Solo Mobile
Encyclopedia
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. While Solo products and services can be used wherever Bell network coverage is available, the Solo brand is only available in British Columbia
, Alberta
, Ontario
and Quebec
.
in the month of August to promote its brand across the four provinces it served. Admission was free, and the tour featured four female solo singers including Keisha Chanté. Similarly to its competitor Fido
, Solo offered per-second billing after the first minute of every month for postpaid customers. Prepaid clients, however, receive per-minute billing.
on May 7, 2009, the Solo brand was given much less priority. For example, Solo's former Rideau Centre
store in Ottawa
was replaced by a Virgin store. Almost all of Bell's advertisements promote the Bell Mobility and Virgin Mobile brands, while Solo is promoted at the bare minimum. On July 2 of that year, Mobile Syrup editor Kate O'Brien told readers to "start counting down the days [before] Solo Mobile is put to bed". Solo only released a total of four feature phones throughout that year.
Solo released the Samsung r100 feature phone on February 24, 2010. Later, the LG 230 was launched by Solo on May 6 of that year. This surprised Mobile Syrup editor Ian Hardy: "I thought Bell would have kicked Solo Mobile to the curb by now… [but they] somehow have kept Solo alive." Similarly, an editor from HowardChui noted: "The discount carrier [Solo Mobile] has basically been kept out of the spot light since Bell assumed full control over Virgin Mobile Canada." Solo's first HSPA+ device, the LG Flick, was released on November 11, 2010. In total, only five feature phones were released by Solo in 2010.
. On May 6, Solo permanently lowered the price on their two unlimited prepaid plans, matching Chatr
's offering. However, both plans would remain only available for Solo's limited selection of legacy CDMA devices.
During the summer season of that year, Solo discontinued sales of its products at Loblaw Companies
and Zellers
stores. The MySolo customer portal was updated in the month of August in conjunction with a similar upgrade to its parent Bell Mobility's portal. Solo has made no offers for that year's back-to-school season to gain new customers.
The brand's first Android-powered smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Gio
, was launched after that period of time on October 13. By the end of that month, however, The Source and Glentel
stores discontinued Solo sales from all their stores, focusing on the Bell and Virgin brands instead. Walmart, the last third-party retailer for Solo Mobile, ceased sales of Solo products by the end of November in conjunction with the beginning of 2011's Christmas and holiday season.
network for both prepaid and postpaid customers. They also use the HSPA+
network, but it cannot be used by prepaid customers. Also, only two Solo devices can access this network, although Solo SIM cards allow any compatible HSPA+ handset to be used on the network. Solo has not announced any plans for prepaid services on the HSPA+ network, or any services at all on Bell's LTE network.
s and smartphone
s.
Released on March 16, 2011, the Samsung Gravity 3 is currently the only new feature phone from Solo this year. It is also the only HSPA+ feature phone currently available from Solo, although the LG Flick was previously available. All other feature phones use the CDMA network.
Prices for these simple feature phones are identical to, or even higher than, those offered by Bell Mobility
and Virgin Mobile Canada
. While the Samsung Entro and r330 appear on Glentel's websites, they are likely nothing more than a placeholder.
8130 is a legacy
CDMA device which Solo still carries. In comparison, Bell and Virgin cleared out all remaining stock of the 8130, plus the upgraded HSPA+ 9100. The 8130 can be upgraded to BlackBerry OS
4.5.0.101 and it also allows users to install compatible BlackBerry App World
applications including BlackBerry Messenger
(BBM). Some apps, such as those for Canadian Tire
and Shazam
, require newer versions of the BlackBerry OS and are therefore incompatible with Solo's BlackBerry Pearl.
On October 13, 2011, Solo added the Samsung Galaxy Gio
to its lineup. This is the operator's first Android-powered smartphone and uses the HSPA+ network. The French instruction manual, however, was uploaded on Solo's website as early as August 9, 2011. The company had made no significant efforts to encourage new customers to obtain this phone.
