Archive for Public Mobile

Public Mobile Launches Canada’s First 5G Subscription Phone Service 

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 25, 2023 by itnerd

Public Mobile has launched Canada’s first 5G subscription phone service, offering Canadians the unique opportunity to experience mobility differently on an award-winning network.

Different from traditional postpaid and prepaid plans, Public Mobile’s subscription service offers a number of features and benefits:

  • For the first time ever, Public Mobile customers have the ability to access premium 5G wireless service, backed by an award-winning wireless network.
  • The ability to choose between a monthly or 90-day subscription, the speed plan and premium features (like unlimited data) that best fits their needs.
  • No overage fees, no credit checks, no confusing contracts and no surprises 
  • An all-new Public Mobile app that lets you manage your Public Mobile experience  digitally . From activating in minutes with eSIM to 24/7 account management and digital support and rewards with Public Points, Canadians can do it all on the app any where, anytime. 

This launch addresses a growing consumer demand and pain point, with a new survey commissioned by Public Mobile uncovering that more than 60% of Canadians agree that having a subscription service provides them cost certainty, convenience and peace of mind. Furthermore, 94% of Canadians feel they deserve more options when it comes to mobile phone plans, furthering why Public Mobile’s unique offering is a game-changer for Canadian mobility.

Here’s a message from Jim Senko, Chief of the Unexpected Officer, Public Mobile, for more information on the new offering and what it means for Canadians.

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Public Mobile Introduces New 4G Speed Plans Alongside Best-In-Class Online Experience

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 13, 2022 by itnerd

New 4G speed plans are now available on Public Mobile in addition to its current 3G speed plans, giving subscribers even more choice and flexibility when selecting a speed plan that suits them best. With Public Mobile’s new 4G speed plans, subscribers can take advantage of 30x faster speeds enabling them to seamlessly stream HD videos, scroll through their favourite social platforms and share life’s best moments without buffering. No matter what plan they choose, they’ll always enjoy coast-to-coast coverage for great value with Public Mobile on TELUS’ award-winning network.

The new addition of 4G speed plans is the latest addition to the new and improved Public Mobile experience, including:

A best-in-class online experience: Public Mobile goes digital

Starting today, Public Mobile is now 100% digital bringing true flexibility to subscribers with a best-in-class online experience going forward. New subscribers can join Public Mobile on-the-go, from anywhere, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with all new activations, along with purchases of SIM cards and devices, taking place exclusively online.

My Account: A modernized self-serve portal experience

Redesigned from the ground up, Public Mobile’s refreshed My Account self-serve portal provides subscribers with easy account-management at their fingertips without the need for in-person support. Plus, it features an all new intuitive mobile-friendly design to make account management a breeze. 

Along with these newly introduced features, Public Mobile redesigned its Community Forum earlier this year to give subscribers the ability to find answers to their questions faster, with 24/7 access to online support. The brand also launched its new rewards program Public Points where subscribers can earn and redeem rewards with ultimate flexibility. To celebrate these incredible milestones, for a limited time only, Public Mobile will be giving new subscribers 3x the Points-back for their first 12 months on eligible purchases.

There are many more exciting enhancements to come as Public Mobile continues on its journey of putting the power of mobility in the hands of Canadians.

For more information on these new changes, please visit Public Mobile’s website.

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Public Mobile Was Going To Jack The Rates On Their 4GB Data Plan Until The Blowback Forced A Hasty Retreat

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 18, 2018 by itnerd

Two days ago, Telus-owned Public Mobile notified customers via text message their $40/4GB plan ($120 for 12GB over 90 days) was going to increase in price by 25%, jumping by $10 per month, to a total of $150 over 90 days.

The blowback on this was swift. The Public Mobile Community Forums have a massive thread about the price increase. Not only that, suggestions were made that customers should file a complaint with the CCTS about the 25% price hike. But the outrage didn’t end there. If you don’t want this price increase, Public Mobile says you can jump on a $40/4GB ‘promo’ with sister brand Koodo, available until March 15th, 2018. This plan includes unlimited Canada-wide calling instead of provincial minutes, and includes a one-time $100 bill credit.

So what was clearly going on here was that Telus wanted more postpaid customers on its books than prepaid customers. I must admit that this is a very cynical way of going about that, and it’s something that I would not have expected from Telus.

