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WIND Mobile: “We will not have the iPhone at launch”

By on August 29, 2009 at 12:59pm in Mobile News, WIND Mobile

wind-logoThere has been a great deal of hype behind WIND Mobile, formally Globalive Wirless. They are the most visable new entrants into the Canadian wireless scene.

They continue to reach out and write stories about various wireless topics, the connect with Canadians and have even started putting recruitment ads in papers to get prepared for their upcoming launch. As always they are up front and honest about what they’re up to… this is how they’re gaining trust with us Canadians.

Chris Robbins, CCO (Chief Commercial Officer) of WIND has written a post on the company blog titled “Answering Questions” where in fact he does answer a number of questions potential customers have been wondering about. He starts off by stating that “We will not have the iPhone at launch….the spectrum that was auctioned (“AWS”) is at a different frequency from most of the phones currently in the market, including the iPhone. It will take a while before the iPhone works on the AWS frequency (Apple needs to decide to do it).”

So that’s an insight into what they won’t be launching with… but the iPhone was never listed on that so called “leaked list of devices”. Even though Tony Lacavera, Chairman of Globalive Holdings, stated back in the middle of May that the leaked line up and possible price plans  were “not our document“. One can keep dreaming of that list and hope at least some of them make it at launch.

Chris goes on to write about unlocked devices:  “Same answer for people’s currently unlocked phones. While there are some AWS frequency handsets out there (T-Mobile’s US 3G phones are AWS for example) and handset manufacturers are adding that frequency to their chipsets and handsets, it’s unlikely any currently “unlocked” phones will work on AWS at launch.”

We have always known that that the launch date is targeted to happen before the end of the year, now set for Calgary and Toronto first, then a rollout in other cities across Canada during 2010. With this said, Globalive is getting ready for the CRTC investigation into their foreign ownership on September 23rd & 24th. We believe everything will work out as planned and us Canadians will have another choice for wireless.

More here at Wind Mobile

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Discussion

7 comments for “WIND Mobile: “We will not have the iPhone at launch””

  1. It seems weird that they would launch in Calgary of all places, instead of, say, Vancouver or Montreal, or Windsor :P

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    Posted by Alex | August 29, 2009, 4:11 pm
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  2. I don’t expect the CRTC to block WIND from launching, but I do expect them to issue a public spanking. WIND’s ownership and control structure is an obvious violation of the spirit of foreign ownership control regulations. The CRTC will probably put some controls in place and rules for WIND to follow.

    Ultimately none of the big 3 care about WIND. This is just an opportunity to advance the issue of relaxing foreign ownership regulations so that the big 3 can access more foreign capital.

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    Posted by TNSF | August 29, 2009, 4:20 pm
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  3. wow…Calgary? really? wow….just lost my business! hahahaha

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    Posted by J-M | August 30, 2009, 3:08 am
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  4. Being from BC, I’m a little more disappointed that they’re not launching in Vancouver. Although, ignoring the Olympics, Calgary / Toronto make the most sense.

    Oh well.

    As for the iPhone, it shouldn’t be THAT big of a deal by the time they launch. The cellphone industry seems like the most rapidly growing as far as technology is concerned. Yesterdays new is today’s old.

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    Posted by Richard Teotico | August 30, 2009, 11:02 am
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  5. WIND certainly is good at blowing wind. What Robbins might have said that would have been more honest is that there are hardly any phones manufactured that work with his network. Choice will be very limited period as befits a carrier trying to replicate the Walmart business strategy.

    As for WIND offering Canadians choice, not really. The coverage area will be so small that it will appeal only to taxi drivers and teenagers who never leave Toronto, Vancouver and, I guess, Calgary. The incumbets have to offer roaming to the newcomers for a limited period of time but they will make it as difficult as possible and WIND seems to be saying, “who cares” by adopting an incompatible technology.

    Choice, if it comes, will be years away.

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    Posted by doitonabike | August 30, 2009, 6:29 pm
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  6. Bell got alot of the 2010 olympic money secured. Wind isnt in the “plans” to get that billion dollar roaming money, they plan to squeeze rogers and split the difference with telus for the roaming mostly. I hope the new guys get a fair shake but they own yak and a bunch of other 10 10 companies. They are foreign funded no doubt but canadians deserve better no matter who own what.

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    Posted by greasymonkey | August 31, 2009, 10:55 pm
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  7. Do your company support iphone4.

    Thanks.

    Mahendra Singh

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    Posted by mahendra singh | June 12, 2011, 12:11 am
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