Chatr
Encyclopedia
Chatr is a Canadian wireless service provider targeting price-conscious customers It is the third wireless service network owned by Rogers Communications
, after Rogers Wireless
and Fido Solutions
. The provider launched their network in Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and now Montreal (September 16, 2010) and later expand to more markets. The brand is "designed to offer Canadians more choice." Chatr launched its service on July 28, 2010. Their "chatr zone" coverage is artificially limited to match the coverage of Wind Mobile
, Public Mobile
and Mobilicity
, and so using a Chatr phone outside of these zones results in additional charges.
and its CityFido zones, in that customers can make and receive unlimited phone calls when in certain zones. When they leave such zones and use the Rogers network, there are no extra fees for text messages, but there are extra fees for phone calls. The only way for a customer to know if they are in a Chatr zone is to check the coverage map. Mobilicity
, Solo Mobile
, and Wind Mobile
, by contrast, offer more ways for customers to tell if they are in their carrier's zones.
s, but also carries a smartphone
. Additionally, Chatr SIM cards allow any compatible GSM or HSPA+ device to be used with the provider. Five devices are made by Nokia
, while two are from LG and one is from Sony. Each has a nickname given by Chatr.
Unlimited Talk 25$/month
Unlimited Talk & Text 35$/month
Unlimited Talk & Text plus Data 100 45$/month
All plans include the following four calling features: Call display
, Call waiting
, Call forwarding
and Group calling
. Additionally, incoming text messages are always free, and any incoming call answered in a Chatr zone is also free.
There is also SMS
short code
support for messaging via the Facebook
and Twitter
services.
created by Rogers. Chatr's pricing policy closely reflects that of Wind Mobile, Mobilicity and Public Mobile. Mobilicity's chairman, John Bitove, said that "[Rogers is] leveraging the other parts of their business to kill the competition […] If they succeed in killing us off there's no question they'd kill the Chatr brand off".
The Bureau has accused Rogers of:
According to the Court documents from the preceding, the bureau found that the on average there is no significant difference between the number of dropped calls on Chatr and new carriers. Furthermore, in the cases of Ottawa and Toronto, new carriers experienced slightly fewer dropped calls than did Chatr.
, and a whistled version of this song is used in Chatr commercials. Since Chatr started offering mobile broadband
, the "Now data happy" tagline accompanies any promotional material concerning such services.
The company also gives out various promotional merchandise
, including pen
s, highlighter
s, mousepad
s, water bottles, planting seed
s and Chatr-branded orange M&M's
. Merchandise is given away both to customers and to non-customers as a way to spread the word about the operator.
Previously, Chatr claimed to have "fewer dropped calls than new wireless carriers." However, the company's parent, Rogers, was subject to controversy for this claim.
To promote its network, provided by Rogers Wireless
, Chatr now claims that they have "great coverage thanks to tons of network sites."
, Costco
, Future Shop
, London Drugs
, Tbooth
, Walmart, WirelessWave
and Zellers
sell Chatr prepaid products and top-up cards.
While Shoppers Drug Mart
carried only Rogers Wireless
prepaid phones at one time, the stores temporarily partnered with the network operator to carry both prepaid and postpaid products and services for Rogers and its two other brands, Fido
and Chatr. There was an in-store display, showcasing many of the phones available. As of March 2011, however, Shoppers stores ended their partnership. They only sell prepaid top-up vouchers for these providers.
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
, after Rogers Wireless
Rogers Wireless
Rogers Wireless is a wireless telecommunications provider offering mobile phone and data services throughout Canada using Global System for Mobile Communications and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System technology. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rogers Communications...
and Fido Solutions
Fido Solutions
Fido Solutions is a Canadian cellular telephone service provider currently owned by Rogers Communications. It was formerly owned by Microcell Telecommunications. Fido does, however, remain a separate entity from Rogers...