But as of yesterday, it seems that this plan is off the table as according to a blog post, they’re walking this back and everything is back to the way it was. Now one can assume that all the negative press caused this to be walked back. But you have to wonder why even go there in the first place? Despite this change of heart, some customers of Public Mobile are going to start looking to other carriers as this was a very negative experience for them. If I were Telus who owns Public Mobile, I’d think of a way to make nice to their customer base. And if I were them, I’d do that really fast.

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Public Mobile & Freedom Mobile Engage In Epic Trolling Battle On Twitter

Posted in Commentary with tags , on February 9, 2017 by itnerd

First, let me define what “trolling” is in the context of Twitter. From Wikipedia:

In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory,[1] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[2] or of otherwise disrupting normal, on-topic discussion,[3] often for the troll’s amusement.

Now, something that I have been tracking for the last little while is a trolling battle between Canadian cellular carriers Public Mobile and Freedom Mobile on Twitter. Here’s a couple of examples from today that I have captured:

troll3troll2troll1

As you can see, Freedom Mobile is at present taking shots at Public Mobile when the latter Tweets something. But last week, things were much different. Here’s an example:

trolling4

As you can see in this one, Freedom Mobile is being trolled by Public Mobile. It clearly annoyed the former enough for them to try and bring Public Mobile’s corporate parent Telus into the discussion. Though clearly that didn’t seem to calm things down. In case you’re wondering what they are talking about, Freedom Mobile recently had issues with US roaming that Public Mobile was all too happy to point out.

I question the wisdom of these two parties getting into a trolling battle as both parties might come off looking like they have a couple of teenagers living in mommy’s basement running their respective Twitter accounts not very professional in the process. While this is fun to watch, Public Mobile and Freedom Mobile may wish to simply cut it out and get back to running their respective operations. After all, I don’t choose my cell phone carrier based on their ability to troll their competition. I choose my cell phone carrier based on coverage, pricing, and customer service. On those fronts, I am not sure that any of that comes across in this exchange of insults and barbs on Twitter.

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Public Mobile Suffers Significant Outage

Posted in Commentary with tags , on June 10, 2014 by itnerd

If your smartphone is on Public Mobile, you likely have had issues with voice and data communications since the weekend. I’ve seen some noise on Twitter regarding this, but nothing official from the company until today:

Clearly this is a serious issue and there is no ETA as to when it will be fixed. That clearly isn’t sitting well with customers:

Now Telus did acquire Public Mobile and is in the process of migrating those customers over to the Telus network. But that faced some blowback as some were not happy that they had to spring for new phones. This isn’t going to help give those customers the warm fuzzies. Hopefully this gets resolved quickly and Telus is able to address the way these customers feel. In the meantime, I expect that other carriers are expecting that some of these customers will be giving them a call to switch.

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Public Mobile Customers Told To Buy New Phones

Posted in Commentary with tags , on March 28, 2014 by itnerd

The Huffington Post is something that I don’t usually read. But one of my clients directed me to this story last night that got my attention. He sent me this story because he’s mad that Telus who are the new owners of Public Mobile are making him do this:

Public Mobile customers are being switched over to Telus’ 4G network, and their existing phones—meant to work on Public Mobile’s outdated CDMA system—won’t work on the Telus network.

On the upside, customers “will immediately benefit from national coverage, faster wireless data speeds, and better phones,” a Public Mobile spokesperson told HuffPost Canada in an email.

The company also said existing customers will get “special pricing” on new phones, but as some online commenters have noticed, some of those special prices on offer at Public Mobile are more expensive than the same models on offer at parent company Telus.

Okay. I can see why some Public Mobile customers (such as my client) might be ticked off.  And Industry Minister James Moore is also questioning this move. Here’s a quote from The Globe And Mail:

Industry Minister James Moore questioned the wisdom of Telus’s move.

“Seems like an odd business decision to alienate thousands of Public Mobile users as you absorb Public Mobile itself,” Mr. Moore told The Globe and Mail, while on a trade mission in Germany. “Ultimately it’s a business decision I’ll leave for Telus to explain.”

Not to mention this:

Some Public Mobile customers are lodging grievances with Canada’s Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services, an Ottawa-based ombuds office that resolves complaints about telecom companies. Due to privacy rules, however, Commissioner Howard Maker cannot discuss specific complaints or providers.

