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Data and Audio-Visual Enterprises Wireless,
d/b/a A trade name, trading name, or business name, is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is a "fictitious" business name. Registering the fictitious name w ...
Mobilicity, was a Canadian
mobile virtual network operator A mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) is a wireless communications services provider that does not own the wireless network infrastructure over which it provides services to its customers. An MVNO enters into a business agreement with a mobil ...
(MVNO) owned by
Rogers Communications Rogers Communications Inc. is a Canadian communications and media company operating primarily in the fields of wireless communications, cable television, telephony and Internet, with significant additional telecommunications and mass media ass ...
. Its name was a
portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsmobile network operator A mobile network operator (MNO), also known as a wireless service provider, wireless carrier, cellular company, or mobile network carrier, is a provider of wireless communications services that owns or controls all the elements necessary to sell ...
s, along with
Public Mobile Public Mobile Inc. is a Canadian self-serve mobile brand which is owned by Telus. Launched on March 18, 2010, Public Mobile was one of several new Canadian cellphone providers that started in 2009–10 after a federal government initiative to enc ...
(later acquired by
Telus Telus Communications Inc. (TCI) is the wholly owned principal subsidiary of Telus Corporation, a Canadian national telecommunications company that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, voi ...
) and
Wind Mobile Freedom Mobile Inc. is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider owned by Shaw Communications. It has 6% market share of Canada, mostly in urban areas of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. Freedom Mobile is the fourth-largest wirele ...
(later acquired by Shaw Communications), which launched in Canada after a government initiative to encourage competition in the wireless sector. The carrier had over 250,000 Mobilicity subscriptions on May 16, 2013, the day in which Telus announced its failed attempt to acquire Mobilicity. The subscription count decreased to 157,000 by April 2015 according to court documents filed by Mobilicity's Chief Restructuring Officer in that month. On June 24, 2015, the Ontario Superior Court gave approval for the sale of Mobilicity to Rogers for $440 million CAD at which point Mobilicity became an MVNO operating on the Rogers network. In May 2016, Rogers announced it planned to retire the Mobilicity brand and migrate subscribers to its
Chatr Chatr Mobile (stylized as chatr) is a Canadian mobile virtual network operator owned by Rogers Communications Canada targeting entry-level customers. It is one of three wireless brands owned by Rogers Communications, including Rogers Wireless, ...
brand by the end of 2016.


History


2008–2009: Early years

Originally formed as DAVE Wireless by Canadian businessman
John Bitove John I. Bitove (Jr.) (born 1960 in Toronto, Ontario) is a noted Canadian businessman and sportsman. He is the Founder of the Toronto Raptors of the NBA. Through his holding company, Obelysk, he is involved in several entities including; Sirius ...
, the company entered the 2008 spectrum auction for AWS frequencies. DAVE spent $243 million on 10 MHz of AWS spectrum blocks largely covering southern and eastern
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
,
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
and
Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
. The domain davewireless.com was registered on July 10, 2008 via
Go Daddy GoDaddy Inc. is an American publicly traded Internet domain registrar and web hosting company headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, and incorporated in Delaware. , GoDaddy has more than 21 million customers and over 6,600 employees worldwide. The co ...
. Later, on October 27, 2009, the domain mobilicity.ca was registered via Internic.ca and the
Canadian Internet Registration Authority The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) (french: Autorité canadienne pour les enregistrements Internet ACEI) is the organization that manages the .ca country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Canada. Its offices are located at 97 ...
(CIRA). Dave Dobbin, who had held executive posts at other telecom firms (COO of Telecom Ottawa, President of Toronto Hydro Telecom, President of Cogeco Data Services), was named President and CEO.


2010–2012: Launch and competition

DAVE Wireless's website was launched with information on January 7. The following month, on February 2, it was confirmed that the company would operate under the name Mobilicity. The company was built to deliver Canadians a simple mobile solution. Later, service was launched to the public on May 15, but only for the city of
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
. On November 17, service was launched in Edmonton and Vancouver, and in the
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
and
Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and is part of Canada's N ...
area the following day. Coverage in
Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
went live on April 28, 2011. This was the last major update to Mobilicity's coverage. During Q4 2011, Mobilicity had a 50% off sale on all monthly plans. Dave Dobbin resigned in November 2011. John Bitove assumed the role of Executive Chairman and commented that Dobbin didn't have a "consumer background." Stewart Lyons, formerly Executive Vice President of XM Satellite Radio Canada, replaced Dobbin as Mobilicity's president, while Bitove assumed the role of Executive Chairman. Mobilicity ended the year with approximately 206,500 subscribers,CRTC 2012 report
of which 113,000 (54%) who activated during Q4 of either 2010 or 2011. Several new devices launched at Mobilicity during the first half of 2012. The carrier launched the
Galaxy Nexus The Galaxy Nexus (GT-I9250) is a touchscreen Android smartphone co-developed by Google and Samsung Electronics. It is the third smartphone in the Google Nexus series, a family of Android consumer devices built by an original equipment manufactu ...
, its first Android 4.0 device, on February 2. This happened one day before competitor
Wind Mobile Freedom Mobile Inc. is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider owned by Shaw Communications. It has 6% market share of Canada, mostly in urban areas of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. Freedom Mobile is the fourth-largest wirele ...
launched the same phone. Mobilicity sold the phone at a $600 retail price, but cut it in half to $300 by Q3 2012. The first
Windows Phone Windows Phone (WP) is a discontinued family of mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft for smartphones as the replacement successor to Windows Mobile and Zune. Windows Phone featured a new user interface derived from the Metro design la ...
sold by Mobilicity was the
Nokia Lumia 710 Nokia Lumia 710 is a Windows Phone 7 smartphone. Its release is part of a change in company's direction which has resulted in a shift from Symbian platform towards Windows Phone for smartphones. While the Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 900 target the h ...
, released on May 17, 2012 and discontinued in Q3 2012. The
BlackBerry Curve BlackBerry Curve is a brand of professional smartphones that were manufactured by BlackBerry Ltd from 2007 until 2013. Early series Curve 8300 Series The BlackBerry Curve brand was introduced on May 3, 2007 with OS version 4.5 with the Curve 8 ...
9320 was released on June 6, 2012 and the Samsung Galaxy S III was released on June 27, 2012. On April 1, Mobilicity changed its plans and website, which remain available to this day. Variants of the 50% off sale for monthly plans were reintroduced in 2012 during the months of May, September, November and December. October 2012 saw the addition of 24-month multi-month discounts and, on October 30, a premium service option for faster
mobile broadband Mobile broadband is the marketing term for Wireless broadband, wireless Internet access via mobile networks. Access to the network can be made through a portable modem, wireless modem, or a Tablet computer, tablet/smartphone (possibly Tetherin ...
.
Loblaw Companies Loblaw Companies Limited is a Canadian retailer encompassing corporate and franchise supermarkets operating under 22 regional and market-segment banners (including Loblaws), as well as pharmacies, banking and apparel. Loblaw operates a private ...
was added as a retail partner.


