I went on Mint Mobile's website and see that it has fascinating options

[makkahn28]

Though it's US, it's prepaid, similar setup to Public Mobile, No Store, Online only, and They have FULL International Roaming options

Now, PM should take a page or 2 from Mint, but make it Quite the Public Sensation

[ashleyskye]

Ryan Reynolds has been talking about bringing Mint Mobile to Canada since the beginning.  He must have some idea how to do it since he hasnt given up yet.

[Korth]

My understanding is that the CRTC is not actively preventing MVNOs from starting up.

(That exceeds their mandate and would also happen to be illegal!)

The CRTC is passively sustaining costs and conditions which make MVNOs completely uncertain and completely unprofitable. Anyone is welcome to startup their new brand - provided they meet the usual Canadian ownership criteria, etc - but nobody will actually do it because it's a total waste of time, money, and effort.

[BearFBI]

@srlawren That is what I understand too.

[srlawren]

@BearFBI @makkahn28 my understanding of the recent CRTC decision is that it should prevent companies like Mint from setting up as new MVNOs in Canada.  I would think their only option at this point would be to partner with an existing Canadian carrier with a regional network, whom are now permitted access to the Big 3 networks via the recent announcement.  But I only have a cursory understanding so may be way off base.

[BearFBI]

@Anonymous 

"Well AT&T do the Onstar cell phone and cell data for GM in Canada with a Canadian number. So there's a back door lurking somewhere."

Yes, I get emails from AT&T about my connected car service, AT&T operates in Canada. 

Fonus uses a simmaler backdoor through AT&T but no Canadian Number.

[BearFBI]

 

Ryan Reynolds tweeted this not to long ago  

What is he talking about ? Mint Mobile can't come to Canada. 

[Anonymous]

Well AT&T do the Onstar cell phone and cell data for GM in Canada with a Canadian number. So there's a back door lurking somewhere.

As for sharing...why should they? They paid for the infrastructure and the spectrum. If they got subsidies from the taxpayers then conditions can be demanded. So government regulation could require it, and so we've seen some companies show up only to get swallowed by the big 3. Just like this place back in 2014. And Wind by Shaw.

[makkahn28]

I saw on Mint Mobile's website that they being Online only, and a BYOD as well 

Just hoping that Mint Mobile can come to Canada, and maybe PM/Telus seeing new concepts as well 

Innovation, Reinventing, Intuition key to overall success

[makkahn28]

@srlawren @Anonymous , that maybe true, just wished that Canadien prepaids can be as awesome as Mint Mobile

Of course, if Mint Mobile had that delicious Peppermint taste, would add value as well.

But, CRTC really needs to be more assertive and determined to see that Competition is alive and kicking

Plus, the Big 3 also need to understand that they need to share, there's plenty of room, spectrum, frequency, Airtime, perhaps even Primetime for everyone

[srlawren]

@makkahn28 the difference is that Mint is not owned by Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile/Sprint; it is instead an independent* MVNO, something which--so frustratingly--Canada does not really have.  Public Mobile is still owned and operated by Telus, whom has zero interest in cannibalizing their own higher-margin Telus- and Koodo-branded customers with rich services at the PM level.  PM is and unfortunately will probably always be a low-cost, low-feature, low-frill, low-service** entry-level brand that is meant to avoid lower-revenue customers from going to another network but with the hopes of eventually convincing them to move up the value chain.  Telus has little to no interest in doing anything but the bare minimum with Public Mobile, and quite frankly, it shows.  In spades.

* independent of Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile at least.  They are not an owned-and-operated lower-level tier like PM is.

** of the customer service variety at least; the actual network service is every bit as good as the parent, with the exception of the artificial data throttling and lack of value-added services, of course.

[Anonymous]

But can you get a Canadian number? Or will everyone here need to have US calling or pay long distance? Can voip apps call forward to it with them using a Canadian number?