Public Mobile
Encyclopedia
Public Mobile is a Canadian mobile phone company, operating in the Greater Toronto Area
and Greater Montreal. It is one of several new cellphone providers which launched in 2010 in Canada. Public Mobile operates a CDMA
network, and has partnered with Bell Mobility
and Telus Mobility
to provide roaming service elsewhere in Canada. According to CEO Alek Krstajic, Public Mobile's business strategy is to target "low-income, value conscious" consumers. They currently have over 150 000 subscribers.
Spectrum auction. It is the only company in the world to currently deploy this spectrum.
Other participants in the 2008 Spectrum auction include Wind Mobile
and Mobilicity
purchasing the different Advanced Wireless Services
(AWS) spectrum for their networks in Southern Ontario, while Videotron
purchased AWS to provide service throughout the province of Quebec
.
Public Mobile opened stores on March 18, 2010 in Toronto and Montreal. The network was deployed in Toronto on May 26, 2010 and in Montreal on June 25, 2010.
and mobile broadband
. It uses the G block, one 5 + 5 MHz paired spectrum in the range of 1910-1915 MHz and 1990-1995 MHz, which is part of the Personal Communications Service
(PCS) spectrum deployed by most major operators since the early 1990s across North America. However, Public is currently the only carrier with service commercially deployed in the PCS G band. Such frequencies have the same operational characteristics as all other PCS bands. In the United States
, the PCS G band spectrum is held by Sprint
(inherited by the effects of the Nextel acquisition) in some market areas, and in October 2011 they announced they would be using this spectrum to roll out their new LTE network in the coming years.
technology in the PCS G band. The company offers a variety of handsets, from basic bar and flip phones to QWERTY keyboard and Android Samrtphones. Public Mobile does not currently sell any connect card
s or other mobile Internet modems.
Previously, the Kyocera
G2GO, the Samsung
R312, and the ZTE C70 series feature phones were available, but this is no longer the case except for the ZTE C76.
since March 2011, and Bell Mobility
since September 16, 2011. Both Bell and Telus provide roaming using identical CDMA network technology, but on a different frequency band, with coverage extending to 93% of Canadians. Public customers who use their device on either network pay a 15¢ charge for every text message sent and every minute of a call made or received. Text messages received and calls to customer support remain free. Public Mobile does not have a roaming agreement with SaskTel
or with MTS Mobility
and cannot provide service in Saskatchewan
or Manitoba
, except in Winnipeg
where Telus provides coverage..
While Public Mobile only officially supports the use of their phones in Canada at the moment, these are unofficially compatible with CDMA networks deployed across North America given they support the other bands. For example, MetroPCS
offers a MetroFLASH option not endorsed by Public Mobile to "flash" any CDMA phone for a one-time fee of US$10. The device then becomes compatible with that operator's network for voice and SMS
services, but there is a risk that it cannot be reused with Public Mobile.
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
and Greater Montreal. It is one of several new cellphone providers which launched in 2010 in Canada. Public Mobile operates a CDMA
Code division multiple access
Code division multiple access is a channel access method used by various radio communication technologies. It should not be confused with the mobile phone standards called cdmaOne, CDMA2000 and WCDMA , which are often referred to as simply CDMA, and use CDMA as an underlying channel access...
network, and has partnered with Bell Mobility
Bell Mobility
Bell Mobility is a CDMA and HSPA+ based wireless network and the division of Bell Canada which sells wireless services in Canada...
and Telus Mobility
Telus Mobility
Telus Mobility is a division of Telus Communications which sells wireless services in Canada on its numerous networks. They currently have three different networks based on three different technologies: CDMA and HSPA+ on its mainstream networks, plus iDEN via its Mike division...
to provide roaming service elsewhere in Canada. According to CEO Alek Krstajic, Public Mobile's business strategy is to target "low-income, value conscious" consumers. They currently have over 150 000 subscribers.
History
Public Mobile paid $52 million to purchase PCS G Band spectrum during the 2008 Industry CanadaIndustry Canada
Industry Canada is the department of the Government of Canada with responsibility for regional economic development, investment, and innovation/research and development. The department employs 6104 FTEs across Canada....
Spectrum auction. It is the only company in the world to currently deploy this spectrum.
Other participants in the 2008 Spectrum auction include Wind Mobile
Wind Mobile
Wind Mobile is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider operated by Globalive Communications Corporation. The company initially launched mobile data and voice services in Toronto on December 16, 2009 and two days later in Calgary...
and Mobilicity
Mobilicity
Mobilicity is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider. Its name is a portmanteau of the words "mobility" and "simplicity".-History:...
purchasing the different Advanced Wireless Services
Advanced Wireless Services
AWS-1 or UMTS band IV, is a wireless telecommunications spectrum band used for mobile voice and data services, video, and messaging. AWS-1 is used in the United States and Canada...
(AWS) spectrum for their networks in Southern Ontario, while Videotron
Vidéotron
Vidéotron GP is a Canadian integrated telecommunications company active in cable television, interactive multimedia development, video on demand, cable telephony, wireless communication and Internet access services. Currently, the company primarily serves Quebec, as well as the francophone...
purchased AWS to provide service throughout the province of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
Public Mobile opened stores on March 18, 2010 in Toronto and Montreal. The network was deployed in Toronto on May 26, 2010 and in Montreal on June 25, 2010.