2013-2015: Financial restructuring, attempted acquisition deals

On February 12, 2013, Mobilicity announced a new multi-stage financing deal worth $75 million. Of this sum, $15 million has already been provided to Mobilicity. Catalyst Capital Group, however, opened a file at an Ontario court in an attempt to halt this deal. On April 10, 2013, Mobilicity announced that it would withdraw from the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association. The other wireless startups,
Public Mobile Public Mobile Inc. is a Canadian self-serve mobile brand which is owned by Telus. Launched on March 18, 2010, Public Mobile was one of several new Canadian cellphone providers that started in 2009–10 after a federal government initiative to enc ...
and
Wind Mobile Freedom Mobile Inc. is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider owned by Shaw Communications. It has 6% market share of Canada, mostly in urban areas of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. Freedom Mobile is the fourth-largest wirele ...
, also withdrew from the CWTA, citing "bias in favour of Rogers, Bell and TELUS" as the main factor. Gary Wong, Director of Legal Affairs for Mobilicity, was quoted as saying "We have spent the better part of three years repeatedly voicing our opposition to the CWTA on a wide range of matters to the point of issuing a press release in January 2011 that publicly expressed our dissent on the CWTA's position on wireless consumer protection." On April 26, 2013, an order was issued by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice allowing Mobilicity to attempt restructuring. The court order allows Mobilicity to ask creditors to vote on business sale and restructuring plans which contain actions that are intended to help the company raise additional capital and pursue other strategic options. Mobilicity announced on July 10, 2013 that the company was "in discussions with multiple parties in connection with an acquisition plan of arrangement." It was reported in the ''
National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...
'' on September 4, 2013 that Mobilicity was in negotiations to have Wind Mobile assume their customers while investors retained control of spectrum licenses, though this report was later denied by Mobilicity. Mobilicity initially had an end date of October 30, 2013 for its Stay Period, which prohibits "proceedings against the applicants or the property". Stewart Lyons resigned from Mobilicity the following day. Mobilicity's Stay Period has since been extended ten times and now carries an end date of August 31, 2015.


Telus and WIND Mobile interest

On May 16, 2013,
Telus Telus Communications Inc. (TCI) is the wholly owned principal subsidiary of Telus Corporation, a Canadian national telecommunications company that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, voi ...
announced that it has agreed to acquire Mobilicity for $380 million, pending regulatory approval. On that day, Mobilicity had over 250,000 subscribers and 150 employees. Industry Minister
Christian Paradis Christian Paradis (born January 1, 1974) is a Canadian politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Mégantic—L'Érable from 2006 to 2015. A member of the Conservative Party of Canada, he was first elected in the 2006 federal el ...
announced on June 4, 2013 that the Canadian federal government would prohibit the Telus takeover of Mobilicity because it would be a violation of the conditions of the 2009 AWS spectrum auction.
Public Mobile Public Mobile Inc. is a Canadian self-serve mobile brand which is owned by Telus. Launched on March 18, 2010, Public Mobile was one of several new Canadian cellphone providers that started in 2009–10 after a federal government initiative to enc ...
was acquired by Telus on October 23, 2013. Telus made a second attempt to acquire Mobilicity on April 17, 2014 for $350 million. Mobilicity stated that they believe the deal "will not affect competition in the Canadian wireless sector" and will satisfy government regulators. The
Competition Bureau The Competition Bureau (french: Bureau de la concurrence) is the competition regulator in Canada. It is an independent Canadian law enforcement agency that ensures that markets operate in a competitive, innovative manner. Headed by the Comm ...
disagreed with Mobilicity's claim and blocked the sale again. Telus ultimately terminated its acquisition plans. Following the blocking of the proposed Telus deal,
WIND Mobile Freedom Mobile Inc. is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider owned by Shaw Communications. It has 6% market share of Canada, mostly in urban areas of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. Freedom Mobile is the fourth-largest wirele ...
then-CEO Anthony Lacavera stated that WIND was interested in re-opening consolidation discussions with Mobilicity. Lacavera had called for the consolidation of WIND Mobile, Mobilicity, and Public Mobile in the past to better compete with the three major Canadian wireless companies, a plan rebuffed by both Mobilicity and Public Mobile. After it was announced that American carrier
Verizon Wireless Verizon is an American wireless network operator that previously operated as a separate division of Verizon Communications under the name Verizon Wireless. In a 2019 reorganization, Verizon moved the wireless products and services into the div ...
would be putting off and ultimately cancelling a decision on offering to buy Wind Mobile or Mobilicity, Lacavera announced that in addition to buying back a controlling share of Wind Mobile he remained interested in purchasing Mobilicity. Starting in May 2014, WIND Mobile made several promotions targeted at Mobilicity customers. The first was a free month of service for any plan worth up to $60. In December 2014, following the recapitalization of WIND Mobile by new investors, it offered $60 in service credits and a free SIM card to customers porting a number from Mobilicity. During January and February 2015, WIND offered Mobilicity customers a free SIM card and six months of free service on the WIND35 plan for switching. In February 2015, the ''Financial Post'' reported that WIND Mobile was in negotiations to take over Mobilicity in the weeks leading up to the AWS-3 spectrum auction registration deadline. The negotiations had been reportedly stalled due to the high price that Mobilicity's creditors were requesting from WIND to purchase the smaller carrier's assets. Discussions halted on January 30, 2015 (the application deadline for the spectrum auction) and were put on hold until the auction results were announced in March 2015, since both carriers had registered for the auction and anti-collusion regulations prohibited any discussion or negotiation of deals between competitors during the auction.


