orascom Archive

  • Mobilicity gets the green light from CRTC, looks to launch in Toronto soon

    Mobilicity gets the green light from CRTC, looks to launch in Toronto soon

    Posted on May 9, 2010 | No Comments
    Right on cue, the artist formerly known as DAVE Wireless has been given approval to begin operations in Canada. Just as we heard earlier in the year, Mobilicity is looking to add some much-needed competition in the mobile operator space up north, and as predicted, the CRTC has given the initial stamp of approval needed for it to move forward with business operations. The company has to make a few minor changes up the ladder in order to appease the Canadian overlords that regulate this stuff, but the outfit's top brass have stated that they have "no issues" whatsoever in complying. If all goes well, the carrier plans to start up service in Toronto before the summer swings in, with Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa to get covered later in the year. Here's hoping those blasted three-year contracts vanish for good, eh?

    [Thanks, Adam]

    Mobilicity gets the green light from CRTC, looks to launch in Toronto soon originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 May 2010 03:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • CRTC blocks Canada’s WIND from launching over ownership concerns

    CRTC blocks Canada’s WIND from launching over ownership concerns

    Posted on October 30, 2009 | No Comments

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    Globalive, which has recently been ramping up to launch a national Canadian phone service under the WIND brand using spectrum won in last year's auction, has been dealt a hell of a blow by the CRTC this week. The organization -- essentially the northern equivalent of the FCC -- has strict rules demanding that Canadian wireless networks be Canadian-owned, and an investigation of WIND's structure has apparently raised enough concern to cause it to call off the service's launch. Egypt's Orascom Telecom (which, strangely, also runs North Korea's Koryolink) owns some 65.1 percent of the operation and apparently "holds the overwhelming majority of the outstanding debt" for which Globalive is responsible, so yeah, we can see how that might not qualify as "Canadian-owned." For its part, Globalive says that it's "extremely disappointed" in the decision and "will be evaluating [its] options on how to proceed," but in all likelihood, that's going to have to mean cashing out a good chunk of Orascom if it's serious about making this happen.

    [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

    Read - CRTC decision
    Read - WIND response

    CRTC blocks Canada's WIND from launching over ownership concerns originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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