Network
Public Mobile's network is based on CDMA2000 1xRTT technology, which provides service for voice, SMSSMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
and mobile broadband
Mobile Broadband
Mobile broadband is the marketing term for wireless Internet access through a portable modem, mobile phone or other mobile device.-Description:...
. It uses the G block, one 5 + 5 MHz paired spectrum in the range of 1910-1915 MHz and 1990-1995 MHz, which is part of the Personal Communications Service
Personal Communications Service
At the most basic level Personal Communications Service or PCS describes a set of wireless communications capabilities that allows some combination of terminal mobility, personal mobility, and service profile management...
(PCS) spectrum deployed by most major operators since the early 1990s across North America. However, Public is currently the only carrier with service commercially deployed in the PCS G band. Such frequencies have the same operational characteristics as all other PCS bands. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the PCS G band spectrum is held by Sprint
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
(inherited by the effects of the Nextel acquisition) in some market areas, and in October 2011 they announced they would be using this spectrum to roll out their new LTE network in the coming years.
Coverage
Spectrum purchased by Public Mobile covers southern Ontario and Quebec, a population of about 19 million. The company currently provides coverage from Oshawa to Hamilton in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as Montreal and its surrounding suburbs. In the future, they plan to expand their network to other large Canadian cities within their licensed areas.Products
Only devices sold by Public Mobile can be used on their network, since they are the sole provider worldwide to deploy the CDMA2000CDMA2000
CDMA2000 is a family of 3G mobile technology standards, which use CDMA channel access, to send voice, data, and signaling data between mobile phones and cell sites. The set of standards includes: CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. 0, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. A, and CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. B...
technology in the PCS G band. The company offers a variety of handsets, from basic bar and flip phones to QWERTY keyboard and Android Samrtphones. Public Mobile does not currently sell any connect card
Connect card
A mobile broadband modem, also known as a connect card or data card, allows a laptop, a personal computer or a router to connect to receive Internet access via mobile broadband.-History:...
s or other mobile Internet modems.
Feature phones
The operator's current lineup includes:- KyoceraKyocerais a multinational manufacturer based in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded as in 1959 by Kazuo Inamori and renamed in 1982. The company has diversified its founding technology in ceramic materials through internal development as well as strategic mergers and acquisitions...
Tomo (flip, no camera) - Public Mobile BUZZ (QWERTY keyboard)
- ZTEZTEZTE Corporation formerly Zhongxing Telecommunication Equipment Corporation is a Chinese multinational telecommunications equipment and systems company headquartered in Shenzhen, China...
C76 (bar, clearance sale) - ZTE E520 (bar)
- Max (Android 2.3 touchscreen)
- ZTE N762 (Android 2.3 touchscreen)
Previously, the Kyocera
Kyocera
is a multinational manufacturer based in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded as in 1959 by Kazuo Inamori and renamed in 1982. The company has diversified its founding technology in ceramic materials through internal development as well as strategic mergers and acquisitions...
G2GO, the Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
R312, and the ZTE C70 series feature phones were available, but this is no longer the case except for the ZTE C76.
Services
Public Mobile offers voice, SMS and data services on its proprietary network, as well as roaming options throughout most of Canada.Voice plans
There are currently four plans offered by Public Mobile which have talk, text and data options at different price points.Roaming
Roaming for Public Mobile customers is officially only provided in Canada by strategic partners Telus MobilityTelus Mobility
Telus Mobility is a division of Telus Communications which sells wireless services in Canada on its numerous networks. They currently have three different networks based on three different technologies: CDMA and HSPA+ on its mainstream networks, plus iDEN via its Mike division...
since March 2011, and Bell Mobility
Bell Mobility
Bell Mobility is a CDMA and HSPA+ based wireless network and the division of Bell Canada which sells wireless services in Canada...
since September 16, 2011. Both Bell and Telus provide roaming using identical CDMA network technology, but on a different frequency band, with coverage extending to 93% of Canadians. Public customers who use their device on either network pay a 15¢ charge for every text message sent and every minute of a call made or received. Text messages received and calls to customer support remain free. Public Mobile does not have a roaming agreement with SaskTel
SaskTel
Saskatchewan Telecommunications is a provincial Crown Corporation operating under the authority of the Saskatchewan Telecommunications Act. It is the only remaining Crown Corporation in the Canadian telecommunications industry....
or with MTS Mobility
Manitoba Telecom Services
Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. , or MTS , formerly Manitoba Telephone System, is the primary telecommunications carrier in the Canadian province of Manitoba and the fourth largest telecommunications provider in Canada with 7000 employees...
and cannot provide service in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
or Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, except in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
where Telus provides coverage..
While Public Mobile only officially supports the use of their phones in Canada at the moment, these are unofficially compatible with CDMA networks deployed across North America given they support the other bands. For example, MetroPCS
MetroPCS
MetroPCS Communications, Inc. , formerly known as General Wireless, Inc., is an American mobile phone service provider. It operates the fifth largest mobile telecommunications network in the US, with 8.9 million subscribers as of May 2011...
offers a MetroFLASH option not endorsed by Public Mobile to "flash" any CDMA phone for a one-time fee of US$10. The device then becomes compatible with that operator's network for voice and SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
services, but there is a risk that it cannot be reused with Public Mobile.