Regulators in Canada have been making a push to enhance competition in the mobile space, with Industry Minister Christian Paradis going so far as to lay out a set of rules for the nation's upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction that he promises will give citizens "more choices and more access at better prices." Granted, that ideal world only works if the carriers can stay afloat long enough to bid. According to William Aziz, Mobilicity's own chief restructuring officer, the operator has been "losing a significant amount of money every month." To that end, he reckons that an "acquisition by Telus is the best alternative," and he seems to think that the $380 million deal will receive a hasty approval considering the circumstances.

The purchase price is thought to be high enough to cover the debts looming over Mobilicity, and it'll give its 150 employees a secure job at Telus. If it sails through, a quarter-million Mobilicity customers should see no interruption in service as the integration takes place. Of course, a secondary benefit for Telus is gaining access to the spectrum Mobilicity currently uses. The end result for customers in the world's nicest country? We'd love to say that one fewer player will result in better service, lower prices and greater fulfillment for all... but something tells us that's probably wishing for a bit much.

[Image credit: Andrew Currie, Flickr]

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: Telus

Samsung's launch of the Galaxy S 4 hasn't been as coordinated as the company would like, but it's making some amends with today's launch of its flagship phone in Canada. In one fell swoop, most of the larger Canadian carriers are now offering the 16GB model for a typical $200 on a 3-year contract. Bell, Rogers and Telus (as well as their sub-brands) are covering much of the country, while more region-specific carriers like Eastlink and Videotron are also joining in. Carriers like Mobilicity and Wind Mobile aren't yet included, however, and supplies are known to be tight -- we'd ask about stock before making a trip to the local store.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

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Via: MobileSyrup

Source: Bell, Rogers, Telus

Today marks one of the symbolically more important launches in the BlackBerry universe: the Q10, the first keyboard-equipped BB10 phone, is at last available on the company's Canadian home turf. As promised, customers with Bell, Rogers and Telus (as well as their Virgin Mobile, Fido and Koodo sub-brands) can snap up what's arguably the true Waterloo flagship for about $199 on a 3-year contract, or between $625 to $700 contract-free. Shoppers are largely buying the same phone no matter the carrier, although Rogers is hoping to lure the undecided with both LTE on an extra frequency as well as access to the white model. Just be prepared for a slightly longer wait if you plan to buy one in person -- BlackBerry warns that it's limiting Q10 supply to the Greater Toronto Area for the first day or two to accommodate demand high demand in Canada's financial capital.

Update: Although BlackBerry was emphasizing Toronto, readers in other cities have mentioned getting early access. We'd still call ahead if you're set on grabbing a Q10 at retail, however.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry

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Source: Bell, Rogers, Telus

It's usually safe to presume that BlackBerry will give the most love to its home country, and that's proving reasonable with the BlackBerry Q10. Bell, Rogers and Telus have all confirmed that they'll be carrying the QWERTY-equipped smartphone on May 1st, quite possibly putting them on the cutting edge of the Q10 launch schedule. Smaller networks like Fido, Koodo, Sasktel and Virgin Mobile are also on deck. The big three are already taking pre-orders today, but we'd brace for a rather steep price premium -- they're all asking about $199 for the Q10 on a three-year contract, which is more expensive than many of the phone's touch-only rivals. BlackBerry hasn't outlined plans for the US or other countries yet, but we're hoping they get a slightly better deal.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry

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Source: Bell, Rogers, Telus