2015: Acquisition by Rogers

Telus had made three unsuccessful bids to purchase Mobilicity out of bankruptcy, starting in 2013, and while they were all approved by creditors, regulators blocked the bids since Mobilicity's ten spectrum licenses were set aside exclusively for new entrants and Industry Canada would not allow them to be transferred to incumbents "because of a fear of undue spectrum concentration". In addition, WIND Mobile had been seeking more spectrum, especially in Ottawa, but Wind's $200 million offer for Mobilicity was too low to satisfy creditors even though it had regulatory approval. Telus also initially did not want to transfer spectrum to WIND at no cost. WIND CEO Alek Krstajic, formerly a senior vice president of sales at
Rogers Communications Rogers Communications Inc. is a Canadian communications and media company operating primarily in the fields of wireless communications, cable television, telephony and Internet, with significant additional telecommunications and mass media ass ...
and former President of
Bell Mobility Bell Mobility Inc. is a Canadian mobile network operator, wireless network operator and the division of Bell Canada which offers wireless services across Canada. It operates networks using LTE (telecommunication), LTE and Evolved HSPA, HSPA+ on i ...
, then approached Rogers CEO
Guy Laurence Jonathan Guy Laurence (born 23 November 1961) is an English businessman, who is currently the Chief Executive of Premier League club Chelsea. He has previously served as Chief Executive of Vodafone UK, and most recently President and CEO of Roger ...
about a deal where Rogers would acquire Mobilicity and then transfer some of Mobilicity's AWS spectrum licenses to WIND at no cost. In early June 2015, both
Telus Telus Communications Inc. (TCI) is the wholly owned principal subsidiary of Telus Corporation, a Canadian national telecommunications company that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, voi ...
and
Rogers Communications Rogers Communications Inc. is a Canadian communications and media company operating primarily in the fields of wireless communications, cable television, telephony and Internet, with significant additional telecommunications and mass media ass ...
bid to acquire Mobilicity, primarily for its wireless spectrum. Unlike in previous acquisition attempts,
Industry Canada Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED; french: Innovation, Sciences et Développement économique Canada; french: ISDE, label=none)''Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal I ...
was willing to consider approving a sale of the smaller carrier to one Canada's major telecom companies provided that some of Mobilicity's AWS spectrum licenses were sold or transferred to former competitor WIND Mobile. On June 23, Mobilicity's creditors approved a $440 million deal which would see Rogers acquire the entire company while divesting certain spectrum licenses to Wind. The acquisition plans were approved by the
Ontario Superior Court The Superior Court of Justice (French: ''Cour supérieure de justice'') is a superior court in Ontario. The Court sits in 52 locations across the province, including 17 Family Court locations, and consists of over 300 federally appointed judges. ...
(as overseer of Mobilicity's bankruptcy proceedings), Industry Canada, and the federal
Competition Bureau The Competition Bureau (french: Bureau de la concurrence) is the competition regulator in Canada. It is an independent Canadian law enforcement agency that ensures that markets operate in a competitive, innovative manner. Headed by the Comm ...
on June 24.


2016: Shutdown

Rogers announced its intention to retire the Mobilicity brand on May 10, 2016 and stopped activating new Mobilicity lines on August 15, 2016. Existing customers' plans were not
grandfathered A grandfather clause, also known as grandfather policy, grandfathering, or grandfathered in, is a provision in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations while a new rule will apply to all future cases. Those exempt from t ...
, Mobilicity subscribers were instead given a choice of "comparable" plans when they are migrated to Rogers' other value-brand mobile provider
Chatr Chatr Mobile (stylized as chatr) is a Canadian mobile virtual network operator owned by Rogers Communications Canada targeting entry-level customers. It is one of three wireless brands owned by Rogers Communications, including Rogers Wireless, ...
beginning in fall 2016. Rogers also stated it would convert "over half" of existing Mobilicity retail outlets to Chatr branding. On July 27, 2016, Rogers launched the My Chatr Move website to facilitate Mobilicity customers switching to Chatr.


Network


1700/2100 MHz AWS 3G (2009–2015)

