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#a.

years in two large European markets
(Italy and Greece) ... Wind is a

brand of Wind Telecomunicazioni, an
operating unit of Weather Investments
s.p.A.”

So Wind is foreign, offering
“Super Mega Internet” in its country
of origin, Italy. This is a first for the
Canadian telecom realm, but it’s only
the surface. Wind has other, much
deeper, foreign roots that will soon
play a very major role in the future of
Canada’s telecom realm.

In the historically rich, sun-
bathed country of Egypt, there resides
an empire. This empire is called
the Orascom Group. It owns four
massive, global sub-empires: one in
construction , one in hotels, one in
information technology, and one in
telecommunications.

The one of interest is the latter,
Orascom Telecom Holding S.A.E.
The executive chairman for this
company is Naguib Sawiris, who is
the billionaire scion to Egypt’s most
prominent and dominant business
family.

With Naguib at the helm of
Orascom Telecom, Wind entered
Canada. What’s the link? Naguib put
millions into Wind Mobile’s entry
into Canada, owning a majority
of their debt, but also two-thirds
of the company’s equity. To make
this happen was difficult: Canada’s
regulatory agencies—and even more
so, the Big Three—continually tried
to choke Orascom’s attempts to

financially back Wind, citing an array
of foreign investment policies and
rules.

But in the end, Orascom
successfully invested in Wind,
and Wind successfully penetrated
the Canadian market with foreign
ownership. The fact that Wind
is owned by a foreign empire is
significant, but there are more cards
to be played. And one is Naguib’s
global vision.

First, Naguib wants to buy out
both other newcomers, Moblicity and
Public Mobile. He says they don’t
have the resources to survive or make
a dent in the market, whereas Wind
already has a substantial amount of
subscribers to its services. But that’s
only the beginning. Naguib sees the
telecom global industry revolving
around a handful of empire-sized
firms, his being one, each which
operate in several countries as
opposed to just one or two. Canada’s
Big Three are all strictly Canadian,
which makes them a drop in Earth’s
bucket— Naguib’s telecom empire has
over 120 million subscribers, which
is more than five times greater than
Rogers, Bell, and Telus combined.

A global oligopoly hardly sounds
like a better situation that a national
oligopoly, except for the fact that
Naguib’s principles are in sync
with consumer beliefs. Naguib calls
our Big Three companies “a joke,”
saying that they’re “too slow,” and
that he would never invest in them.

 

 

Wind, which is more in tune with
value-minded consumers, much more
accurately fits Naguib’s end goal. He
wants a global empire that’s a win-
win for everyone.

But who knows— maybe that’s
how the Big Three’s vision began.

HOW TO PICK YOUR PLAN

Naguib’s global vision may be
years away, but you still need a good
phone plan today. Here are some
general pros and cons for today’s
wireless providers.

Rogers, Bell, and Telus: You’ll
hear a lot of passion from some
people saying that “Rogers is the
worst, you must go with Bell,” or
vise-versa. The fact is, they’re all
ultimately very similar. They match
each other’s price points almost
exactly on every service, and while
they’re always trying to claim who’s
fastest, or who’s network is biggest,
it’s all irrelevant for 99% of the
consumer population. They do offer
better coverage than their discount
subsidiaries and typically carry the
best mobile devices, which may as
well be your deciding factor. Pick the
device you like best, and go with the
carrier that offers it.

Remember, these three will offer
cheap phones, but only for multi-year
contracts, which are very expensive
to escape from and are minimally
flexible. But a good phone that’s not
subsidized through a plan will cost
at least $450, whereas three-year
contracts bring them below $100,

FATIERM
Loi UE

and in some cases offer them free.
(Though keep in mind the saying, “If
it’s too good to be true, it isn’t.”)

Solo, Fido, and Koodo: These
are all discount brands owned by
the Big Three. They offer inferior
phones, inferior coverage, and less
capable plans in exchange for lower
monthly plan prices, and enhanced
flexibility. If you don’t need the latest
and greatest device, and don’t need
extensive regional coverage—again,
this applies to the vast majority of
consumers— you can save a few
bucks both upfront and on a monthly
basis by using one of these carriers.

Just a warning, though: read the
fine print. Features like the Koodo
Tab may sound perfectly rosy at
first, but a deeper understanding may
reveal from prickly thorns.

Wind and Chatr: The storied
newbie, plus Rogers’ direct
competition brand. Wind offers
simple, affordable plans and is
surprisingly data-capable. (Moblicity
and Public Mobile aren’t listed
because they’re not yet in Western
Canada.) Chatr is Rogers’ shameless
mimic of Wind, so unless you’re a big
fan of Rogers, stick with Wind.

Note that with Wind, you have
to pay for your phone in full upfront.
But you can also take a SIM card
from other (compatible) phones
and just use Wind’s monthly plans.
They’re also offering rebates on
phones and 50% off plans for a year
(ending in late September).

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