Now I will be the first to admit that this sort of news isn’t something that generates the warm fuzzies. And that those on low and fixed incomes will be hurt to some degree by this. But what exactly is Telus supposed to do here? Are they really supposed to support a technology (CDMA to be precise) that Telus themselves have abandoned? Also, Public Mobile was in trouble and bleeding cash. Had Telus not bought them and they went under, these customers would still be having to buy a new phone on a different carrier.

I should also note that Telus is trying to take the sting out of this by doing the following:

  • Giving Public Mobile customers one month of free service
  • Giving Public Mobile customers “significant discounts” on new cellphones
  • Public Mobile customers can also BYOD, assuming that the phone they bring works with the Telus network

And you can bet that competitors will also be trying to scoop up disgruntled Public Mobile customers. Thus Public Mobile customers will likely have options.

What do you think? Are Public Mobile Customers getting the shaft or is this issue being blown out of proportion? Post a comment and share your thoughts.

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Telus To Acquire Public Mobile

Posted in Commentary with tags , on October 24, 2013 by itnerd

Hmmm…. This should prove interesting.

Public Mobile has been acquired by Telus according to a press release that is crossed the wires late yesterday:

“Following our review of strategic options for our organization, TELUS stood out as the company most committed to strong customer service and innovation. We are confident this is the right decision for our customers, our company, our employees and our investors,” said Alek Krstajic, Public Mobile CEO. “This transaction is the best option to guarantee continued quality service for our customers and to maximize the opportunity for our employees and investors.”

Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. Proceeds will be used to satisfy Public Mobile’s debt and equity investors. Public Mobile employees will have the opportunity to review and secure roles with TELUS.

Public Mobile’s customers are going to migrated onto the Telus LTE network according to the press release. Plus they get access to phones such as the iPhone and nationwide roaming. So it’s a win for Public Mobile’s customers. It’s a win for Telus as they move from being the third of the big three to second. That’s bound to make some heads spin in the exec offices of Bell and Rogers.

So, with Mobilicity still in play, one wonders how that will end up seeing as Telus was thought be pursuing them. In the meantime, Telus is clearly going to be a telco to watch.

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BREAKING: Public Mobile Bought

Posted in Commentary with tags on June 6, 2013 by itnerd

The fun continues with those upstart wireless carriers. Hot off the heels of Wind Mobile wanting to buy Mobilicity after Telus wasn’t allowed to buy them, comes the news that Public Mobile has been bought by private-equity firms Thomvest Seed Capital Inc., controlled by Toronto businessman Peter Thomson (who owns the Thompson media empire which includes Reuters) and Cartesian Capital of New York:

Public Mobile founder and CEO Alek Krstajic said their support will enable Public Mobile to expand its subscriber base from a well-funded position.

My thought is that this might be good for the Canadian wireless industry as a upstart company with deep pockets might be able to make a run at Rogers, Bell, and Telus. It will be interesting to see if that actually pans out. It will also be interesting to see how the big three respond to this.

 

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CRTC To Undertake Ownership Review Of A Cell Carrier….. Again

Posted in Commentary with tags , on December 24, 2009 by itnerd

I guess they didn’t learn their lesson the first time around with Wind Mobile.

The CRTC in their infinite wisdom has decided to look at the ownership structure of Public Mobile. Who are Public Mobile? They are a new wireless company that hopes to bring a low cost wireless phone network offering $40 a month unlimited voice plans to Quebec and Ontario. Here’s the weird part, the major backer of this company is OMERS which is one of Canada’s largest pension plans. So there’s no logical reason why this should even come up as an issue. But the CRTC doesn’t see it that way:

At this time, and based on the information available, the Commission considers that the ownership structure of Public Mobile is of a complex nature and could hold precedential value for the industry and the general public. The Commission does not consider, however, that the evidentiary record would be improved by third-party submissions.

The CRTC really needs to get a clue here as it’s a safe bet that even if they find that Public Mobile doesn’t comply with their rules, the Canadian Government who are no fans of the CRTC will simply overturn it as they have made it clear that competition in the wireless market is a good thing. After all, they’ve done it once before so there’s no reason to believe that they won’t do it again.

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