Mobilicity's network was built in 2009 and maintained by
Ericsson (lit. "Telephone Stock Company of LM Ericsson"), commonly known as Ericsson, is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm. The company sells infrastructure, software, and services in informat ...
. The company also had a cell-site sharing agreement with
Bell Mobility Bell Mobility Inc. is a Canadian mobile network operator, wireless network operator and the division of Bell Canada which offers wireless services across Canada. It operates networks using LTE (telecommunication), LTE and Evolved HSPA, HSPA+ on i ...
to share cell tower space in all Mobilicity zones. On July 3, 2012, Mobilicity expanded its agreement with Ericsson to manage the network. Ericsson was responsible for planning, engineering, and optimizing the network. The network used the UMTS IV frequency band, commonly known as
Advanced Wireless Services Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) is a wireless telecommunications spectrum band used for mobile voice and data services, video, and messaging. AWS is used in the United States, Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, E ...
or AWS-1, to provide
UMTS The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation mobile cellular system for networks based on the GSM standard. Developed and maintained by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), UMTS is a component of the Inte ...
service with
HSPA HSPA may refer to: * High Speed Packet Access, a mobile broadband technology * Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association Education * High School Proficiency Assessment * Humphrey School of Public Affairs The Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Aff ...
data ("3G"). Using this band, user equipment transmitted at 1710–1755 MHz, and received at 2110–2155 MHz. The same frequencies are used by
Eastlink Wireless Eastlink Wireless is a Canadian mobile network operator owned by Eastlink. Its built network serves the provinces of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, with additional coverage areas provided in New Brunswick, Ontario and Alberta communities ...
,
Wind Mobile Freedom Mobile Inc. is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider owned by Shaw Communications. It has 6% market share of Canada, mostly in urban areas of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. Freedom Mobile is the fourth-largest wirele ...
and
Vidéotron Mobile Vidéotron is a Canadian integrated telecommunications company active in cable television, interactive multimedia development, video on demand, cable telephony, wireless communication and Internet access services. Owned by Quebecor, it primarily ...
in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
; as well as
T-Mobile T-Mobile is the brand name used by some of the mobile communications subsidiaries of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG in the Czech Republic (T-Mobile Czech Republic), Poland (T-Mobile Polska), the United States (T-Mobile ...
in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Mobilicity's network was compatible with the same 3G handsets and devices offered by these carriers.
John Bitove John I. Bitove (Jr.) (born 1960 in Toronto, Ontario) is a noted Canadian businessman and sportsman. He is the Founder of the Toronto Raptors of the NBA. Through his holding company, Obelysk, he is involved in several entities including; Sirius ...
, founder of Mobilicity, said that 90% of traffic on that mobile network consisted of
mobile broadband Mobile broadband is the marketing term for Wireless broadband, wireless Internet access via mobile networks. Access to the network can be made through a portable modem, wireless modem, or a Tablet computer, tablet/smartphone (possibly Tetherin ...
. Mobilicity announced on June 14, 2012 that it planned to upgrade its older HSPA network to HSPA+, marketing it as 4G. The carrier claimed to have finished this upgrade on October 30, 2012. It provides a theoretical maximum download speeds of up to 21.1 Mbit/s, a significant improvement compared to the previous limit of 3.6 Mbit/s, but only customers with a premium plan or add-on could access these faster speeds. Others were throttled to a maximum of 2 Mbit/s at all times, with slower speeds after the full speed usage limit is exceeded. Mobilicity's network coverage included parts of the
Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the City of Toronto and the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York. In total, the region contains 25 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities. The Greater T ...
,
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
including
Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and is part of Canada's N ...
, plus
Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
,
Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
, and the
Greater Vancouver Greater Vancouver, also known as Metro Vancouver, is the metropolitan area with its major urban centre being the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The term "Greater Vancouver" is roughly coterminous with the geographic area governed b ...
area. The carrier has not added any new cities since April 28, 2011, and has been greatly criticized for lack of network improvements when it comes to both densification and expansion. Stewart Lyons, former President and COO of Mobilicity, stated that "we are still planning to expand network further (we already have in Vancouver, Toronto, and Edmonton) and improve speeds to HSPA+ (21.1 Mbit/s) before the year end
012 012 may refer to: * Tyrrell 012, a Formula One racing car * The dialing code for Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassie ...
" This included the addition Orleans, Cumberland, extended Vancouver and Hamilton. However, Mobilicity failed to ever complete any significant network expansion.


Products

Numerous products are available at Mobilicity. While the carrier mostly sells various
smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...
s, other types of products are also available. There is a 7-day period for return or exchange on newly purchased products provided that the device does not have a total talk-time exceeding 30 minutes. The time period used to consist of 30 days. All devices in Mobilicity's current lineup include a 365-day warranty. The vast majority of Mobilicity's products are sold locked. There are many reasons why a customer might want to use a Mobilicity device with a non-Mobilicity SIM card. For example, a customer might want cheaper cell phone service while travelling. Still, Mobilicity does not unlock the devices it sells, except in rare cases at its own discretion. Mobilicity also offers "Unlimited Prepaid" packages, previously known as "Unlimited To Go". They consist of a feature phone or smartphone, bundled with a SIM card and one, two or three months of unlimited talk and text on Mobilicity's network, usually at a reduced cost. Bundles sometime include a Bluetooth headset or
mobile broadband Mobile broadband is the marketing term for Wireless broadband, wireless Internet access via mobile networks. Access to the network can be made through a portable modem, wireless modem, or a Tablet computer, tablet/smartphone (possibly Tetherin ...
service.


Feature phones

Mobilicity offers a small selection of
feature phone A feature phone (also spelled featurephone) is a type or class of mobile phone that retains the form factor of earlier generations of mobile telephones, typically with press-button based inputs and a small non-touch display. They tend to use an ...
s. Two models are available: the Huawei U2801 and the Samsung C414Y. Both were sold at the price of $50 per phone during Mobilicity's 50% off sale in May 2012. On the day of Mobilicity's launch, the Huawei U7519, Totem and Sony Ericsson TM506 feature phones phone were available. All are officially discontinued, although "Unlimited To Go" packages for the TM506 are still available at select
HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...
and
Zellers Zellers was a Canadian discount department retail chain and is currently a brand name owned by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). Founded in 1931 in London, Ontario, in later decades it was based in Brampton, Ontario. Zellers was acquired by HBC ...
. The TM506 is notable for being Mobilicity's only feature phone to be sold factory unlocked, allowing it to be used on non-Mobilicity networks compatible with the phone such as
Wind Mobile Freedom Mobile Inc. is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider owned by Shaw Communications. It has 6% market share of Canada, mostly in urban areas of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. Freedom Mobile is the fourth-largest wirele ...
, Videotron Mobile,
T-Mobile USA T-Mobile US, Inc. is an American wireless network operator headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park ( ) is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in Johnson County, Kansas, it is one of four principal ...
or
Rogers Wireless Rogers Wireless Inc. is a Canadian wireless telephone company headquartered in Toronto, providing service nationally throughout Canada. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The company had revenues of just under $15.1 billi ...
.


