Cable / Telecom News

Fling your phone for chance at $5,000 (But will roaming charges apply?)


TORONTO- Mobilicity is bringing the “sport” of mobile phone throwing home as Canucks line up for a chance to win $5,000 and break the 101.46 metre world record for the longest toss. It’s not clear if competitors that heave their phones great distances will still be subject to roaming charges.

Inspired by the recent Mobile Phone Throwing World Championships in Finland, the 1st Annual Canadian Mobile Phone Throwing Championship takes place Saturday, October 13th in Toronto at next weekend's Red & Blue Bowl game between the Varsity Blues and the York Lions at Varsity Centre. The game's halftime show will showcase the top three qualifiers each throwing a mobile phone down the football field in an attempt to break the world record set in August by Ere Karjalainen of Finland.

The three finalists will compete for a chance to win $5,000 and a Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone with a year of Mobilicity's unlimited data, talk and text service. The second and third-place finalists will each win a smartphone with Mobilicity's unlimited service.

"It's no secret that most Canadians have been frustrated for years about being locked into mobile phone contracts and paying the highest rates in the world, said Mobilicity's Chief Customer Officer Anthony Booth. "At Mobilicity, we understand what Canadians have been going through and want to give them the unique opportunity to unleash their pent-up frustration and make history at the same time."

The event is timed to coincide with Waste Reduction Week in Canada (October 15 – 21). According to a survey released by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) in January 2012, only 14 per cent of Canadians said they recycled mobile phones.

As a participant of the CWTA's Recycle My Cell program, Mobilicity will be placing recycling bins in the stadium for safe recycling of mobile devices.