Xplornet to launch new brand in Manitoba

Rural internet provider Xplornet Communications Inc. is one step closer to its debut as the fourth wireless carrier in Manitoba.

The Woodstock, N.b.based private company announced Wednesday it will launch wireless service in the province this fall under the name Xplore Mobile, a new brand it positions as fair, simple and transparent.

“Xplore Mobile wants to be a different kind of mobile company by simplifying the process and making it easier for customers to understand the product they’re buying,” director of communications Sébastien Bouchard said in an interview.

Bouchard refused to reveal further details about pricing or wireless packages, citing the competitive nature of the wireless industry, but said it will have a “competitive” offering given it’s a new brand.

Xplore Mobile will take on the Big Three in Manitoba a year and a half after the province’s wireless market was shaken up by BCE Inc.’s $3.9 billion acquisition of Mani- toba Telecom Services, a deal that brought the number of wireless providers down to three.

The Competition Bureau, citing concerns that wireless prices would rise without the presence of a strong regional player, approved the deal on the condition that Bell sell 24,700 wireless subscribers, six stores and 40 MHZ of spectrum to Xplornet. The combined Bell MTS must also allow Xplornet to use its networks for a transition period.

It was no surprise regulators forced Bell to divest some subscribers given the federal government’s decade-long push for fourth wireless players to spark competition. Yet Xplornet’s involvement surprised some industry watchers in that it had never provided mobile service before. The private company typically provides internet service to customers that aren’t hooked up to urban networks, whether they live in rural areas or on the edge of big cities.

But Xplornet plans to invest $100 million in the province and said its network will be ready to go by mid-fall.

It launched two shops branded X — the idea is “X marks the spot” — that sell mobile accessories and test the brand with consumers, Bouchard said. This week, it’s holding a hiring fair to add 35 employees to its existing workforce of about 100.

Bell MTS customers who will be siphoned to Xplore have not yet been notified. That won’t happen until launch, Bouchard said, and the transition will be done in waves to ensure it goes smoothly.