Smartphones

Mobilicity offers various
smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...
s, each using one of three platforms: * Android:
Samsung Galaxy Samsung Galaxy (, stylised as SΛMSUNG Galaxy since 2015 (except Japan where it omits the Samsung branding), previously stylised as Samsung GALAXY; abbreviated as SG) is a series of computing and mobile computing devices that are designed, ...
Note II, S III and Q;
Sony Xperia T Sony Xperia T (renamed Sony Xperia TL in the United States) is an Android smartphone manufactured by Sony Mobile. Introduced on 29 August 2012, it is Sony Mobile's last device ever introduced to feature the Sony Ericsson liquid energy logo after ...
*
BlackBerry OS BlackBerry OS is a discontinued proprietary mobile operating system developed by Canadian company BlackBerry Limited for its BlackBerry line of smartphone handheld devices. The operating system provides multitasking and supports specialized i ...
:
Curve In mathematics, a curve (also called a curved line in older texts) is an object similar to a line (geometry), line, but that does not have to be Linearity, straight. Intuitively, a curve may be thought of as the trace left by a moving point (ge ...
9320, Bold 9790, and
BlackBerry Z10 The BlackBerry Z10 is a high-end LTE touchscreen-based smartphone developed by BlackBerry, previously known as RIM. The BlackBerry Z10 is the first of two new BlackBerry phones presented at the BlackBerry 10 event on January 30, 2013. The BlackB ...
*
Windows Phone 8 Windows Phone 8 is the second generation of the Windows Phone mobile operating system from Microsoft. It was released on October 29, 2012, and, like its predecessor, it features a flat user interface based on the Metro design language. It was su ...
:
HTC Windows Phone 8S The Windows Phone 8S by HTC was announced by HTC Corporation on September 19, 2012 and released on December 7, 2012 in Canada. It is a cheaper, lower-end version of the HTC Windows Phone 8X, Windows Phone 8X by HTC. Despite its availability in C ...
Mobilicity also exclusively carried the Mobiflip smartphone in Canada. A variant of the T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009, Mobilicity launched it on December 22, 2010. It was discontinued some time in 2011. The Samsung Gravity Touch
feature phone A feature phone (also spelled featurephone) is a type or class of mobile phone that retains the form factor of earlier generations of mobile telephones, typically with press-button based inputs and a small non-touch display. They tend to use an ...
is similar and succeeds the Mobiflip. The HTC Panache 4G was also exclusive to Mobilicity in all of its markets except for
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
. It was discontinued following the
Galaxy Nexus The Galaxy Nexus (GT-I9250) is a touchscreen Android smartphone co-developed by Google and Samsung Electronics. It is the third smartphone in the Google Nexus series, a family of Android consumer devices built by an original equipment manufactu ...
' launch. On the day of Mobilicity's launch, the
BlackBerry Bold 9700 The BlackBerry Bold 9700 (codenamed Onyx) is a smartphone developed by telecommunication company BlackBerry, formerly known as Research in Motion (RIM). The second device in the Bold series, it succeeds the model 9000 and precedes the Bold 9650. ...
, the HTC Snap, and the
Nokia 5230 The Nokia 5230 (also known as the Nokia 5230 Nuron) is a smartphone manufactured by Nokia, running Symbian OS v9.4, S60 5th Edition. It was released in November 2009 after being announced in August of the same year. It features a 3.2-inch resist ...
smartphones were available. The last
Symbian Symbian is a discontinued mobile operating system A mobile operating system is an operating system for mobile phones, tablets, smartwatches, smartglasses, or other non-laptop personal mobile computing devices. While computers such as typic ...
smartphone sold by Mobilicity was the Nokia 500. The only
Windows Phone 7 Windows Phone 7 is the first release of the Windows Phone mobile client operating system, released worldwide on October 21, 2010, and in the United States on November 8, 2010. It runs on the Windows CE 6.0 kernel. It received multiple large upda ...
device sold by Mobilicity was the
Nokia Lumia 710 Nokia Lumia 710 is a Windows Phone 7 smartphone. Its release is part of a change in company's direction which has resulted in a shift from Symbian platform towards Windows Phone for smartphones. While the Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 900 target the h ...
, which was sold from May 17, 2012 until September 30, 2012. All these smartphones are now discontinued. Although the iPhone is not carried by Mobilicity, the iPhone 5 and later models are supported on Mobilicity's network.


Internet access devices

Mobilicity sells two devices that are exclusively designed for
mobile broadband Mobile broadband is the marketing term for Wireless broadband, wireless Internet access via mobile networks. Access to the network can be made through a portable modem, wireless modem, or a Tablet computer, tablet/smartphone (possibly Tetherin ...
:the Huawei E1691 and the Huawei E583C. The E1691 is a USB
mobile broadband modem A mobile broadband modem, also known as wireless modem or cellular modem, is a type of modem that allows a personal computer or a router to receive wireless Internet access via a mobile broadband connection instead of using telephone or cable t ...
that is officially supported by computers using the
Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
,
Mac OS X macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. Within the market of ...
10.4 or higher, or
Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...
operating systems. Mobilicity's version of this modem is white and features a coloured Mobilicity logo. The E583 is a portable device, similar to the
MiFi MiFi is a brand name used to describe a wireless router that acts as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. In many countries, including The United States, Canada, and Mexico, Inseego Corp (previously known as Novatel Wireless) owns a registered trademark o ...
, that allows any
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wave ...
device to connect to mobile Internet. Both can download at speeds up to 7.2 Mbit/s, although Mobilicity makes it unclear regarding whether or not their network supports such maximum theoretical speeds. Mobilicity also sells a Wi-Fi dock for use with the USB modem and a Wi-Fi signal repeater.