. The provider launched their network in Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and now Montreal (September 16, 2010) and later expand to more markets. The brand is "designed to offer Canadians more choice." Chatr launched its service on July 28, 2010. Their "chatr zone" coverage is artificially limited to match the coverage of Wind Mobile
Wind Mobile
Wind Mobile is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider operated by Globalive Communications Corporation. The company initially launched mobile data and voice services in Toronto on December 16, 2009 and two days later in Calgary...
, Public Mobile
Public Mobile
Public Mobile is a Canadian mobile phone company, operating in the Greater Toronto Area and Greater Montreal. It is one of several new cellphone providers which launched in 2010 in Canada. Public Mobile operates a CDMA network, and has partnered with Bell Mobility and Telus Mobility to provide...
and Mobilicity
Mobilicity
Mobilicity is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider. Its name is a portmanteau of the words "mobility" and "simplicity".-History:...
, and so using a Chatr phone outside of these zones results in additional charges.
Network
The Chatr network is similar to FidoFido Solutions
Fido Solutions is a Canadian cellular telephone service provider currently owned by Rogers Communications. It was formerly owned by Microcell Telecommunications. Fido does, however, remain a separate entity from Rogers...
and its CityFido zones, in that customers can make and receive unlimited phone calls when in certain zones. When they leave such zones and use the Rogers network, there are no extra fees for text messages, but there are extra fees for phone calls. The only way for a customer to know if they are in a Chatr zone is to check the coverage map. Mobilicity
Mobilicity
Mobilicity is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider. Its name is a portmanteau of the words "mobility" and "simplicity".-History:...
, Solo Mobile
Solo Mobile
Solo Mobile is a mobile brand in Canada started by Bell Mobility in 2000. Solo is considered a discount wireless brand, offering low price monthly plans with some unlimited options in certain cities...
, and Wind Mobile
Wind Mobile
Wind Mobile is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider operated by Globalive Communications Corporation. The company initially launched mobile data and voice services in Toronto on December 16, 2009 and two days later in Calgary...
, by contrast, offer more ways for customers to tell if they are in their carrier's zones.
Products
Chatr mostly sells feature phoneFeature phone
A feature phone is a mobile phone that, like smartphones, combines the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone.Today's models typically also serve as portable media players and camera phones with touchscreen, GPS navigation, Wi-Fi and mobile broadband access.Feature phones is...
s, but also carries a smartphone
Smartphone
A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
. Additionally, Chatr SIM cards allow any compatible GSM or HSPA+ device to be used with the provider. Five devices are made by Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
, while two are from LG and one is from Sony. Each has a nickname given by Chatr.
Feature phones
- LG A133 - The Catch
- Nokia 1616 - The Fundamental
- Nokia 1661 - The Essential
- Nokia 2220 - The Charmer
- Nokia C2-02Nokia C2-02The Nokia C2-02 is a mobile telephone handset produced by Nokia. This is the first mobile handset released by Nokia that possesses a touchscreen in a "slider" phone form factor. Previously released touchscreen devices from Nokia using Series 40 Operating System have been in "candybar" form factor.-...
- The Appeal - Nokia C3 - The Associate
- Sony Ericsson txt pro - The Speedster
Services
Chatr offers three monthly plans. Customers can pay for the plans either by purchasing prepaid credits or by choosing an automatic payment option with a credit card. Unlimited calling features can only be used when a phone call is placed in a "Chatr zone", while text messages and data included can be used in any region served by the Rogers network. Except for Chatr's customer service, additional charges apply for any call made or received outside of the zone..Unlimited Talk 25$/month
- Unlimited outgoing calls to anywhere in zone's province
- 50 sent text messages from Canada to Canada or USA
- Voicemail with 25¢ per minute retrieval charge
Unlimited Talk & Text 35$/month
- Unlimited outgoing calls to anywhere in Canada
- Unlimited sent text messages from Canada to Canada or USA
- Voicemail with no retrieval charge
Unlimited Talk & Text plus Data 100 45$/month
- All features of the $35/month plan
- 100 MB of data per month
All plans include the following four calling features: Call display
Caller ID
Caller ID , also called calling line identification or calling number identification or Calling Line Identification Presentation , is a telephone service, available in analog and digital phone systems and most Voice over Internet Protocol applications, that transmits a caller's number to...
