Can you smell it? The competitive landscape of the Canadian wireless industry is finally changing. It has been no secret that Globalive has been aggressively working to bring competition to the existing mix of Bell, Telus and Rogers (and subsidiaries therein), but yesterday brought a fantastic development – the launch of the WIND brand.

For years, the Canadian wireless industry has lagged behind nearly all developed countries when it comes to wireless offerings – specifically price. WIND is hoping to innovate the way that wireless service is carried out across Canada by listening to consumers and understanding what the Canadian public wants from a wireless provider. To best facilitate this, WIND has launched a beautifully designed community-focused website that allows the public to voice their suggestions and comments. I have become an active member in the discussions and it truly appears that the WIND team cares about what is being communicated.

There is no doubt that WIND will have difficulties entering the market as Bell, Rogers and Telus (particularly Telus) are attempting to tie up Globalive’s efforts in court. Additionally, WIND is scheduled to begin rolling out their 3G network in the coming months – something that will take time, money and patience from consumers. I strongly hope that WIND will not only establish themselves as a premiere service-provider, but also bring competition and finally smarten-up the existing telecoms that have had a “free ride” for far too long.

I will be sure to post more information on Globalive and WIND as developments occur. All of the best to CEO Ken Campbell and his dedicated team!