you compare what Canadians pay versus our good neighbours to the south (as well as many others around the world), it's painfully obvious we need more competition. And since Ted Rogers is bitching loudly about the sprectrum auction, it MUST be a good thing!
tmobile should work on actually utilizing the spectrum they already have rather than start trying to buy more of it!
watch out neighbors to the north! tmobile may bid on your auction but they wont get a network going until 2011 at the pace they keep.
T-Mobile has been hamstrung because they didn't have enough spectrum to roll out 3G. They're still hamstrung since the spectrum they won in the AWS auction is still being occupied by the guvmint. You cannot roll out what it is physically impossible to do. You have to work with what you have.
I agree with all of the comments about the benefits of increased competition and lowering of data rates to be more in line with those in the US and Europe. If T-Mobile would come in as another independent it would make the playing field much more interesting. The real benefit of T-Mobile entering Canada is that they would bring a wake-up call to the other carriers, with their WiFi/Mobile routers and competitive plans, the other providers would get a much earned kick in the backside.
data has dropped for TELUS 30$ is what the u.s. pays. now if u want rogers to drop prices thats diff but bell sorta did with their 7$ touch thing. telus dropped across all their phones. so its really just the evil parasite of rogers that needs to drop their prices
Bring it on! We need additional competition to dilute the oligopoly and bring some competitive spice to the cooperatively priced market that is Canada. If we had more competition perhaps we could afford to check email and surf the web on our mobiles. As it stands now you get boned huge.
What we really need here in Canada is a relaxation or abolishment of the foreign ownership rules.
Here's hoping we see someone provide decent GSM coverage in my area. Then i can tell Sasktel where to put their towers.
bahahah, i'm from sask originally, and sasktel licks the big one! Bring T-mobile home baby! I want my sidekick and bring on 39.99 unlimited data! I'm sick of 4 MB for 25 on Telus! Save us Tmobile, Save us!
We need more actual real carriers. BRING IT ON T-MOBILE. Please?
Gonna have to go with meh on this one
No different then 1995 (you know, the last time they did this and clearNET and fido came into existance)
Gonna be Deja Vous all over again.
New spectrum,
Need to build network from ground up,
Still same crappy laws governing ownership,
It does not matter who the hell comes here, it will be clearNET and fido take two without a change in the ownership laws first
ClearNET and fido were supposed to solve the problem we have today more then a decade ago...
Problem is, they had to be Canadian owned and build there networks from the ground up while trying to compete with much older established companies who had a 10 year head start in the mobile sector and other core businesses they could draw resources from to fund the losing money mobile business...
What happened to clearNET and fido? Well, they got bought out by the big old telecoms that they could not compete with and thus we ended up where we are today.
The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result
Since the new spectrum auction is being held under the same set of rules as it was 15 years ago, the end result will be the same.
Deutche Telecom pumped 10's of millions into fido before they flopped and owned the largest percentage of allowable by Canadian law of the company and fido tried DESPERATELY to get bought out by them rather then get sold to Rogers (and T-Mobile wanted to buy them as well) but they couldn't get the foreign ownership laws changed
It T-mobile could come here as a Canadian subsidiary of Deutche Telecom instead of a separate Canadian owned company that is licenced to use the T-Mobile name and brand, and could have bought the old fido network and spectrum then there would have been a change.
As is, it's the same old story that's been told before and will end in the same outcome except this time, instead of the existing carriers having a ten year lead they will have a twenty year lead.
Who's going to make phones for this new company that uses a spectrum band that nowhere else in the world uses and offers service only to the top 25 markets in Canada and has at best an outlook of attracting maybe 10000 customers? Who cares if the new Carrier is GSM, CDMA or telepathic projection, they are not going to be using existing frequency bands so you can forget all about using cool phones from around the world on their network.
Might as well continue to call Canada the 3rd world of mobile communications for the foreseeable future
in other news .. Belgium is getting the iphone and us Canadians just got the samsung blackjack ?
THE CUSS IS GOING ON ?
T-Mobile would be nice, very very nice if they brought in their hot spot home... gah !
Yeah, but they won't cause if they come to Canada, they have to be T-Mobile Canada, a separate company from all other T-mobiles that DT owns a small percentage in.
T-Mobile might as well buy a stake in an existing carrier instead.
Canadians have to put pressure on the government to change the ownership rules. Government has to listen to the people to get re-elected. Then T-mobile, Orange, Vodafone, and others can come to Canada.