Bell Mobility

Bell Mobility
For no longer in existence US carrier (which merged with Cingular), see BellSouth Mobility.
Bell Mobility Inc.
Type Subsidiary
Industry Wireless Services
Founded Toronto, Ontario (1986)
Headquarters Mississauga, Ontario
Key people George Cope - President
Products BlackBerries, Apple iPhone, PocketPC, Palm, Wireless Data Services, Two way messaging, Picture and Video Messaging (MMS), Video Calling
Parent Bell Canada
Website www.bell.ca/

Bell Mobility is a CDMA and HSPA+ based wireless network (named Bell Cellular up until 1993) and the division of Bell Canada which sells wireless services in Canada. In July 2006, Bell Mobility assumed responsibility for the former Aliant wireless operations in Atlantic Canada as part of a larger restructuring of both Bell and Aliant, and continued to do business there as Aliant Mobility until rebranding as Bell in April 2008.[1] Bell Mobility and its affiliates combined have over 7 million subscribers as of the end of Q2 2011, including over 5.7 million or 79% on postpaid and over 1.5 million or 20% on prepaid.[2]

Bell-owned Virgin Mobile Canada and Solo Mobile, as well as Loblaw's PC Mobile, operate as MVNOs on the Bell Mobility network. Some of Bell Canada's regional subsidiaries continue to operate their own wireless networks separate from (but generally allowing for roaming with) Bell Mobility; these are Northwestel (NMI Mobility and Latitude Wireless), Télébec (Télébec Mobilité), and NorthernTel (NorthernTel Mobility).

Bell Mobility is a member of the British Columbia Technology Industry Association.

Contents

Networks

Although both are different and independent from one another, both the CDMA and HSPA+ networks use the 850 and 1900 MHz frequencies.

Legacy

Previously, Bell operated an Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) analog network, but it was decommissioned in February 2008.

CDMA

Bell Mobility maintains a legacy CDMA network with Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) technology. The operator continues to provide roaming to other CDMA carriers such as Public Mobile and Telus Mobility in Canada. Bell also provides roaming for Sprint Nextel, a CDMA carrier in the United States, following a renewed agreement effective June 21, 2006.[3]

HSPA+

In October 2009 Telus Mobility and Bell announced plans to deploy HSPA technology by 2010 as part of an effort to eventually upgrade to LTE technology. The network launched on November 4, 2009, months ahead of schedule. This allowed Bell to carry the iPhone 3GS, which was available at Telus the following day. Huawei and Nokia Siemens Networks provided the infrastructure for the new network, which covers 93% of the Canadian Population.[4]

According to Bell, the single-channel HSPA+ network is available to 96% of the Canadian population. It provides download speeds of up to 21 Mbit/s, with typical speeds ranging between 3½ and 8 Mbit/s. The dual-channel network, on the other hand, is available to 70% of the Canadian population. It can reach download speeds of up to 42 Mbit/s but with typical speeds of 7 to 14 Mbit/s.[5]

LTE

Bell launched LTE in Toronto and surrounding areas on September 14, 2011. On October 29, 2011, Bell expanded its LTE coverage to include the Halifax, Dartmouth and Belleville cities in Nova Scotia.[6] This makes Bell the first LTE operator in all these regions. Theoretical maximum speeds for the current network are 75 Mbit/s for download, but the company claims that this will double over time. Typical speeds range from 12 Mbit/s to 25 Mbit/s. Two LTE mobile broadband modems and an LTE smartphone are currently available.[5] Service plans are currently priced identically to Rogers Wireless, but unlike Rogers, Bell does not charge a Government Regulatory Recovery Fee. Any plan that works with HSPA+ will also work with the LTE network at no additional charge.

Products

Feature phones

Bell Mobility's handset lineup includes HSPA+ feature phones from LG, Nokia, Samsung and Sanyo. The LG 231, the Samsung Entro and the Sanyo Pro-700 are Bell's last feature phones to use the CDMA technology.

Due to the simplicity of the devices and their limited potential for Internet applications, there are currently no plans for Bell to carry LTE feature phones. The operator plans to launch smartphones for that type of network.

