At a new store on a hardscrabble patch of Danforth Avenue in east Toronto, new wireless entrant Public Mobile Inc., which is targeting low-income Canadians, announced it would open stores immediately and turn on its network in May.
The company is launching cellphone service in only Ontario and Quebec, offering a $40 a month unlimited talk and text plan it hopes will reach out to those currently “underserved” by the established wireless providers.
“You're not going to see us at Yorkville,” said Alek Krstajic, Public Mobile's chief executive officer, at a press conference on Thursday morning.
The company, which has already plastered bus shelters in Toronto with ads, said it was opening its stores today – 15 in Toronto and 10 in Montreal.
“They're all in this type of neighbourhood,” said Mr. Krstajic, who grew up nearby and has tried to imbue the company with a folksy type of urban populism.
As an attempt to lure potential customers into the stores before actually offering any service, Mr. Krstajic also announced a free, unlimited Canadian long-distance plan for anybody who signs up before May.
The company is one of several new wireless entrants to launch this year, along with Wind Mobile – which launched in December – and Mobilicity, which plans to launch this Spring.
Mr. Krstajic also made several references to Wind Mobile's network problems, calling them “unacceptable.”
