WIND mobile launches in Vancouver

[zivan56]

So I'm really surprised that the media has bared covered the launch of WIND Mobile this morning in Vancouver. This is the first new cell phone service that has launched since Fido about 11 years ago (or was it Clearnet PCS?). As everybody knows, the Robellus monopoly is the only player in the market, and they pretty much collude on pricing.
The network so far only covers Vancouver proper, Burnaby, and Richmond. However, they are expanding to Surrey/Coquitlam later on in the year.

You can see the plans and coverage here: http://www.windmobile.ca/. You can roam onto the Rogers network if you are out of the coverage area for pretty cheap, so no worrying about being out of range if you travel.

I'm not affiliated in any way, just sick and tired of the current monopoly and outrageous pricing that robellus offer. Can't wait for tomorrow to buy a phone and switch. Will be paying the same price for double the airtime, a data plan, and caller id...up yours Rogers

[SpongeG]

first stores are at pac centre and park royal right?

[hollywoodnorth]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

first stores are at pac centre and park royal right?

http://care.windmobile.ca/Support/St...e-locator.aspx

3 - Yaletown

116 Davie Street, Vancouver, BC

8 - Kitsilano

2228 4th Avenue West, Vancouver, BC


4 - Park Royal Centre

2002 Park Royal South, West Vancouver, BC



look like the "stores" to start. with a bunch of kiosks at blockbusters as well.

happy to see a new player.....lets see how long they last

[hollywoodnorth]

also the Network covers most of the NORTH SHORE, all of NEW WEST and Burquitlam too

not a bad initial launch by my calculations....

my screen shot below posted to photobucket >>

[Distill3d]

You'd think if they were serious about expanding into Vancouver, they would cover the whole metro area out to Abbotsford.

That said, I'm not sold on them just yet. The idea of having to purchase a phone outright is a little hookey too me. Sure they have great rates and no contracts, but that initial cost is a little steep for me. I think I'll wait a year before I consider the switch, see if things change that way.

[sacrifice333]

^What are the costs for voice & data when roaming on to Rogers?

[zivan56]

Well cell phones towers don't magically grow out of the ground. I believe they have a much bigger footprint than Fido did when they first came out. People have been reporting that the footprint is a lot bigger than the map, which is quite conservative.

As for contracts, all they do is make you pay off the cost of the phone over a longer period of time...so you still pay for it. In fact, Rogers/Fido charge a huge markup compared to the retail price of the phone. So you end up getting a locked and crippled phone with their junk software on it. These phones can't receive software updates because they are heavily modified and can't be used on other networks. Which is why I never buy a phone from a provider.

[zivan56]

Originally Posted by sacrifice333

^What are the costs for voice & data when roaming on to Rogers?

They list it on their FAQ:

When you're "AWAY", some services will cost a bit more:

* Calls to anywhere in Canada or the U.S. (all destinations): 25 cents/minute
* Any calls to you: 25 cents/minute
* Any text messages you receive (from anywhere in the world): free of charge
* To use the Internet on your phone: 10 cents/25 kB

http://www.windmobile.ca/support/faq/wind-away-zone/

So data is cheaper when roaming on Rogers compared to being a Rogers customer, which I believe is $0.05 per kB (or that might be Fido). Voice is the same as being a prepaid customer.

[usog]

AWS for the lose though, not that many great phones if you're not a fan of android.

[flight_from_kamakura]

personally, i never do contracts or take the "free" phones. just swap out the sim in my unlocked phone and grab whatever carrier works best for where i am. in the canada, that usually means fido, but wind may work. the trick for them is going to be to avoid going the way of videotron, which has been a colossal failure. seems to me that if they follow the t-mobile model, bringing flexibility and bringing the prices down significantly, these guys (who i believe are owned by 3rd world specialists orascom) could well take a good share of the market.

[gillty]

Originally Posted by flight_from_kamakura

personally, i never do contracts or take the "free" phones. just swap out the sim in my unlocked phone and grab whatever carrier works best for where i am. in the canada, that usually means fido, but wind may work. the trick for them is going to be to avoid going the way of videotron, which has been a colossal failure. seems to me that if they follow the t-mobile model, bringing flexibility and bringing the prices down significantly, these guys (who i believe are owned by 3rd world specialists orascom) could well take a good share of the market.

good luck finding a unlocked gsm phone with AWS frequencies.

[zivan56]

Originally Posted by tGill

good luck finding a unlocked gsm phone with AWS frequencies.

You are joking, right? Google Nexus One and Nokia N900 come to mind, but there are dozens of lower end ones available and easily purchased online or locally.

[gillty]

Originally Posted by zivan56

You are joking, right? Google Nexus One and Nokia N900 come to mind, but there are dozens of lower end ones available and easily purchased online or locally.

The nexus one while great is already outdated by very similar htc android-based hardware, and the n900 is an awful phone with a resistive touch screen.

[SpongeG]

i was in teh west 4th store today - its nice - simple clean nice looking

the plans look good phone prices aren't too bad

[zivan56]

Originally Posted by tGill

The nexus one while great is already outdated by very similar htc android-based hardware, and the n900 is an awful phone with a resistive touch screen.

How does that relate to your argument of the virtual nonexistence of phones which support the AWS band?
I doubt a small fraction of the population willing to pay $600 for a phone is the key market for WIND. As long as there are phones that you can make calls on and send messages with, people will buy them. So far they have 2 that are below $100, which is probably what most people will get.

[deasine]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

i was in teh west 4th store today - its nice - simple clean nice looking

the plans look good phone prices aren't too bad

Yeah, but the size of the WIND HOME ZONE isn't exactly acceptable either.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by deasine

Yeah, but the size of the WIND HOME ZONE isn't exactly acceptable either.

So far the company looks a lot like Fido did 15 or so years ago.

[SpongeG]

its not bad most people stay in the area vancouver, north shore richmond, burnaby parts of coquitlam etc are covered soon to double the size

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by deasine

Yeah, but the size of the WIND HOME ZONE isn't exactly acceptable either.

Some people only want basic no-frills voice service in the lower mainland. If you're living, working, travelling, &tc in Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond or the North Shore between Dundarave and Deep Cove you're in the WIND local area already.

Later in the year, the WIND local area will be from Horseshoe Bay to Langley and Mission and from the US Border to the crest of the North Shore mountains.

If you are occasionally outside of their Local area, you can still be on their 'away zone' which I think is provided by Rogers.

I think that will satisfy the needs of a fair amount of Rogers Bell Telus customers here. If you're travelling a lot outside of this area & need a celtel anywhere you go in Canada, the US or the world, you won't likely be switching away from your current provider.

[SpongeG]

the most expensive plan is $45 - includes unlimited text and calls

my plan with telus works out to be anywhere from $45 - $65 a month depending on what I end up doing that month and i get 200 mins and a small number of texts

so even if I go with the best plan they offer i still pay about the same or less - which would be great for me