, Call waiting
Call waiting
Call waiting , in telephony, is a feature on some telephone networks. If a calling party places a call to a called party which is otherwise engaged, and the called party has the call waiting feature enabled, the called party is able to suspend the current telephone call and switch to the new...
, Call forwarding
Call forwarding
Call forwarding , in telephony, is a feature on some telephone networks allowing an incoming call to a called party to be redirected to a third party. For example, the third party may be a mobile telephone, voicemail box or other telephone number where the desired called party is situated. It was...
and Group calling
Group call
Group-calling, similar to Conference call, is a means of communication where the calling party wishes to involve multiple parties. In comparison to conference calling, all parties involved in a call always have the opportunity to participate actively. Alternatively, group calling also functions as...
. Additionally, incoming text messages are always free, and any incoming call answered in a Chatr zone is also free.
There is also SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
short code
Short code
Short codes are special telephone numbers, significantly shorter than full telephone numbers, that can be used to address SMS and MMS messages from certain service provider's mobile phones or fixed phones...
support for messaging via the Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
services.
Controversy
Several controversies regarding Chatr received mainstream media coverage. The company received two accusations of breaching the Competition Act in Canada.Fighter brand
Chatr has been accused of violating the Competition Act because it is a fighter brandFighter Brand
In marketing, a fighter brand is a lower priced offering launched by a company to take on, and ideally take out, specific competitors that are attempting to under-price them...
created by Rogers. Chatr's pricing policy closely reflects that of Wind Mobile, Mobilicity and Public Mobile. Mobilicity's chairman, John Bitove, said that "[Rogers is] leveraging the other parts of their business to kill the competition […] If they succeed in killing us off there's no question they'd kill the Chatr brand off".
Advertising claims
Shortly after its launch, Chatr published many advertisements claiming that their network has “fewer dropped calls than new wireless carriers”. Following a complaint by wireless carriers Wind Mobile and Mobilicity, the Federal Competition Bureau has asked the Ontario Superior Court of Justice under the Misleading Advertising Provisions of the Competition Act to order Rogers to:- Stop Chatr's advertising campaign
- Pay a 10-million dollar penalty
- Pay restitution to any customers affected by the misleading claim
- Send out a corrective notice to inform the public about the issue
The Bureau has accused Rogers of:
- using misleading advertising to promote its talk-and-text service Chatr..."
- having "...no evidence support[ing] Chatr's claim that their customers will experience fewer dropped calls than they would with new rival wireless carriers..."
- directly breaching Section 78 of Misleading Advertising Provisions relating to "False or Misleading Representations and Deceptive Marketing Practices"
According to the Court documents from the preceding, the bureau found that the on average there is no significant difference between the number of dropped calls on Chatr and new carriers. Furthermore, in the cases of Ottawa and Toronto, new carriers experienced slightly fewer dropped calls than did Chatr.
Advertising
Chatr Wireless' slogan is "No worries, talk happy." During the Christmas and holiday season, the slogan used instead was "No worries, gift happy." Both resemble the name of the song Don't Worry, Be HappyDon't Worry, Be Happy
"Don't Worry, Be Happy" is a song by musician Bobby McFerrin. Released in September 1988, it became the first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a position it held for two weeks. On the UK Singles Chart, the song reached number 2 during its fifth week on the chart...
, and a whistled version of this song is used in Chatr commercials. Since Chatr started offering mobile broadband
Mobile Broadband
Mobile broadband is the marketing term for wireless Internet access through a portable modem, mobile phone or other mobile device.-Description:...
, the "Now data happy" tagline accompanies any promotional material concerning such services.