Both smartphones are available at $249.99 with a 30-day contract. Neither can be activated on a Solo prepaid service.
application launched by Solo Mobile in September 2008. A photo tagging application, users could add quotes through speech bubbles on to photos within their existing Facebook albums. As of August 2011, the application has been completely removed.
's postpaid offerings, with a few differences:
' Chatr
brand, Solo Mobile offers unlimited, zone-based plans. They are identical to Chatr's $25 and $35 plans, but can only be used on prepaid with CDMA devices sold by Solo. Currently, Solo only has one such phone on sale for new customers. They are offered in the same cities where Chatr is available.
There are no add-ons available for Solo's unlimited plans, with the exception of a voicemail
option for the $25 plan. As such, customers cannot subscribe to mobile broadband
on their devices.
There previously were promotional rebates offered to customers who purchased a prepaid phone but activated it on a two-year postpaid contract.
on older plans and for its antisemitic advertising.
, Alberta
, Ontario
and Quebec
, because Bell has a smaller presence in other provinces and all three territories. The brand no longer has its own corporate retail stores, given its decline, so products and services are sold in Bell Canada
corporate stores instead. Also, some stores showcase exclusively the Bell Mobility
brand, choosing not to display anything Solo-related at all. At any Bell store, however, it is still possible to purchase Solo SIM card and feature phones, as long as there is remaining stock. The representatives at these stores also provide activation, renewal, and support for Solo Mobile.
activations were done, so customers had to purchase feature phones at its full retail price and then activate a postpaid month-to-month or prepaid service on their own. This has led to store representatives comparing Solo to IKEA
's ready-to-assemble furniture. Additionally, only one-eight of the mobile phones section displayed Solo products, while three-eights were devoted to Virgin Mobile products and the remaining half were for Bell Mobility products. Finally, store employees discouraged customers from choosing prepaid products, especially those offered by Solo Mobile, recommending postpaid service with the Bell and Virgin brands instead. , Solo Mobile products are no longer available at The Source stores. Remaining phones were shipped back to Bell's warehouse as per an order by this company. The section that was previously reserved for Solo products has now been transformed to accommodate Virgin products instead.
In addition to Bell corporate stores, third-party Canadian dealers were also able to sell Solo prepaid feature phones. , however, this is no longer the case. Previous retailers included Best Buy
, Future Shop
, Glentel
, Loblaw
-branded, Walmart and Zellers
stores. Although the Samsung Entro and R330 are currently listed as the only Solo phones on Glentel's websites, they have been discontinued a long time ago, and Bell asked the retailers to ship back all Solo merchandise. Only prepaid airtime for Solo can be purchased at these retailers.
Mobile virtual network operator
A mobile virtual network operator is a company that provides mobile phone services but does not have its own licensed frequency allocation of radio spectrum, nor does it necessarily have all of the infrastructure required to provide mobile telephone service...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
started by Bell Mobility
Bell Mobility
Bell Mobility is a CDMA and HSPA+ based wireless network and the division of Bell Canada which sells wireless services in Canada...
in 2000. Solo is considered a discount wireless brand, offering low price monthly plans with some unlimited options in certain cities. While Solo products and services can be used wherever Bell network coverage is available, the Solo brand is only available in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
Early years (2000-2004)
Solo Mobile was launched in the summer of 2000 as Bell Mobility's prepaid brand. The brand was temporarily withdrawn from the market after the launch of Bell Mobility prepaid services.Renaissance (2005-2008)
In the summer of 2005, Solo was relaunched as a youth-minded mobile carrier. The carrier organized a Solo Mobile / Eckored tourSolo Mobile / Eckored tour
The Solo Mobile / Eckored tour was a tour organised in August 2005 featuring Keshia Chanté, Amanda Stott, Christine Evans and Cassie Steele. As the name suggest, the main sponsors were Solo Mobile, a Bell Mobility brand, and Eckored, an Eckō brand. The Student Price Card was also a large-scale...
in the month of August to promote its brand across the four provinces it served. Admission was free, and the tour featured four female solo singers including Keisha Chanté. Similarly to its competitor 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...
