Telus Corp.’s victory in a B.C. court, getting a temporary injunction banning Rogers Communications Inc.’s claims to have Canada’s fastest, most reliable network, provoked some deep thinking from the blogosphere.
Chris Ziegler on ENGADGET MOBILE notes: “Telus is bellyaching that Rogers’ claims of running “Canada’s most reliable” and “fastest” airwaves have been invalid as of November 5, when its competing hardware went live (funny — and telling — that it didn’t bother levying any complaints back in the CDMA days) … So, we turn it over to our Canadian readers: who’s really offering the best service right now in the trenches?” (The only reply posted at press time: “I don’t get any bars from either provider in the trenches.”)
An anonymous blogger on PURE MOBILE writes that the traditional mobile battlefield, the holiday season, is up for grabs. “Network speed has become a huge selling point for consumers who are now using smart phones, as well as network coverage. Having the claim as the fastest tends to sway customers to that particular companies services … With the attention of Teles suing Rogers over network claims during the holiday season, it is sure to have consumers question each company’s merits and claims.”
Blogging on TECHNOLOGY FOR THE SOUL, Chris Smith compared the court case to the suit filed against Verizon Wireless by AT&T in the U.S., wherein AT&T claims Verizon’s advertisements comparing the two companies’ 3G coverage are misleading. AT&T’s suit has failed so far, but. like the B.C. decision, that’s temporary, he writes. “Who will win? It doesn’t really matter at this point since consumers should be the actual winners. Fierce competition like this should lead to better network performances and overall better services for the subscribers of the carriers in question.”
I can hear the collective eye-rolling of Canadian mobile users (yes, eye-rolling makes a sound) who find it naive to think that any benefit of increased competition will ever reach the consumer as long as we’re ruled by the Rogers-Telus-Bell oligarchy. But Mark Goldberg, blogging on TELECOM TRENDS: A CANADIAN PERSPECTIVE, found some vindication of the competitive state of wireless in Justice J. Christopher Grauer’s decision. Goldberg quotes a passage in Grauer’s decision — “The wireless telecommunication industry in Canada is dominated by a corporate triumvirate consisting of Rogers, Telus and Bell Mobility Inc. Much like the triumvirs of the late Roman Republic, the competition among them is intense” — as proof the market isn’t an old boys’ club operated for the benefit of the Big 3. “Battling claims in court, heavy investment in infrastructure. These aren’t the typical characteristics of a cozy oligopoly portrayed by some. And now there is a judicial finding of intense competition.”
