wireless startup Sugar cellular ramps up advertising efforts after regulatory reprieve

wi-fi upstart Sugar cellular is ramping up efforts to attract new customers to its $19-in keeping with-month plans as it awaits a very last regulatory decision regarding Rogers Communications Inc.’s try to forestall it from the usage of the wireless large’s cellular network.

Sugar cell, based in Markham, Ont.,  doesn’t own its own community, but gives wi-fi provider the use of a mixture of WiFi and cellular provider through roaming agreements its affiliate organisation, Ice wi-fi, has with most important network operators. customers convey their personal unlocked phones to maintain prices down.

It has attracted a few thousand customers for the reason that its January release, president Samer Bishay stated Wednesday, but hopes to pull in tens of hundreds greater with a new partnership with U.S.-primarily based Nextplus, a loose global texting and calling app that says to have 1,000,000 Canadian clients. It’s supplying Nextplus users a half of-charge discount to join up to use Sugar after they’re not in WiFi hot spots.

If Sugar can attract a hundred,000 customers — Bishay’s goal — it might be high-quality thinking about the pushback Sugar’s business model has acquired from incumbents in a wi-fi enterprise that’s notoriously difficult to go into.

Bishay’s push for more clients comes much less than a month after Canada’s telecom regulator granted Sugar a transient reprieve from Rogers’ try and forestall it from roaming on its community, which covers large parts of Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

 Rogers has a roaming agreement with Ice wi-fi (Bishay is also the president) below the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications fee wholesale wi-fi policies that require network operators to permit different carriers roam on their networks so customers could have seamless service. Ice wi-fi owns a community in northern Canada and uses roaming agreements whilst customers tour outside its territory.

however Rogers became surprised whilst it learned in February that Sugar changed into the use of its network via a separate agreement with Ice wireless. It argued its deal changed into best with Ice and that it didn’t conform to let Sugar clients completely roam. It right away said it'd terminate its settlement with Ice wi-fi for breach of agreement, however waited to disconnect whilst Ice applied for interim relief from the CRTC. Ice wireless argued that losing get admission to to Rogers’ community would cause irreparable harm.

The CRTC granted meantime comfort in July as it prepares to make a final decision on wholesale wi-fi get entry to prices.

Bishay expects a very last selection on wholesale wi-fi roaming in the subsequent six to 8 month. He anticipates modifications to the costs, however is constructive it gained’t result in Sugar getting booted off Rogers network.

meantime, the partnership with Nextplus is “actually” taking benefit of the period in-between remedy after the CRTC dominated in Sugar’s favour, he stated. Nextplus and Sugar both target tweens, young adults and young adults with out coins for full records plans.