My friend's rebuttle not mine:
 It isn't what the article says about Microcell that is of interest, it is
what
 the "analysts" representing various banks are saying. (Funny how Royal
Bank
 analysts are so quick to start saying bad things about microcell,
including "takeover".

 Ted Rogers talks about pioneering and innovation.  He is not in a position
to
 talk about that. Is is just a good lap dog to its master AT&T, following

 Not exactly true. GSM is simply an extension of the TDMA system. Rogers
had TDMA in operation long before ANY other North American cellular system.
With the original TDMA system, 3 users could share a standard 30KHz analog
channel. For GSM, the bandwidth per channel was widened to 150KHz, and the
TDMA time slice increased to support 8+ users per channel, with extra space
left over for non voice data packets (GPRS and SMS)
 GSM was first deployed in Europe, but only because the FCC was slow to
alocate the 1.9GHz band plan to north american carriers. The GSM used in
europe is 900MHz and 1.8GHz, but in north america 1.9GHz.
 Rogers deployed an interm 1.9GHZ almost 6 years ago in Canada called
IS130. It used a band plan identical to GSM, but operated with fewer
channels, and did not use a SIM card.  (My last phone used this dual band
format)
 These phones are still in use today. The standard TDMA phones are all dual
band 800/1.9 phones. This allowed Rogers to add capacity in 1.9GHz and build
the network getting revenue while the 1.9 GSM towers werre being installed.
Then once the 1.9 towers were installed and tested, GSM data stream was
added to bring the channels to capacity. I read a good article regarding
this system a few years ago. The dual mode phones uses 30KHz when on 800MHz
and switched to 150KHz on 1.9 and were 100% compatable on the GSM voice
channels (but limited to only 25 or so channels (with 8 users per channel)
whereas the GSM towers have 100+ channels per tower, but used a dedicated
control channel on the 800MHz band. In other words, the phones were
operating on the 800MHz control channel, buy when 800MHz voice channels were
filled, the phone would switch to 1.9GHZ where service was available.
 It was quite an interesting article, but it showed how Rogers Cantel
(which was their name at the time) was a pioneer in the devolopment of
digital cellular. They did it first, long before anyone else, and the system
they devoloped was TDMA, the same format used by GSM.

 technological decisions taken by AT&T. And who pioneered GSM, SMS, DATA,
GPRS
 in North america ? Who had done G3 trials in north america ? Not Rogers.
It
 was Microcell.

 They only did this because they wanted a different platform. They did not
want a platform compatable with Telus and Rogers at the time. This is to
slow the churn rate. One of the primary reasons that Telus and Rogers use
completely different technology, and the same reason that Dish and Directv,
and Starchoice & Bell use incompatable technologies. To stop people from
switching and keeping the hardware.
 Clearnet was the same. They launched with CDMA1.9, incompatable with Telus
CDMA800.
 Rogers was smart overlaying their network with a GSM compatable system,
and then launching GSM, as they are poised to take over Fido customers with
the dog finially gets put out of it's misery.

 This shity fido plan is doomed for failure. You guys may think it is a
great dead, and it is in the short term, but as they add all these new
customers, soon the network will be overloaded, and they all you will get is
system busy messages, and your calls will not go through. Then it will be
too late.
 Incidentally, Rogers is offering the same type of packages now. I was
offered 350 weekday minutes, unlimited evening and weekends and free local
calls for 6 months for 40.00 a month. Just got a notice today in my rogers
bill.

 Don't know if I will take it or not. Hate to give up my plan. Right now I
get 150 weekday/evening minutes and 250 weekend minutes for 20.00 billed by
the second.
 New plans I am ure they will round up to the minute. I didn't check on
that, but telus no longer offers per second billing, so I am sure rogers
will be quick to revoke that privelege too. As long as I stay on my plan
they can't touch me though.

 I find it most interesting that the telcos are really scared of
Microcell's
 cityfido plan and are generating so much press that predict doom for
Microcell.

http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031021.gtrvoxx21/BNStory/Te
chnology/

<quote who= Just a Guy You Know email=novalid@nowhere.here.com/>:

 
  Assuming of course Telus and Rogers don't escalate a price war.
 
  Both Telus and Rogers are ripe pissed.

  J