Concerns for public mobile

[XCanadaX]

Is there a change that telus will close down public mobile once freedom mobile makes their network better.i see no reason why telus would have public mobile once freedom mobile has good coverage. Especially when people start getting $5 off for loyalty. I feel like public mobile isn't going to stay for a long time.Really hoping it doesn't but this is what i feel.

[Quest]

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@XCanadaX wrote:

Is there a change that telus will close down public mobile once freedom mobile makes their network better.i see no reason why telus would have public mobile once freedom mobile has good coverage. Especially when people start getting $5 off for loyalty. I feel like public mobile isn't going to stay for a long time.Really hoping it doesn't but this is what i feel.

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@XCanadaX

At least for now you don't have to be concerned. Public Mobile starts to advertise more aggressively its Brand on YouTube, Google and even Public Transit.

That is not an idicator of closure but rather an expanssion.

[marsbar]

One more good thing that convinced me to switch to Public Mobile was that there's no credit check.

So as a person who has had a few credit foibles in the past 3 years [primarily due to unemployment and not having had the foresight to pay for that credit-protector insurance htat pays bills for you prior to unemployment] it was great to know that I could switch to Public Mobile, even as Koodo denied me for a new cell-phone due to a lower-than-required credit score.

[tafnzart]

For the moment, PM solves my problem which freedom mobile didn't, coverage problem. PM mobile provided me with better price than freedom mobile with promotion.

[jeffster1970]

yeah, we're probably not going to see anything for a long time. 

Most likely Freedom will get better and charge closer to the Big 3. It is, afterall, owned by Shaw. 

I'm liking PM service right now, 4GB is a bit tight, but I'll manage. What keeps PM interesting is the discounts you can acumulate, like autopay, loyalty and referrals. I'm sure I can easily get up to $5 or $6 month.  I'll be happy with that.

[zoomzoom87]

cool story 

[jeffster1970]

PM will fold once, or if, Freedom Mobile offers better coverage (and perhaps an agreement with Rogers for their part).  If Freedom pushes the issue of USA style phones plans ($80/month for unlimited LTE/HSPA/3G/4G etc., like what T-Mobile did, then things will change. 

If not, hopefully Telus doesn't fold PM. No guarantee's in life. If they do, I'll go back to Freedom, assuming the plans are still good. 

[Karnbot13]

And it's about time. I have no issues sorting out things for myself with a bit of searching online​. I love the setup for Public Mobile. One of the things that tipped me over into joining, besides the savings, was realising how little I used a call centre for any help. No need to pay for it with my habits. This has been a great fit for me, so far

[will13am]

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@mimmo wrote:

@will13am  I know telus koodo an PM are the same company, I put buyout in "quotes" ,  

i was trying to state (not well)  if PM business model is a success and the margins are good/better thn other brands, maybe instead of having 3 brands they could merge the two lower tier ones using the PM model.  again all hypothetical and all conjecture, and the opposite of the opinion/fears of the original poster. 

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I am sure the PM model yields really competitive returns.  Look at the staff level and the number of physical stores.  It is not trivial to run a store with staff.  Unfortunately, it is not totally inn the hands of the Telus bean counters.  The customer gets a big say in this.  The average cellular customer is still stuck in the 20th century in terms of shopping behavior.  I don't think they are able to embrace the paradigm of a total online self serve model.  What you see here in the customer base is a small assemblage of pioneers.  We are different from the mainstream.  

[smp99]

I really don't think Shaw will do much with Freedom. Shaw is a 'get it done for cheap'. Look at ShawDirect home satellite. 7 years ago they introduced the 'current' lineup of receivers. Next month they are rolling out the new 800 series lineup. The only difference most can see is that it offers wifi for Video on demand instead of wired, and a larger harddrive.  I would be surprised if Freedom expands very much. Besides, anyone who lives outside a mjor city, it's not even available. 

[mimmo]

@will13am  I know telus koodo an PM are the same company, I put buyout in "quotes" ,  

i was trying to state (not well)  if PM business model is a success and the margins are good/better thn other brands, maybe instead of having 3 brands they could merge the two lower tier ones using the PM model.  again all hypothetical and all conjecture, and the opposite of the opinion/fears of the original poster. 

[Samianauman]

I think that's doesnt matter what freedom offer telus won't shutoff public mobile its can't be compared. If freedom offer better plan or get more frequencies public still have long term future ahead.

[will13am]

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@mimmo wrote:

One of the big questions is overhead costs.  PM has virtually no costs vs all other providers.  so their net profit afer paying our awsome mods, rent on their one or two offices and their constant payments to their IT team is probably better than what any other company can do.

 Look at all the automated checkouts (superstore, homedepot) or the push from banks to use atms or internet banking.  less labour costs just helps the bottom line.  Maybe PM will "buyout" koodo in 4-5 years. we dont know the future. so no use guessing.

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Public can't buy out Koodo, they have the same owner.  I do believe that over time, the industry will rationalize and become more efficient.  This will mean less bricks and mortar stores.  It makes no sense that the average mall has a kiosk every 100m selling cellular service.  The customer's phone bill goes to paying for all that inefficiency. 

