« Rogers Enables an MVNO? »

It’s curious - Rogers enabling another player in Canada for wireless service - Harmony Mobile. It’s also curious that this hasn’t hit my radar until this morning…..

MVNO=Mobile Virtual Network Operator. One of the only ways to become a wireless provider in Canada is to make a wholesale deal with one of the existing providers and “piggyback” on their national network.  The coverage maps on the Harmony website are extensive. The indigenous, existing providers are normally pretty wary of introducing competition into Canada’s wireless industry. The upcoming auction of wireless spectrum which will offer the potential for new entrants into the industry, without the partnering with existing players, means the introduction of Harmony is doubly interesting.

What twigs me even more is the fact that the Harmon handsets are dual wifi and GSM, meaning that if you are in range of a wireless hotspot - your phone knows to use the internet for service.

It’s lovely. It’s interesting to know that this sort of service is happening quietly already in Canada. Profectio also has coverage here…

Comments

[foo]

MVNOs have been around in canada for years (like 5+ at LEAST). this isnt news of any kind. That you just found out might reflect the lack of marketing on their behalves, which might talk to the sizes that they're allowed to get to before being shutdown/bought/disassembled/run out of business in that we dont see posters and ads for them everywhere, thus you not knowing, but the fact simply put itself is oldnuze.

[jules]

Thanks Foo -it wasn't so much as a surprise that there was an MVNO in Canada - I'm well aware of them ;-) Virgin, Amp'd , PC etc - it was that fact that one is being enabled right now - Harmony Mobile - in a time when everyone is hunkering down and waiting for the results of the spectrum auction.... with regards to something happening quietly in Canada - that's in reference to the dual mode wifi and GSM.

Thanks for the comment!