Montreal Tech Watch

Tomorrow, march 14th, mobile phone users will be able to keep their mobile phone numbers when switching operators. The new measure by the CRTC should stiffle competition. I am considering for example the iPhone when it will launch, but would need to subscribe to a Rogers Wireless plan. (note: it is not confirmed yet that Rogers will sell the phone, but they are the only GSM operator in town, so there isn’t much suspense here) Having to loose my old mobile phone number would be a turn-off. This is just one example, but you can think of many problems that this new measure will solve.

As I said earlier though, there are still a lot of things to do before catching-up. Jerome Plantevin, french tech blogger, says that Canada is at the same level as Gabon, with a 58% of the population having a mobile phone. Canada has actually the second worst rate among the G8 countries. If you are an entrepreneur looking for opportunities, you really should have a look at this market.