Mobile Application Development Company

By STEFANIA MORETTI, QMI AGENCY

Globalive's Wind Mobile opened its first Canadian store in Toronto yesterday, promising cheaper prices but with limited coverage.

The company becomes the first new wireless provider in the country for more than a decade after the government last week overturned a decision by the broadcast regulator that had denied it access to the market.

Wind is aiming to take on incumbent phone providers Bell, Rogers Communications and Telus, which together control 95% of the market.

"The big three set the bar low," Globalive and Wind Mobile chairman Anthony Lacavera said at a press conference inside the company's flagship store facing the Toronto harbour.

The company opened shop at 18 locations throughout the Greater Toronto Area, most at kiosks inside Blockbuster video and game rental outlets.

The crux of Wind's pitch is that it has no contracts, no activation fees, no system-access fees, no cancellation fees and no enhanced 911-service fees.

But as the 50 or so eager customers who lined up in Toronto's Queens Quay Terminal yesterday quickly discovered, there are a couple of catches.

Customers who don't already own a GSM phone operating on AWS frequency will have to purchase one at full price.

Wind offers four devices ranging from $150 to $450 including the BlackBerry Bold 9700. The company won't be offering Apple's iPhone.

With other carriers, phones are usually thrown in for free or at a discounted rate when customers sign long-term contracts. In order to do away with contracts, Wind said it would sell hardware at cost instead.

Wind's limited coverage area is another catch, and will be well into 2010 and perhaps beyond.

The company has established networks in select Canadian cities but calls are ready to be placed in Toronto and Calgary only. Ottawa, Edmonton and Vancouver are in the works, the company said, without providing any specific dates.

One shopper drove about an hour for the chance to be one of Wind's first customers, only to find out the carrier doesn't have service in his region.

For others, Wind's limited coverage is just a temporary setback.

"That's one of the downsides of being an earlier adopter. But this is an enthusiastic company with a lot of potential," Toronto resident Austin Moore said while waiting in line to pick out a phone.

Wind's Toronto "home zone" coverage spans a distance of approximately 5,200 square kilometres -- covering just to the outskirts of the Greater Toronto Area.

The company said it's considering sharing roaming capabilities with other carriers.

stefania.moretti@canoe.ca
source: http://www.edmontonsun.com/money/2009/12/17/12184631-sun.html