Services


Voice plans

Mobilicity entered the Canadian market on May 15, 2010 with six mobile voice plans. The plans have since undergone various changes. The current lineup of four plans was introduced on April 1, 2012. Current plans include unlimited local and provincial calling, unlimited sent
SMS Short Message/Messaging Service, commonly abbreviated as SMS, is a text messaging service component of most telephone, Internet and mobile device systems. It uses standardized communication protocols that let mobile devices exchange short text ...
and
MMS MMS may refer to: Science and technology Network communication protocols * Multimedia Messaging Service for mobile phones * Microsoft Media Server, a content-streaming protocol (mms://) * Manufacturing Message Specification for real time proces ...
to Canada and continental USA, unlimited received messages from any regular phone number and the
caller ID Caller identification (Caller ID) is a telephone service, available in analog and digital telephone systems, including voice over IP (VoIP), that transmits a caller's telephone number to the called party's telephone equipment when the call is ...
,
call waiting Call waiting is a telephone service where a subscriber can accept a second incoming telephone call by placing an in-progress call on hold—and may also switch between calls. With some providers it can be combined with additional features such as ...
,
call forwarding Call forwarding, or call diversion, is a telephony feature of all telephone switching systems which redirects a telephone call to another destination, which may be, for example, a mobile or another telephone number where the desired called party is ...
and
conference call A conference call is a telephone call in which someone talks to several people at the same time. The conference call may be designed to allow the called party to participate during the call or set up so that the called party merely listens into ...
calling features. All regular plans except for the one at $25 include Canada-wide long distance, unlimited sent SMS to regular international phone numbers, one of two
mobile broadband Mobile broadband is the marketing term for Wireless broadband, wireless Internet access via mobile networks. Access to the network can be made through a portable modem, wireless modem, or a Tablet computer, tablet/smartphone (possibly Tetherin ...
options and the
voicemail A voicemail system (also known as voice message or voice bank) is a computer-based system that allows users and subscribers to exchange personal voice messages; to select and deliver voice information; and to process transactions relating to ind ...
calling feature. Roaming minutes are included in all of Mobilicity's current plans except for the one at $25. These can be used throughout Canada on
Rogers Wireless Rogers Wireless Inc. is a Canadian wireless telephone company headquartered in Toronto, providing service nationally throughout Canada. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The company had revenues of just under $15.1 billi ...
' network, or throughout the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
on
T-Mobile USA T-Mobile US, Inc. is an American wireless network operator headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park ( ) is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in Johnson County, Kansas, it is one of four principal ...
's network. Those who exceed the amount of roaming minutes included or who subscribe to another plan may top up their Mobilicity account with a certain amount to use for roaming purposes.


Mobile Internet

Mobilicity offers both site-limited and unlimited
mobile broadband Mobile broadband is the marketing term for Wireless broadband, wireless Internet access via mobile networks. Access to the network can be made through a portable modem, wireless modem, or a Tablet computer, tablet/smartphone (possibly Tetherin ...
Internet access monthly add-ons at a low price to any
feature phone A feature phone (also spelled featurephone) is a type or class of mobile phone that retains the form factor of earlier generations of mobile telephones, typically with press-button based inputs and a small non-touch display. They tend to use an ...
s or
smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...
s plan without this feature. Such services can only be used within Mobilicity's coverage area.
Tethering Tethering, or phone-as-modem (PAM) is the sharing of a mobile device's Internet connection with other connected computers. Connection of a mobile device with other devices can be done over wireless LAN (Wi-Fi), over Bluetooth or by physical conne ...
is included as long as the phone used supports it.
BlackBerry The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy of ...
users must pay a premium to cover the BlackBerry Internet Service fee. There are also standalone monthly plans designed exclusively for
mobile broadband modem A mobile broadband modem, also known as wireless modem or cellular modem, is a type of modem that allows a personal computer or a router to receive wireless Internet access via a mobile broadband connection instead of using telephone or cable t ...
s. Pay-per-day access used to be offered but has been discontinued. All customers, even those without a mobile Internet plan or add-on, can access the Mobilicity.ca website for free. Those without an Internet access subscription who wish to access other sites and services may do so if they have deposited money into a "Wallet" account with Mobilicity. In such a case, pay-per-use charges of $1.50/MB (equal to $1536/GB) apply. Such charges also apply for unintended Internet usage, whether the user accidentally accesses the Internet or whether an application accesses the Internet without asking permission. Most (but not all) phones let the owner completely disable mobile Internet access on the phone by making a small settings change. Customers using mobile Internet on Mobilicity must follow the operator's Fair Use Policy, which prohibits "causing network instability", as well as illegal "copyright-protected or patent-protected material" transferred without the owner's permission. Those who breach the Fair Use Policy may face consequences, such as throttled Internet speeds or termination of service. Roaming is also not included and will result in additional charges. Mobilicity has been criticized for blocking legitimate traffic and for being unclear about its throttling practices, and for initially refusing to advise customers of what constituted acceptable usage, while maintaining claims of being unlimited, and even going as far as terminating the services of some customers for using too much of an unlimited service. In October 2012, Mobilicity published a Fair Use Policy stating the allowances for full speed usage on its HSPA+ network. The policy sets a limit of 6 GB of usage at an approximate speed of 2Mbit/s.


Roaming

Mobilicity's roaming partners are
Rogers Wireless Rogers Wireless Inc. is a Canadian wireless telephone company headquartered in Toronto, providing service nationally throughout Canada. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The company had revenues of just under $15.1 billi ...
in Canada and
T-Mobile USA T-Mobile US, Inc. is an American wireless network operator headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park ( ) is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in Johnson County, Kansas, it is one of four principal ...
or
AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...
in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
for 2G,3G and 4G service. For both countries, prices are the same, and roaming minutes bundles can be purchased at a reduced cost. Some monthly plans also include such roaming minutes. If these minutes run out, or if a customer does not have them in their plan, regular roaming rates apply. Roaming is also available internationally at higher rates than in Canada and the USA.


