Let the Cell phone wars begin!

[Grapes]

With wireless spectrum auction over, let the real games begin

"... has to send shudders through the ranks of Canada's three incumbent wireless players - Bell, Telus and Rogers.

"With well-capitalized new entrants expected to pursue disruptive pricing, we do not believe that the global-leading wireless cash flow margins seen in Canada are sustainable over time," said a note from Genuity Capital Market analyst Dvai Ghose. "Canadian wireless will never be the same again.""

Looks like holding out from renewing may have been a smart move :)

[dj_soo]

bout fucking time.

Canada's cell phone carrier options have been downright embarrassing for way too long.

[ebbomega]

Originally Posted by TFA

The two new entrants worth watching are Globalive Wireless and Data & Audio Visual Enterprises Wireless, known as DAVE.

Globalive is going to win on the basis that everybody will forget DAVE's name.

[gnosis]

I've been talkin' about this and asking about this for over a year, now.

I'm contract-free.

I've been suffering from poor service for the last 3yr contract for my free ghetto-cell w/ Bell.

I'm coasting on their greed. I've been waiting for this.

Anyone who knows me knows I am teh WORST END-user you possibly wanna deal w/.

I just expect it all.

Mass access.
Business-hours-charging, ONLY
Unlimited minutes, otherwise.
Texting included. (in/out)

Now.

What's the problem?

Cheap. (Oh, I'd go $50cdn/mos...)

Frosty
(must include multi-format-access, slim-lined, highly sought-after, new-fangled phone-thingie)

[mapleleaf4ever]

hence why i only took a one year contract...

get it over with and see what lovely new options arise then. :)

[miss.myra]

I actually don't think this means a lot for the average consumer who relies heavily on the use of a cell phone as a lot of these companies will likely be partnering with larger carriers. I see a lot more discount cell phone companies (ie prepaid like virgin mobile who partners with bell or something along the likes of koodo and solo mobile) coming up, which will only make the discount companies more competitive.

Anyways, in the event someone wants to bring a major carrier out to play, they have to invest millions of dollars and a TON of time in building their network infrastructure, which would mean any real change isn't going to happen anytime soon. Does anyone know how long it takes to build a cell tower and obtain approval from several levels of government to do so? oi.

[Grapes]

Read the article again. Or for the first time.

At least two new competitors are setting up to rival the big 3, not partner with them. They have more than enough capital to do so, and will spend the next little while (the lull that the article anticipates) setting up shop. How long that will take exactly is in question, but my experience is that when there's tons of money to be made, things tend to move quickly.

Meanwhile the market analyst quoted as predicting "disruptive pricing" from the new competition obviously doesn't concur with your belief this won't mean much to the average consumer.

[miss.myra]

i did read the article.

read my 2nd paragraph then :)

[GSG9]

yea it takes awhile to deal with that stuff, but that doesnt mean they have to build one tower at a time. if they start building 500 towers right now, they will all be finished around the same time.

[Grapes]

Originally Posted by miss.myra

i did read the article.

read my 2nd paragraph then :)

OK..

Originally Posted by miss.myra

Anyways, in the event someone wants to bring a major carrier out to play, they have to invest millions of dollars

Globalive is expected to spend up to $2.5-billion on its network, capital that will be raised through debt and equity issues. The company's Yak long-distance venture already boasts a million Canadian clients. During an analyst call in Paris on Monday, Mr. Sawiris said he had up to $500-million earmarked for Canadian expansion.

This sort of spending plan has to send shudders through the ranks of Canada's three incumbent wireless players - Bell, Telus and Rogers.

Millions ready to be invested..

Originally Posted by miss.myra

a TON of time in building their network infrastructure, which would mean any real change isn't going to happen anytime soon.

There's going to be a brief calm in Canadian wireless, as capital is raised and strategies are set behind closed doors.

Brief calm v. TON of time?

[Grapes]

Just like to take this moment to point out that Myra was right, this thread was started well over a year ago and we've still just got the big three, plus I'm pretty happy with the phone and plan that Solo gave me so big deal, more competition will get here when it gets here.

Hi Myra! Sorry for being jerkstore in this thread! :P