The company also gives out various promotional merchandise
Promotional merchandise
Promotional merchandise, promotional items, promotional products, promotional gifts, or advertising gifts, sometimes nicknamed swag or schwag, are articles of merchandise used in marketing and communication programs. They are given away to promote a company, corporate image, brand, or event...
, including pen
Pen
A pen is a device used to apply ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Historically, reed pens, quill pens, and dip pens were used, with a nib of some sort to be dipped in the ink. Ruling pens allow precise adjustment of line width, and still find a few specialized uses, but...
s, highlighter
Highlighter
A highlighter is a felt-tip pen which is used to draw attention to sections of documents by marking them with a vivid, translucent colour.A typical highlighter is fluorescent yellow, coloured with pyranine.-History:...
s, mousepad
Mousepad
A mousepad or mouse mat is a surface for enhancing the usability of a computer mouse.-History:During a 1968 presentation by Douglas Engelbart marking the public debut of a mouse,...
s, water bottles, planting seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s and Chatr-branded orange M&M's
M&M's
M&M's are dragée-like "colorful button-shaped candies" produced by Mars, Incorporated...
. Merchandise is given away both to customers and to non-customers as a way to spread the word about the operator.
Previously, Chatr claimed to have "fewer dropped calls than new wireless carriers." However, the company's parent, Rogers, was subject to controversy for this claim.
To promote its network, provided by Rogers Wireless
Rogers Wireless
Rogers Wireless is a wireless telecommunications provider offering mobile phone and data services throughout Canada using Global System for Mobile Communications and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System technology. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rogers Communications...
, Chatr now claims that they have "great coverage thanks to tons of network sites."
Retail presence
Chatr has its own retail stores. Additionally, Best BuyBest Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
, Costco
Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...
, Future Shop
Future Shop
Future Shop is Canada's largest consumer electronics retailer. Future Shop currently operates a total of 146 stores across all of Canada's provinces as of December 2008....
, London Drugs
London Drugs
London Drugs is a chain of Canadian retail stores with headquarters in Richmond, British Columbia. Its primary focus is on pharmaceuticals, electronics, housewares and cosmetics, with a limited selection of grocery items...
, Tbooth
Tbooth Wireless
Tbooth Wireless/la cabine T sans fil is a subsidiary of GLENTEL Inc., the largest independent mobile phone retailer in Canada. GLENTEL operates more than 280 locations across Canada under the brandnames WIRELESSWAVE/WAVE SANS FIL, Tbooth wireless/la cabine T sans fil and WIRELESS etc./SANS FIL etc...
, Walmart, WirelessWave
WirelessWave
WirelessWave is a subsidiary of Glentel, a provider of telecommunications services and mobile phones in North America.-History:WirelessWave opened its first mall-based store in the Metropolis at Metrotown mall in Burnaby, British Columbia.-Services:...
and Zellers
Zellers
Zellers Inc. is Canada's second-largest chain of mass merchandise discount stores, with locations in communities across Canada. A subsidiary of the Hudson's Bay Company , it has 273 locations across the country....
sell Chatr prepaid products and top-up cards.
While Shoppers Drug Mart
Shoppers Drug Mart
Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation is Canada's largest pharmacy chain with more than 1,241 stores operating under the names Shoppers Drug Mart in nine provinces and two territories and Pharmaprix in Quebec as well as in Hawkesbury, Ontario....
carried only Rogers Wireless
Rogers Wireless
Rogers Wireless is a wireless telecommunications provider offering mobile phone and data services throughout Canada using Global System for Mobile Communications and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System technology. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rogers Communications...
prepaid phones at one time, the stores temporarily partnered with the network operator to carry both prepaid and postpaid products and services for Rogers and its two other brands, Fido
Fido Solutions
Fido Solutions is a Canadian cellular telephone service provider currently owned by Rogers Communications. It was formerly owned by Microcell Telecommunications. Fido does, however, remain a separate entity from Rogers...
and Chatr. There was an in-store display, showcasing many of the phones available. As of March 2011, however, Shoppers stores ended their partnership. They only sell prepaid top-up vouchers for these providers.