Overview
The Canadian mobile industry has come a long way in a few years. In 2010 the Wall Street Journal described Canada (and Toronto) as a “hotbed” of mobile innovation. Such accolades would have been almost unthinkable back in the dark days of 2007 of sky-high data charges, pre-3G networks, pre-iphones and most other smart phones in Canada. But our once laggardly adoption of mobile has now given us the chance to leapfrog. Amazingly, of the only 14 fastest (HSDPA+) type 3G deployments in the world, 5 of those networks are in Canada. Meanwhile, big macro trends of economic globalization, the epic and ongoing collision of the pc and telecom industries, and new competitive entrants here in Canada are creating big opportunities for change and disruption. On the other hand, the more things change, the more they stay the same. In 2010, Canadians still pay some of the highest wireless bills in the world. The great majority of Canadian spectrum, broadband pipes and traditional media distribution have become if anything more concentrated in the hands of a few usual suspects. So join us again this year as we evaluate Canada’s State of the Mobile Nation in 2010 and make predictions for the year ahead.