Smartphones

HSPA+ smartphones from Apple, HTC, Motorola, RIM and Samsung. They became the second Canadian mobile carrier to carry the Apple iPhone (after Rogers Wireless) on November 4, 2009 when Bell launched their HSPA+ mobile network and the iPhone 3GS. Bell also has a category of high-end Android devices which they refer to as "superphones."

Bell has launched the HTC Raider 4G and is planning to launch other Android phones in the future.

Rugged devices

Similarly to its competitor Mike, Bell features a line-up of rugged feature phones and mobile broadband modems built to withstand various weather conditions.[7]

Legacy products

Bell carried the Palm Pre smartphone on August 27, 2009. They were the exclusive carrier in Canada for this CDMA device, and marketed it heavily to compete against the iPhone, which was then exclusive to Rogers Wireless and its brand Fido. When Bell launched its HSPA network and the iPhone 3GS on November 4, 2009, the promotion and popularity of the Pre decreased. On August 17, 2011, nearly two years after its initial launch, the Palm Pre was officially discontinued by Bell. An icon depicting the Palm Pre continues to appear of the Mobility tab Bell's website.

Due to the age of the technology as deployed by Bell, CDMA smartphones are no longer sold by Bell Mobility, although its brand Solo Mobile continues to sell a legacy BlackBerry Pearl 8130 which uses the CDMA technology. The selection of CDMA feature phones has also been drastically reduced in conjunction with Bell's investments in HSPA+ and LTE technologies.

Services

Bell offers a service to check account balances, minutes and megabytes of mobile data used, add features and answers to frequently asked questions. The service is called TCARE, short for text message care. It is used by sending a blank message to the phone number TCARE (82273).

Mobile Internet

Bell offers several plans and add-ons for customers wishing to access Internet content via its mobile network. Each device is limited to only one of these plans, and certain plans are only available for certain devices:

Monthly cost Data included Available for
$10 100 MB (less than ¹/₁₀ GB) [note 1] Smartphones and feature phones
$15 250 MB (less than ¼ GB) Tablet computers
$20 500 MB (less than ½ GB)
$20 Unlimited social & IM [note 2] BlackBerry
$20 Unlimited email & IM [note 2]
$25 500 MB (less than ½ GB) [note 1]
$25 Smartphones and feature phones
$30 Mobile broadband modems
$35 1 GB
$50 2 GB
$65 5 GB
  1. ^ a b Tethering is permitted, and usage is deducted from the monthly allowance.
  2. ^ a b Tethering is prohibited.

Bell has been heavily criticized for discontinuing its unlimited Internet access plan and options. In response, the company temporarily released a $30 per month add-on with a 6 GB data allowance for mobile Internet service. This add-on was only available for a limited time after the release date of any iPhone device sold by Bell.

Mobile TV

Bell Mobile TV was launched for Bell smartphones on October 18, 2010.[8] Support for tablet computer was later added.

Applications for Bell Mobile TV are preloaded on some Bell smartphones and tablets at no additional charge, but require a subscription in order to be used. The service is optimized for use on the more recent HSPA+ network, as additional fees may apply for some legacy CDMA devices. The mobile television service works like, but the channel selection is limited compared to, Bell TV and Bell Fibe TV.[9]

Like its residential TV offering, Bell divides its Mobile TV channels into several packages:

Channels and programming in italics are On Demand. These channels are also available Live, with the exception of Aux, Bite, Comedy, and all HBO offerings.

Service plans for Mobile TV and Tablet TV cost $5 per month and include 5 hours of access to live and on demand channels in both the Sports and Variety packages. The HBO add-on is available for either plan. It costs an additional $5/month, includes 5 more hours of viewing per month, and also grants access to HBO episodes on demand. Those who watch additional hours will pay $1 per hour. If any hours are unused, they cannot be rolled over to the next month. Fees also include any data used for watching Bell Mobile TV. The same service, at the same rates and with the same conditions, are also available on Virgin Mobile Canada, but not on Solo Mobile.

The company currently has over 300 000 Mobile TV customers, representing over 4.1% of Bell Mobility's customers base.