Criticism


Misleading advertising

Telus Communications Telus Communications Inc. (TCI) is the wholly owned principal subsidiary of Telus Corporation, a Canadian national telecommunications company that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, voi ...
sued Mobilicity at the
Supreme Court of British Columbia Supreme may refer to: Entertainment * Supreme (character), a comic book superhero * ''Supreme'' (film), a 2016 Telugu film * Supreme (producer), hip-hop record producer * "Supreme" (song), a 2000 song by Robbie Williams * The Supremes, Motown-e ...
for running a television advertisement it deems to be "false and misleading". The ad in question features various posters with partial details of competitors' monthly plans in different colours, such as yellow for
Fido Solutions Fido is a Canadian mobile network operator owned by Rogers Communications. Since its acquisition by Rogers in 2004, it has operated as a Mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) using the Rogers Wireless network. Fido's logo is a yellow doghouse ...
and white on red for
Rogers Rogers may refer to: Places Canada *Rogers Pass (British Columbia) * Rogers Island (Nunavut) United States * Rogers, Arkansas, a city * Rogers, alternate name of Muroc, California, a former settlement * Rogers, Indiana, an unincorporated communit ...
or
Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
. Mobilicity makes various claims regarding these, such as the requirement of a three-year contract or that unlimited talk time can only be used on evenings or weekends. Shawn Hall, a spokesperson for Telus, claims that "The ads damage Telus’s brand with false claims and must be pulled from circulation immediately." Mobilicity President and COO Stewart Lyons replied by claiming that "Telus is €¦trying to intimidate us €¦when they don’t feel like competing out on the street." Telus had partnered with
Public Mobile Public Mobile Inc. is a Canadian self-serve mobile brand which is owned by Telus. Launched on March 18, 2010, Public Mobile was one of several new Canadian cellphone providers that started in 2009–10 after a federal government initiative to enc ...
to sue another new entrant,
Wind Mobile Freedom Mobile Inc. is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider owned by Shaw Communications. It has 6% market share of Canada, mostly in urban areas of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. Freedom Mobile is the fourth-largest wirele ...
, regarding its foreign funding. On December 20, 2012, Justice Christopher Grauer denied Telus's request for an injunction that would have prevented airing of the ads.


Mobile Internet policies

Before October 19, 2012, Mobilicity refused to provide a clear fair use policy despite many customers demanding this. The carrier cancelled services of some users without warning for excessive mobile Internet usage on an unlimited plan. Current COO Stewart Lyons claimed that "If they obilicity customersuse too much data, too quickly, we slow
hem A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...
down and then we speed
hem A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...
back up." On October 19, 2012, Mobilicity addressed the issue of unclear policies by publishing a mobile broadband fair use policy. It states that customers can use a minimum of 6 GB at full basic HSPA speed. By choosing a premium plan or add-on, one can obtain a larger allowance of 20 GB and premium HSPA+ speeds. This policy, similar to the practices of
Wind Mobile Freedom Mobile Inc. is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider owned by Shaw Communications. It has 6% market share of Canada, mostly in urban areas of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. Freedom Mobile is the fourth-largest wirele ...
and
T-Mobile USA T-Mobile US, Inc. is an American wireless network operator headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park ( ) is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in Johnson County, Kansas, it is one of four principal ...
, replaces the older limit of 100 MB per 15 minutes. Some, however, have criticized Mobilicity for selling mobile Internet services on speed and protocol tiers, a practice also employed by
Public Mobile Public Mobile Inc. is a Canadian self-serve mobile brand which is owned by Telus. Launched on March 18, 2010, Public Mobile was one of several new Canadian cellphone providers that started in 2009–10 after a federal government initiative to enc ...
with its 2G and 3G plans but not by
Wind Mobile Freedom Mobile Inc. is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider owned by Shaw Communications. It has 6% market share of Canada, mostly in urban areas of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. Freedom Mobile is the fourth-largest wirele ...
, which charges the same price for HSPA and HSPA+ access.


Network outages

Mobilicity has had many network outages, most of them minor and short-lived but two of the more well known and serious instances are discussed below. On August 24, 2011, Mobilicity had an outage in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. Affected customers could choose to receive either a complimentary
voice mail A voicemail system (also known as voice message or voice bank) is a computer-based system that allows users and subscribers to exchange personal voice messages; to select and deliver voice information; and to process transactions relating to ind ...
add-on at no charge for three consecutive months, or a one-time prepaid credit. Towards the end of that year, on December 7, Mobilicity had an outage affecting all of its customers in the company's five markets. Initially, customers could not make any calls. Later, it was also impossible for them to receive calls. Those without Mobilicity who attempted to call a Mobilicity client would be subject to a
busy signal Reanno Devon Gordon (born 24 January 1979), better known by his stage name Busy Signal, is a Jamaican dancehall reggae artist. Biography Reanno Devon Gordon p/k/a Busy Signal was born in Saint Ann Parish,Johnson, Carolyn (2006)A Very Busy Chi ...
, making it impossible for them to leave a
voicemail A voicemail system (also known as voice message or voice bank) is a computer-based system that allows users and subscribers to exchange personal voice messages; to select and deliver voice information; and to process transactions relating to ind ...
even if the client subscribed to this feature. No compensation was offered to affected customers, possibly due to the 50% off sale happening at that time.


Philanthropy

Mobilicity has raised over $100,000 in charitable donations for the " S'Cool Life Fund", a non-governmental funding source for Canadian primary schools established by Mobilicity founder and chairman John Bitove.


