MONTREAL – As Bell Canada CEO George Cope warned a month ago – his company was not about to let Telus, Rogers and Freedom keep the low-cost wireless market to themselves and in response, the company announced the launch of Lucky Mobile today.
Created to compete with Rogers’ chatr, Telus’ Public Moble and Shaw’s Freedom (and it seems the initial markets being launched are exactly Freedom’s footprint), the low-cost prepaid brand’s plans start at $20/month, for talk and text, but not data, a price which generally undercuts everyone in the space. (Chatr offers a $20/mo plan, but it’s for talk only, and a $25 talk/text plan limited to 100 texts/mo. Public’s pricing and options are similar to chatr’s. Freedom had a $25 talk/text plan but has now cut that price to $20 – and is still pumping it’s “Big Gig” talk/text/data offer.)
"Lucky Mobile is an all-new mobile service for people who want a straightforward, low-cost prepaid option that offers all the talk, text and data options they need. Whether you're a student or young person just entering the workforce, a senior on a fixed income, a new Canadian who hasn't yet built up a credit profile or anyone looking for the easiest and most affordable wireless experience, Lucky Mobile puts you in control," said Blaik Kirby, president of Bell Mobility in the press release. "There is fast-growing demand from many Canadians for new lost-cost mobile options, and Lucky Mobile is here to lead the way."
Starting Monday, Lucky will be available to consumers in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, with service in 17 zones covering most major cities across the country including Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and surrounding areas. For customers who need something that covers a bigger area, Lucky will offer province-wide and Canada-wide service options for a higher price.
However, notes the release, “unlike other low-cost prepaid wireless services in Canada, there are no surprise overage or automatic charges with Lucky Mobile – customers are notified by text if they are about to use services not included in their monthly plan. Service Passes valid for 30 days are available for $3 or $5 and offer options like international calling to popular destinations.”
In addition to talk and text on its cellular network, Lucky Mobile will introduce an app that enables talk and text over Wi-Fi in 2018.
The $20 plan includes voicemail, unlimited nationwide and international incoming calls and texts, reads the release, as well as call display, call waiting and three-way calling. Monthly mobile data options are also available at 3G-equivalent access speeds. The Lucky web site is not 100% active at this time, so the breakdown of all it will offer is not yet public.
Customers can bring their own mobile device and activate a Lucky SIM card or choose a handset from Alcatel, LG and ZTE. It will be available at Walmart, Wireless Wave, TBooth wireless, Wireless etc., Cellular Point, Visions Electronics and select The Source locations.
Friday morning, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains even took the rare step to praise the company for the new offering.
"In June, I delivered a clear message at the Canadian Telecom Summit: Our government wants to see more options and better price points offered to all Canadian families, particularly in the wireless sector," he said in a statement
"Bell is joining other large service providers in Canada in offering a low-cost option for consumers. We thank Bell Canada for listening and taking a step in the right direction by introducing Lucky Mobile, a low-cost wireless carrier. We encourage all of the telecom companies to continue working in the right direction and offering Canadians more flexible and affordable options."
