Mark Evans has a post that raises the issue of the relationship between cel number portability and open competition – a topic that I recently wrote about as well. As usual, Mark nails it. Money quotes:
Consumers are also plagued by the lack of local number portabilty, which dampens competition because it’s not easy to switch to rival carrier. I’m not sure why the CRTC is so reluctant to push LNP into the market given it has a mandate to encourage competition.
Another puzzling issue is how consumers get to choose wireless devices. The way it works now, the carriers offer you several models, and you pick the one that meets your needs and budget. There is no way,
however, to bring your own device to the table. A friend of mine wants to use the Treo 650 but he can’t because no carrier in Canada offers it. This means he has to use the Treo 600 or wait it out until the 650 is available.
All in all, Canada’s wireless carriers are enjoying a nice honeymoon period – profits, revenue and ARPU are rising; there’s no signs of pesky competition (I’d be very surprised if Virgin Canada’s launch changes anything); and analysts are happy.