Globalive Wireless has been put through the ringer over the past few months, especially with the upcoming investigation by the CRTC for their foreign ownership. However, this new wireless entrant seems to be having a grand old time. On their Twitter page they say they’re “working to bring competition to canada’s wireless world is hard work but having some fun!”. Even when we interviewed Globalive Chairman Tony Lacavera he said it’s “just another roadblock”. But with all hardship comes adversity and Globalive has boatloads full of it!
They recently announced a slew of relationships with major organizations to help them build out their 3G network and today they have revealed their new brand name: WIND Mobile.
A little background. Globalive is partially funded by major wireless player Orascom who has invested $700 million over the next few years. Orascom operates Wind Telecomunicazioni SpA in Italy and Greece and has 17 million mobile subscribers. Hence the one of the reasons the name change from Globalive Wirless to WIND. Build a global brand presence but a local feel.
At a private employee event today, Lacavera said “Today, we get one step closer to offering Canadians more choice, innovation and affordability when it comes to their wireless provider by bringing an already-recognized global wireless brand to Canada. WIND is an established and growing brand with a successful history of over 10 years in two large European markets, and Canadians will benefit from the economies of scale of this relationship. By choosing the same brand name, we are able to not only leverage WIND’s challenger status, but also its operational intelligence and experience.”
With everything thing they do, the company looks to the Canadian public for feedback and insight. They have established their website based on the Wireless Soapbox site and say that “WIND is harnessing this power of conversation by meaningfully engaging customers in the co-creation of a better mobile experience.” I think that’s a good way to go, building a business with the feedback from the public. I guess this is the first fundamental step in gaining trust from potential customers.
They are moving forward in full force and looking to truly impact the wireless market in Canada. If that is not big enough news, how about hiring 300 people? They are looking to fill 300 customer service positions immediately and a whopping 2,000 within 12 months.
Ken Campbell, CEO of Globalive Wireless said “WIND is founded on the power of conversation and we believe that through a healthy dialogue with our customers, we can create a wireless service that will surpass our competitors’ current offerings. It’s time to raise the bar for wireless service in this country and make Canada’s wireless services comparable to the likes of Europe and the United States.”
We know that Gobalive is launching two wireless brands. A higher end and a sub-brand. With Globalive Wireless now renamed “WIND”, the question remains what is the name of their sub-brand going to be?
Congrats on another big move!
More here at WIND Mobile