, Solo offered per-second billing after the first minute of every month for postpaid customers. Prepaid clients, however, receive per-minute billing.
Decline (2009-2010)
After Bell Canada acquired Virgin Mobile CanadaVirgin Mobile Canada
Virgin Mobile Canada is a cellular telephone company that was launched on March 1, 2005 as a joint venture between Virgin Group and Bell Canada. Since May 7, 2009, it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Bell Mobility. - Pre-launch :...
on May 7, 2009, the Solo brand was given much less priority. For example, Solo's former Rideau Centre
Rideau Centre
Rideau Centre is a three-level shopping centre on Rideau Street in Downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It borders on Rideau Street , the Rideau Canal, the Mackenzie King Bridge, and Nicholas Street....
store in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
was replaced by a Virgin store. Almost all of Bell's advertisements promote the Bell Mobility and Virgin Mobile brands, while Solo is promoted at the bare minimum. On July 2 of that year, Mobile Syrup editor Kate O'Brien told readers to "start counting down the days [before] Solo Mobile is put to bed". Solo only released a total of four feature phones throughout that year.
Solo released the Samsung r100 feature phone on February 24, 2010. Later, the LG 230 was launched by Solo on May 6 of that year. This surprised Mobile Syrup editor Ian Hardy: "I thought Bell would have kicked Solo Mobile to the curb by now… [but they] somehow have kept Solo alive." Similarly, an editor from HowardChui noted: "The discount carrier [Solo Mobile] has basically been kept out of the spot light since Bell assumed full control over Virgin Mobile Canada." Solo's first HSPA+ device, the LG Flick, was released on November 11, 2010. In total, only five feature phones were released by Solo in 2010.
Discontinuation (2011)
Little effort was made in 2011 to promote the Solo brand because its retail presence would be completely discontinued by Bell that year. The carrier added the Samsung Gravity 3 to its lineup on March 16, more than seven months after the same device was released by Virgin Mobile CanadaVirgin Mobile Canada
Virgin Mobile Canada is a cellular telephone company that was launched on March 1, 2005 as a joint venture between Virgin Group and Bell Canada. Since May 7, 2009, it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Bell Mobility. - Pre-launch :...
. On May 6, Solo permanently lowered the price on their two unlimited prepaid plans, matching Chatr
Chatr
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 ...
's offering. However, both plans would remain only available for Solo's limited selection of legacy CDMA devices.
During the summer season of that year, Solo discontinued sales of its products at Loblaw Companies
Loblaw Companies
Loblaw Companies Limited is the largest food retailer in Canada, with over 1,400 supermarkets operating under a variety of regional banners, including the namesake Loblaws. LCL is headquartered in Brampton, Ontario...
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....
stores. The MySolo customer portal was updated in the month of August in conjunction with a similar upgrade to its parent Bell Mobility's portal. Solo has made no offers for that year's back-to-school season to gain new customers.
The brand's first Android-powered smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Gio
Samsung Galaxy Gio
The Samsung Galaxy Gio is a smartphone manufactured by Samsung operating the Android operating system.It was announced at the 2011 Mobile World Congress as one of four Samsung low-end smartphones, along with the Galaxy Ace, Galaxy Fit and Galaxy mini....
, was launched after that period of time on October 13. By the end of that month, however, The Source and Glentel
Glentel
Glentel is the largest independent mobile phone retailer in Canada. The company has three operating divisions - Canadian Retail, American Retail, and a business division.-Retail Division:...
stores discontinued Solo sales from all their stores, focusing on the Bell and Virgin brands instead. Walmart, the last third-party retailer for Solo Mobile, ceased sales of Solo products by the end of November in conjunction with the beginning of 2011's Christmas and holiday season.
