Canada: The Wireless (CDMA) Backwater
Okay, it’s bad enough that Canada’s wireless market is an oligopoly, and that prices, including data, north of the border are higher than many places around the world.
Now, Verizon is making Canadians feel even worse by announcing a new initiative that will give its customer the option to use “wireless devices, software and applications not offered by the company”. Early next year, it will publish the technical standards that developers will need to design products to work with Verizon’s CDMA network.
Imagine that, consumer choice for devices if you’re using CDMA - hear that Bell Canada and Telus? And consumer choice for applications - you hear that pretty much every single wireless carrier?
“This is a transformation point in the 20-year history of mass market wireless devices – one which we believe will set the table for the next level of innovation and growth,” said Lowell McAdam, Verizon Wireless president and chief executive officer.
Translation: Verizon needs a way to make its CDMA network a lot more user-friendly at a time when GSM has started to dominate the wireless landscape because it gives consumers more flexibility when it comes to buying/using different devices. In turn, device makers such as Research in Motion are happy to launch GSM products before CDMA ones.
Another point: it interesting to see the wireless market rumble forward in the U.S., while Canadians are still waiting for this new, cool device called the iPhone from some hot-shot company called Apple. And while Bell Canada recently put the spotlight again on an attractive wireless data plan for the HTC Touch phone, Canadians are still getting killed if you want to do a lot of Web surfing, e-mail, instant-messaging, etc.
Of course, if there was real competition among the wireless carriers in Canada, things might be a little more interesting. Until then, we’ll just have to be content to watch the action from the sidelines, while a few brave souls take things into their hands by unlocking these iPhone gadgets so they can work in Canada.
November 27th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
as a englishman in canada, i’m appalled by the state of the wireless market. too expensive, too restricted and too antiquated.
however, considering canada is the world’s second largest country (by area) with a relatively miniscule population density, it’s not that surprising that the networks aren’t falling over themselves to put up next generation coverage over the whole of canada.
in fact, it’s almost comforting to know that the networks are resisting the temptation to turn certain parts of canada into “technology ghettos” where broadband internet access and 1.5g wireless coverage are things people can only dream of. at least we all have to eat from the same trough; rather than having a tiered system based on population density.
November 28th, 2007 at 8:40 am
[...] to home, Mark Evans calls on Bell and Telus (two more CDMA-loving dinosaurs) to make the same moves. Perhaps the best choice for Canadian consumers would be for them to euthanize these [...]