[mimmo]

One of the big questions is overhead costs.  PM has virtually no costs vs all other providers.  so their net profit afer paying our awsome mods, rent on their one or two offices and their constant payments to their IT team is probably better than what any other company can do.

 Look at all the automated checkouts (superstore, homedepot) or the push from banks to use atms or internet banking.  less labour costs just helps the bottom line.  Maybe PM will "buyout" koodo in 4-5 years. we dont know the future. so no use guessing.

[pratchak]

Live this moment, Brah!

[NDesai]

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@will13am wrote:

Lot of conjecture here.  I could throw out a bunch of wild guesses like Shaw will be able to make something out of Freedom Mobile.  Perhaps they will huddle with Videotron and decide to be a western concern only, operating only in areas where they can bundle the cellular service with other home services.  So, it follows that Public Mobile won't disappear but will shrink and follow Freedom, operating out west only???  Woe is me, I don't live in Shaw territory.  Should I move so that I don't risk losing Public Mobile as my carrier?  Come on Oracles, give me some help here, such a tough decision.

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lol, make sure Fiber is ready to go wherever you decide to move otherwise you will be in the same dilemma. 

To all, word is that PM is here to stay so don't worry at the moment. I believe there are much more surprises to come. 

[Mana]

Even though freedom mobile is getting a new spectrum, telus is in a really good place to compete with them because telus has got Public mobile which is already set up well with better LTE coverage and a robust network. 

Telus' answer to freedom is Public Mobile. That's why I don't think PM is going anywhere. 

[Harvir_K]

I agree stop making guesses.

[SD08]

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@XCanadaX wrote:

Is there a change that telus will close down public mobile once freedom mobile makes their network better.i see no reason why telus would have public mobile once freedom mobile has good coverage. Especially when people start getting $5 off for loyalty. I feel like public mobile isn't going to stay for a long time.Really hoping it doesn't but this is what i feel.

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So...If Freedom makes their network better to be on par with PM's, then PM should fold? If your competition improves to be as good as you, then you should just shut down?  PM uses the Bell/Telus network. Do you really see Freedom improving their network to be better than Bellus? And that Bellus won't make improvements of their own to keep up?

A major reason Telus owns and operates PM is so they have an entry in the discount/no-frills market space. I'm sure the loyalty and other various rewards would not be offered if PM hadn't already factored that into its profit margins. As long as PM can make a profit, or at least not lose money, then it makes sense for Telus to keep it going, if for no other reason than to deny that same space that it occupies to its competitors. What weakens the competition strengthens Telus. Freedom still has a long way to go before they can boast the same network as PM. I wouldn't worry yet and I'm certainly not going to jump ship and forego the savings and quality network on a "what if" that may never happen.

[will13am]

Lot of conjecture here.  I could throw out a bunch of wild guesses like Shaw will be able to make something out of Freedom Mobile.  Perhaps they will huddle with Videotron and decide to be a western concern only, operating only in areas where they can bundle the cellular service with other home services.  So, it follows that Public Mobile won't disappear but will shrink and follow Freedom, operating out west only???  Woe is me, I don't live in Shaw territory.  Should I move so that I don't risk losing Public Mobile as my carrier?  Come on Oracles, give me some help here, such a tough decision. 

@XCanadaX, bottom line is this, if you need 8 gigs a month, no point in wasting time talking about a service that falls way, way short of this.  Time to shop elsewhere.

[zhadj030]

WoW , what is with the sudden pessimism in this post. I don't see anything going on at least in the short to medium range, after that who knows what kind of opportunities will rise. Wind/ Freedom lost a lot of customers not because they didnt have LTE but lost because their network was bad,,, very bad, and kept getting worse and they didn't even bother caring. Some reps in Ottawa stores actually told to change if I can since basic service let alone data that was almost impossible to get even outside rush hours.for at least a good 4 months, and for them to fix that and work on their LTE , it will take time

[XCanadaX]

I use 8gb for my personal with freedommobile and my business phone number is with telus since that is important and i use about 4gb for my business.I personally don't see public mobile in the future but that is what i think

[ShawnC13]

Freedom isn't even available to me out here.  Plus if we worry about "what if's" we would miss out on so much stuff.  Look at the business model and look what technology has done to other industries.  The internet is basically killing printed media.  I actually see PM as a future roll model.  I see other companies coping what they are doing right now.

[Luddite]

Well @XCanadaX good luck with your search for a good provider; 8 GB/mo is hard to find at decent price. 😎

[XCanadaX]

I have a feeling that public isn't going to stay because freedom mobile got a bunch of new spectrum licenses.But i use more then 4gb a month. I use like 8gb

[xCameron94x]

I dont think Public Mobile will shut down when Freedom improves. Public Mobile will be a main compeitor with Freedom out west, and its an even better deal here in Ontario given what prices are here.

[homer]

Enjoy the moment bro - future is unpreditable 

[IWIK]

Well as always there's no guarantees in life, but Freedom really provides a different service right now.