Video Calling

Bell launched a proprietary Video Calling service on November 4, 2009 for select HSPA+ mobile phones. The service costs $5 CAD for unlimited video calls.[10] It is currently supported by these smartphones:

Currently, however, only the Nokia C6-01 and Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant are sold by Bell Mobility. It is unknown whether or not a non-Bell Galaxy S, or even Bell's Samsung Galaxy S II, support the Video Calling service. These Android-based devices, however, can use the included Google Talk for videoconferencing as long as they have an Internet connexion available.

Advertising

From 2003 to 2005 and in 2007, Bell Mobility and its brand Solo Mobile used a pixel art style of advertising. This reflected the limited capacity of graphical displays in mobile phones sold throughout these years.

In conjunction with the 2006 Olympics, Bell Mobility introduced a pair of anthropomorphic CGI beavers named Frank (voiced by Norm Macdonald) and Gordon (voiced by Ken Hudson Campbell),[11] who constantly got into misadventures which led to Frank getting flustered with the antics of the dimwitted Gordon. Analysts covering a potential restructuring of BCE suggested getting rid of the Frank and Gordon ad campaign. They have also criticized some of Bell Mobility's initiatives as failing to tap the market, such as offering full-length movies.[12]

The ad campaign was canceled by Bell on August 1, 2008[13] and replaced with the "Today just got better" campaign.

Criticism

Main article: Criticism of Bell Canada#Mobility

Bell Mobility and its brands has been the subject of numerous criticism.

Retail presence

In addition to running its own retail operations, Bell partners with multi-carrier retailers like those run by throughout Canada by Glentel.

See also

References

  1. ^ BCE and Aliant form one of North America's largest regional telecommunications service providers
  2. ^ Subscribers in Q2 2011
  3. ^ Sprint newsroom
  4. ^ http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS211718+04-Nov-2009+BW20091104
  5. ^ a b [1]
  6. ^ Google search.
  7. ^ Business On The Go
  8. ^ Bell launches 3 Mobile TV theme packages: Sports, Variety and HBO - Mobile Syrup
  9. ^ Mobile TV brochure. Bell Canada. Current as of July 2011.
  10. ^ http://www.bell.ca/support/PrsCSrvWls_Ftrs_VideoCalling.page#0 source
  11. ^ http://blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/2006/02/frank_and_gordon.html source
  12. ^ Movies- bell.ca
  13. ^ Bell's beavers bite it

External links


v · d · eCanadian mobile phone companies
Network operators
Bell Mobility · DMTS Mobility · ICE Wireless · MTS Mobility · Mobilicity · NorthernTel Mobility · Northwestel · Public Mobile · Rogers Wireless · SaskTel Mobility · Télébec Mobilité · Telus Mobility · TBayTel Mobility · Vidéotron · Wind Mobile
Mobile virtual network operators
Defunct
Amp'd Mobile  · Clearnet Communications  · Sprint Canada
v · d · eBell Canada (BCE Inc.)
Corporate Directors
Richard Currie · André Bérard · Ronald Brenneman · Anthony Fell · Donna Kaufman · Brian Levitt · Edward Lumley · Judith Maxwell · John McArthur · Thomas O'Neill · Jim Pattison · Robert Pozen · Michael Sabia · Paul Tellier · Victor Young
Fixed-line telecommunications
Bell Aliant (Atlantic) · Bell Canada (urban ON & QC) · Bell Internet (Sympatico) · KMTS (Kenora, ON) · NorthernTel (northern ON) · Northwestel (northern BC & AB + territories) · Télébec (rural QC)
Mobile telecommunications
Television services
Bell Fibe TV (IPTV) · Bell Mobile TV (mobile IPTV) · Bell TV (satellite)
Other properties
Bell Media1  · Emergis  · The Globe and Mail Inc. (15%) · Nortel · Telesat Canada  · The Source
Advertising and sponsorships
Bell Lightbox · Bell Centre · Frank and Gordon · Kids Help Phone · Solo Mobile / Eckored tour
Related
Italics indicate former properties



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