Networks
Currently, Solo Mobile mainly uses Bell Mobility's CDMACDMA2000
CDMA2000 is a family of 3G mobile technology standards, which use CDMA channel access, to send voice, data, and signaling data between mobile phones and cell sites. The set of standards includes: CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. 0, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. A, and CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. B...
network for both prepaid and postpaid customers. They also use the HSPA+
Evolved HSPA
HSPA+, or Evolved High-Speed Packet Access, is a technical standard for wireless, broadband telecommunication. HSPA+ was first defined in the technical standard 3GPP release 7....
network, but it cannot be used by prepaid customers. Also, only two Solo devices can access this network, although Solo SIM cards allow any compatible HSPA+ handset to be used on the network. Solo has not announced any plans for prepaid services on the HSPA+ network, or any services at all on Bell's LTE network.
Products
Now that its third party retail presence has officially ended, Solo Mobile carries a limited selection of 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 and 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...
s.
Feature phones
Solo Mobile currently only has two feature phones in its lineup:- LG 230
- Samsung Gravity 3
Released on March 16, 2011, the Samsung Gravity 3 is currently the only new feature phone from Solo this year. It is also the only HSPA+ feature phone currently available from Solo, although the LG Flick was previously available. All other feature phones use the CDMA network.
Prices for these simple feature phones are identical to, or even higher than, those offered by Bell Mobility
Bell Mobility
Bell Mobility is a CDMA and HSPA+ based wireless network and the division of Bell Canada which sells wireless services in Canada...
and Virgin Mobile Canada
Virgin Mobile Canada
Virgin Mobile Canada is a cellular telephone company that was launched on March 1, 2005 as a joint venture between Virgin Group and Bell Canada. Since May 7, 2009, it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Bell Mobility. - Pre-launch :...
. While the Samsung Entro and r330 appear on Glentel's websites, they are likely nothing more than a placeholder.
Smartphones
The BlackBerry PearlBlackBerry Pearl
The BlackBerry Pearl is a smartphone developed by Research In Motion the first BlackBerry device with a camera and media player. It was originally released on September 12, 2006...
8130 is a legacy
Legacy
-Comics:* Legacy , an alias used by Genis-Vell, better known as Captain Marvel* "Batman: Legacy", a 1996 Batman storyline* Star Wars: Legacy, a 2006 series from Dark Horse* X-Men: Legacy, a 1991 series from Marvel Comics...
CDMA device which Solo still carries. In comparison, Bell and Virgin cleared out all remaining stock of the 8130, plus the upgraded HSPA+ 9100. The 8130 can be upgraded to BlackBerry OS
BlackBerry OS
BlackBerry OS is a proprietary mobile operating system, developed by Research In Motion for its BlackBerry line of smartphone handheld devices...
4.5.0.101 and it also allows users to install compatible BlackBerry App World
BlackBerry App World
BlackBerry App World is an application distribution service and application by Research In Motion for a majority of BlackBerry devices. The service provides BlackBerry users with an environment to browse, download, and update third-party applications. The service went live on April 1, 2009...
applications including BlackBerry Messenger
Blackberry Messenger
BlackBerry Messenger is a proprietary Internet-based instant messenger application included on BlackBerry devices which allows messaging between BlackBerry users.It was developed by Research In Motion , maker of the BlackBerry device...
(BBM). Some apps, such as those for Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited is one of Canada's 60 largest publicly traded companies. The firm operates an inter-related network of businesses engaged in retailing hardgoods, apparel and petroleum as well as financial and automotive services, employing more than 58,000 people across Canada...
and Shazam
Shazam (service)
Shazam is a commercial mobile phone based music identification service, with its headquarters in London, England. The company was founded in 1999 by Chris Barton , Philip Inghelbrecht, Dhiraj Mukherjee and Avery Wang ....
, require newer versions of the BlackBerry OS and are therefore incompatible with Solo's BlackBerry Pearl.
