Archive for December, 2009

Happy Holidays!

By david | Posted December 23rd, 2009

Public Mobile would like to wish you a very merry holiday season and a happy new year. Over the next week, we’ll be with family and friends and in and out of the office so won’t be posting anything on the blog. But we’ll be back in the New Year and we look forward to hearing from you!

When will Public Mobile launch?

By david | Posted December 21st, 2009

Our original plan was to launch service in late 2009/early 2010. It now looks like we’ll be offering service in the first half of 2010. Last summer’s city strike in Toronto held up the permitting process for building our DAS (distributed antenna system) network. We want to make sure our customers have access to the best possible network technology available. So, rather than building 200 large towers, we’ll be using approximately 1,200 DAS nodes. The benefit to our customers is high quality reception and the ability for the network to handle a high volume of calls at the same time.

Answers to frequently asked questions

By david | Posted December 18th, 2009

We have been getting a whole lot of questions from you and we want to try to address as many as we can. Below is a list of FAQs that we have gathered over the last little while, along with our answers.  We love hearing from all of you and really appreciate your interest in unlimited talk with Public Mobile.

Q: Will your plan include long distance coverage?
A: Yes, we’ll certainly have options available around long distance– whether it is Canada, US or internationally.  As we get closer to launch we’ll be sure to communicate the full details of our offer. Right now, we aren`t publicly discussing this information.

Q: Does $40/month include voicemail and call display?
A: We`re thinking of all types of options, including voicemail and call display.  However, right now, we aren`t publicly discussing these plans.  As we get closer to launch we’ll be sure to communicate the full details of our offer.

Q: Will you have roaming capabilities/US/over seas?
A: Public Mobile’s offer will be $40 flat rate unlimited talk and text.  Initially we will not offer roaming but that may be added over time.

Q: I’m looking for a simple data plan along with talk & text.
A: While we are building our network to accommodate data transmission, our initial offer at launch will be an unlimited talk and text plan.

Q: Will you offer more rate plans in the future?
A: At launch, we’ll have our $40 unlimited talk and text plan, and we’re currently looking at more plans to follow.

Q: Definitely no contracts?
A: Definitely no contracts, no credit checks and no surprises.

Q: What will be your primary distribution method?
A: You’ll be able to purchase Public Mobile phones and service through corporate and dealer stores.

Q: Where and when can I purchase this service?
A: As we get closer to launch we’ll be sure to let you know where you can purchase Public Mobile phones and plans.

Q: Will I be able to bring a phone, or will I have to purchase a Public Mobile phone?
A: No, you will not be able to use an old CDMA phone on the Public Mobile network.

Q: Will the Public Mobile phones support other commercially available blocks of spectrum?
A: Our phones are also  capable of supporting commercially available PCS (Personal Communications Service) blocks of spectrum, so if you ever need to make a 911 call outside the Public Mobile network footprint, the phone will still place the call.

Q: What regions do your licences cover?
A: Our licence covers southern Ontario and Quebec from Windsor to Quebec City – an area with 19 million Canadians.

Q: Will there be service in places other than Montreal and Toronto?
A: Our initial launch will take place in Montreal and Toronto, with plans for coverage from Quebec City to Windsor in the coming years.

Q: What phone models will you have at launch?
A: We currently have the ZTE C78 up on our website as a phone we’ll offer at launch. We’ll also offer a selection of phones from various manufacturers that we have yet to disclose.

Q: What is G – block spectrum anyway?
A: The spectrum that Public Mobile acquired in the 2008 Spectrum auction conducted by Industry Canada was known as G-Block. The letter is just a way of designating that particular block, and is no different than the A, B, C, D, E or F blocks that were also part of the auction

Q: Why did you go with CDMA technology?
A: GSM and CDMA describe the network technologies that mobile phones work on. Both have proponents that say one is superior to the other. In the case of Public Mobile, we’ll be building our network on CDMA technology because the network is able to handle a greater capacity

Q: Is G band going to work as well as GSM or CDMA?
A: Band (or G-Block) describes a block of spectrum that was auctioned by Industry Canada in 2008, with no difference between G-Band and A, B, C, D, E or F Bands that were also auctioned off.   GSM and CDMA describe the network technologies that mobile phones work on. Both have proponents that say one is superior to the other. In the case of Public Mobile, we’ll be building our network on CDMA technology.

Alek in the office – Part 1

By david | Posted December 3rd, 2009

We’ve had some questions recently on where Public Mobile fits in the mobile phone marketplace, and where we see ourselves in the future. We are hard at work building a business for value-conscious customers who are not well served by the current incumbents. We want to build a company that customers, our employees and our investors can be very proud of.

We also asked the question to Alek, and here’s what he had to say on where he sees Public Mobile in 5 years.

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Meet Brian

By david | Posted December 2nd, 2009

You first met Brian on our rooftop and now it’s time to visit his office.

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