Advertising

Mobilicity has had many advertising campaigns. In 2011, Mobilicity handed out
Durex Durex is a brand of condoms and personal lubricants owned by the British company Reckitt Benckiser. It was initially developed in London under the purview of the London Rubber Company and British Latex Products Ltd, where it was manufactured be ...
condom A condom is a sheath-shaped barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both male and female condoms. With proper use—and use at every act of in ...
s on February 11, shortly before that year's
Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...
, in all the cities it served at the time. There was also a $69/month couples plan promoted, valid for two people, with unlimited mobile talk, text and Internet access. The network in Calgary was not yet launched and thus that city was excluded from this campaign. Shortly thereafter, Mobilicity announced a "Data Access Fee/Tax" on April 1, 2011. The fictional $4.01 fee was simply an
April Fools' Day April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may ...
joke mocking the
system access fee The system access fee is a non-governmental surcharge imposed by most Canadian telephone companies on their customers' monthly bills. Although it is normally charged for wireless services, Rogers Communications and the now-defunct Sprint Canada ...
previously charged by incumbent Canadian providers and
Rogers Wireless Rogers Wireless Inc. is a Canadian wireless telephone company headquartered in Toronto, providing service nationally throughout Canada. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The company had revenues of just under $15.1 billi ...
' Government Regulatory Recovery Fee which is "tucked in" that operator's current monthly plans. Later that year on June 16, Mobilicity began using two computer animated aliens to advertise its products. As a result of a naming competition the company had on the social networking site
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
, the characters were named "Otis" (green male) and "Alexis" (purple female).


Retail presence

Mobilicity had its own corporate retail store. Additionally, there were some stores third-party authorized dealers that sell "Unlimited Prepaid" packages and sometimes the whole line of Mobilicity products. This includes
7-Eleven 7-Eleven, Inc., stylized as 7-ELEVE, is a multinational chain of retail convenience stores, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The chain was founded in 1927 as an ice house storefront in Dallas. It was named Tote'm Stores between 1928 and 1946. A ...
,
HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...
,
Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
, NCIX, Staples,
The Brick The Brick Ltd. is a Canadian retailer of furniture, mattresses, appliances and home electronics. The company was founded as The Brick Warehouse LP by brothers, John, Fred, and Bill Comrie. The first warehouse opened on September 1, 1971 in E ...
,
Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
and the former
Zellers Zellers was a Canadian discount department retail chain and is currently a brand name owned by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). Founded in 1931 in London, Ontario, in later decades it was based in Brampton, Ontario. Zellers was acquired by HBC ...
chain. For the Metro stores, there were initially eight locations in Toronto and one in Ottawa selling Mobilicity, but this is now reduced to only four Toronto locations. The arrangement consisted of Mobilicity launching full-service kiosks inside these Metro stores. It excluded Metro's
Food Basics Food Basics Ltd. is a Canadian supermarket chain owned by Metro Inc. The company operates over 130 stores throughout Ontario. History Food Basics was created by A&P Canada to compete with the successful No Frills warehouse-style supermarket ...
and Super C discount brands. Mobilicity closed all its third party retail operations in early 2013. Unlike
Wind Mobile Freedom Mobile Inc. is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider owned by Shaw Communications. It has 6% market share of Canada, mostly in urban areas of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. Freedom Mobile is the fourth-largest wirele ...
, Mobilicity did not open a retail store catering to the French demographic. They only translated the packages of their Unlimited Prepaid products. French-speaking regions where the Mobilicity network was available include the Vanier neighborhoods in
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
, as well as
Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and is part of Canada's N ...
.


Gallery

File:Samsung C414.jpg , 1 - Samsung C414 File:WIND Mobile USB.png , 2 – Huawei E1691 File:Mobiliens.png , 3 - Mobilicity mascots File:Mobilicity-Chinatown.jpg , 4 -
Chinatown, Toronto Chinatown, Toronto known also as Downtown Chinatown or West Chinatown is a Chinese ethnic enclave located in the city's downtown core of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is centred at the intersections of Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street, West. The p ...
store File:Mobilicity Staples store display.jpg , 5 - Staples Canada
# The Samsung C414Y is a basic flip
feature phone A feature phone (also spelled featurephone) is a type or class of mobile phone that retains the form factor of earlier generations of mobile telephones, typically with press-button based inputs and a small non-touch display. They tend to use an ...
available at Mobilicity. # The
Huawei Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ( ; ) is a Chinese multinational technology corporation headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. It designs, develops, produces and sells telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics and various smar ...
E1691 is a USB
mobile broadband modem A mobile broadband modem, also known as wireless modem or cellular modem, is a type of modem that allows a personal computer or a router to receive wireless Internet access via a mobile broadband connection instead of using telephone or cable t ...
. The
Wind Mobile Freedom Mobile Inc. is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider owned by Shaw Communications. It has 6% market share of Canada, mostly in urban areas of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. Freedom Mobile is the fourth-largest wirele ...
model is shown. Mobilicity's model is identical, but colored white instead of black and featuring Mobilicity's logo instead of Wind's. # Otis (green male) and Alexis (purple female) are alien mascots used to advertise Mobilicity's products. # A Mobilicity authorized dealer in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
catering to the Chinese population in the city. # The
Huawei Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ( ; ) is a Chinese multinational technology corporation headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. It designs, develops, produces and sells telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics and various smar ...
E1691 is a USB
mobile broadband modem A mobile broadband modem, also known as wireless modem or cellular modem, is a type of modem that allows a personal computer or a router to receive wireless Internet access via a mobile broadband connection instead of using telephone or cable t ...
providing a
mobile broadband Mobile broadband is the marketing term for Wireless broadband, wireless Internet access via mobile networks. Access to the network can be made through a portable modem, wireless modem, or a Tablet computer, tablet/smartphone (possibly Tetherin ...
connection.


References


External links

*
Mobilicity launches handsets and plans for Toronto
WhatsYourTech.ca {{Canadian ISP 2009 establishments in Ontario 2016 disestablishments in Ontario Companies based in Vaughan Defunct telecommunications companies of Canada Mobile phone companies of Canada Rogers Communications Telecommunications companies established in 2009 Canadian companies established in 2009 Canadian companies disestablished in 2016 Telecommunications companies disestablished in 2016