Public Mobile
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Wireless Services |
| Founded | Toronto, Ontario (2010) |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
| Key people | Alek Krstajic (CEO) |
| Products | CDMA2000, voice, SMS, MMS, mobile broadband |
| Revenue |  unknown CAD (2008) |
| Net income | unknown CAD (2008) |
| Total assets | unknown CAD |
| Employees | unknown |
| Website | www.publicmobile.ca |
Public Mobile is a Canadian mobile phone company, operating in the Greater Toronto Area and Greater Montreal. It is one of several new cellphone providers which launched in 2010 in Canada. Public Mobile operates a CDMA network, and has partnered with Bell Mobility and Telus Mobility to provide roaming service in Canada, as well as Sprint Nextel in the United States. According to CEO Alek Krstajic, Public Mobile's business strategy is to target "low-income, value conscious" consumers.[1] They currently have over 150 000 subscribers.[2]
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[edit] History
Public Mobile paid $52 million to purchase PCS G Band spectrum during the 2008 Industry Canada Spectrum auction. It is the only company in the world to currently deploy this spectrum.
Other participants in the 2008 Spectrum auction include Wind Mobile and Mobilicity purchasing the different Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum for their networks in Southern Ontario[3], while Videotron purchased AWS to provide service throughout the province of Quebec.
Public Mobile opened stores on March 18, 2010 in Toronto and Montreal. The network was deployed in Toronto on May 26, 2010 and in Montreal on June 25, 2010.
[edit] Network
Public Mobile's network is based on CDMA2000 1xRTT technology, which provides service for voice, SMS and mobile broadband. It uses the G block, one 5 + 5 MHz paired spectrum in the range of 1910-1915 MHz and 1990-1995 MHz, [4] [5] which is part of the Personal Communications Service (PCS) spectrum deployed by most major operators since the early 1990s across North America. However, Public is currently the only carrier with service commercially deployed in the PCS G band. Such frequencies have the same operational characteristics as all other PCS bands. In the United States, the PCS G band spectrum is held by Sprint (inherited by the effects of the Nextel acquisition) in some market areas, and in October 2011 they announced they would be using this spectrum to roll out their new LTE network in the coming years.
[edit] Coverage
Spectrum purchased by Public Mobile covers southern Ontario and Quebec, a population of about 19 million. The company currently provides coverage from Oshawa to Hamilton in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as Montreal and its surrounding suburbs. In the future, they plan to expand their network to other large Canadian cities within their licensed areas.[3]
[edit] Products
Only devices sold by Public Mobile can be used on their network, since they are the sole provider worldwide to deploy the CDMA2000 technology in the PCS G band.[6] The company offers a variety of handsets, from basic bar and flip phones to QWERTY keyboard and Android smartphones. Public Mobile does not currently sell any dedicated mobile broadband modems, and tethering is not allowed on their smartphone devices.
[edit] Feature phones
Many feature phones are available for use on Public Mobile:
- Kyocera Tomo (flip, no camera)
- Public Mobile BUZZ (QWERTY keyboard)
- ZTE E520 (bar)
- ZTE F451 (QWERTY keyboard)
[edit] Smartphones
Basic smartphones offered by Public Mobile feature Android 2.3 Gingerbread and a touchscreen:
- Public Mobile MAX
- ZTE N762
The Public Mobile MAX is the carrier's first device to feature a front-facing camera
[edit] Legacy devices
Several devices have been cleared out by Public Mobile and are no longer available:
The Samsung R312 was discontinued because it was incompatible with roaming services. Those who owned the phone received a discount towards another handset.
[edit] Services
Public Mobile offers voice, messaging (SMS and MMS) and data services on its proprietary network, as well as roaming options throughout most of Canada and the United States.
Voice plans for feature phones cannot be added to an Android smartphone, or vice-versa. Caller ID, voice-mail, long distance and other enhancements can be added à la carte to any plan, or they are sometimes included in costlier plans.
[edit] Voice plans
There are currently three voice plans for use on feature phones offered by Public Mobile. The most basic of these includes unlimited province-wide talk, with no messaging, Internet or calling features.
[edit] Android plans
Public Mobile currently offers three Android monthly plans. The most basic of these includes unlimited province-wide talk, unlimited sent and received international SMS, and unlimited 3G Internet access on the Android itself, with no tethering or calling features. Public Mobile prohibits tethering on its network.[7]
[edit] Roaming
Roaming for Public Mobile customers is officially provided in Canada by strategic partners Telus Mobility since March 2011, and Bell Mobility since September 16, 2011. Both Bell and Telus provide roaming using identical CDMA network technology, but on a different frequency band, with coverage extending to 93% of Canadians.[8] Public customers who use their device on either network pay a 15¢ charge for every text message sent and every minute of a call made or received. Text messages received and calls to customer support remain free. Public Mobile does not have a roaming agreement with SaskTel or with MTS Mobility and cannot provide service in Saskatchewan or Manitoba, except in Winnipeg where Telus provides coverage.[9].
Roaming in the United States (USA) is provided by the Sprint Nextel CDMA network. Roaming rates are the same in the USA as they are in Canada.
Public Mobile phones can unofficially be "flashed" for permanent use on another CDMA network outside of Canada. For example, American operator MetroPCS offers a MetroFLASH option not endorsed by Public Mobile to "flash" any CDMA phone for a one-time fee of US$10. The device then becomes compatible with that operator's network for voice and SMS services, but there is a risk that it cannot be reused with Public Mobile.[10]
[edit] Long Distance
Public Mobile offers long distance plans for Canada, the United States and overseas countries. Some feature phone and Android plans already include long distance for some countries.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Hardy, Ian. "Public Mobile hints at launching $200 Android devices". Mobile Syrup. http://mobilesyrup.com/2011/08/24/public-mobile-hints-at-launching-200-android-devices/. Retrieved 2011-10-12.
- ^ Hardy, Ian. "Public Mobile hints at launching $200 Android devices". Mobile Syrup. http://mobilesyrup.com/2011/11/07/public-mobile-has-more-than-150k-customers-launching-android-devices-in-q4/#comment-169251. Retrieved 2011-11-7.
- ^ a b Reuters
- ^ [1] Industry Canada Band Plan for 1910-1915 MHz and 1990-1995 MHz
- ^ Spectrum Direct - Public Mobile
- ^ Public Mobile online phones
- ^ "Everyday Questions - Can I use my data phone to connect to the internet on my laptop (tethering)?". Public Mobile. http://www.publicmobile.ca/pmconsumer/support/supportItem?categoryUid=-d720fa&itemUid=7712d92&pageURL=#qa3-1. Retrieved 2012-01-12.
- ^ Mobile Syrup - Public Mobile expands roaming coverage area, now covers 93% of Canadians
- ^ Public Mobile coverage
- ^ MetroPCS | MetroFLASH
[edit] External links
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