On October 13, 2011, Solo added the Samsung Galaxy Gio
Samsung Galaxy Gio
The Samsung Galaxy Gio is a smartphone manufactured by Samsung operating the Android operating system.It was announced at the 2011 Mobile World Congress as one of four Samsung low-end smartphones, along with the Galaxy Ace, Galaxy Fit and Galaxy mini....
to its lineup. This is the operator's first Android-powered smartphone and uses the HSPA+ network. The French instruction manual, however, was uploaded on Solo's website as early as August 9, 2011. The company had made no significant efforts to encourage new customers to obtain this phone.
Both smartphones are available at $249.99 with a 30-day contract. Neither can be activated on a Solo prepaid service.
Legacy products
Blabble is a FacebookFacebook
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...
application launched by Solo Mobile in September 2008. A photo tagging application, users could add quotes through speech bubbles on to photos within their existing Facebook albums. As of August 2011, the application has been completely removed.
Voice plans
Currently, all of Solo's voice plans are nearly identical to competitor 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...
's postpaid offerings, with a few differences:
- All Solo plans except the one at $15 include unlimited local calls on Saturdays and Sundays, plus from 7pm to midnight and from midnight to 7am on weekdays. This is identical to what Fido offers, except that Fido has a 5pm requirement instead of 7pm for all of their plans costing $25 or more.
- If a Solo customer wants unlimited incoming calls on the $30 plan, they will receive 150 anytime minutes instead of 200.
- Fido includes 150 local minutes in their $25 plan while Solo only includes 100.
- Solo includes unlimited sent international SMS in their $25 plan while Fido does not.
- Unlike Fido, Solo does not include a feature similar to Fido's "Circle Calling" in their plans.
- While Solo offers these plans to both its prepaid and postpaid customers, the Fido plans are only for postpaid customers, and those with prepaid Fido service have completely different plans.
Unlimited plans
To compete against Rogers WirelessRogers 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
Chatr
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 ...
brand, Solo Mobile offers unlimited, zone-based plans. They are identical to Chatr's $25 and $35 plans, but can only be used on prepaid with CDMA devices sold by Solo. Currently, Solo only has one such phone on sale for new customers. They are offered in the same cities where Chatr is available.
There are no add-ons available for Solo's unlimited plans, with the exception of a voicemail
Voicemail
Voicemail is a computer based system that allows users and subscribers to exchange personal voice messages; to select and deliver voice information; and to process transactions relating to individuals, organizations, products and services, using an ordinary telephone...
option for the $25 plan. As such, customers cannot subscribe to 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:...
on their devices.
Legacy services
Solo Mobile offered a 10-4 walkie-talkie service during the company's renaissance, from 2005 until mid-2009. This was heavily promoted with the slogan "Cell Phone. Walkie talkie. Spread The Word."There previously were promotional rebates offered to customers who purchased a prepaid phone but activated it on a two-year postpaid contract.
Criticism
Solo Mobile has been criticised for charging a system access feeSystem access fee
The System access fee is a non-governmental surcharge imposed by most Canadian telephone companies on their customers' monthly bills . Although it is normally charged for wireless services, Rogers Communications and the now-defunct Sprint Canada also charged its home phone customers a System Access...
on older plans and for its antisemitic advertising.
Retail presence
Solo Mobile products and services are only available in British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, because Bell has a smaller presence in other provinces and all three territories. The brand no longer has its own corporate retail stores, given its decline, so products and services are sold in Bell Canada
Bell Canada
Bell Canada is a major Canadian telecommunications company. Including its subsidiaries such as Bell Aliant, Northwestel, Télébec, and NorthernTel, it is the incumbent local exchange carrier for telephone and DSL Internet services in most of Canada east of Manitoba and in the northern territories,...
corporate stores instead. Also, some stores showcase exclusively the Bell Mobility
Bell Mobility
Bell Mobility is a CDMA and HSPA+ based wireless network and the division of Bell Canada which sells wireless services in Canada...
brand, choosing not to display anything Solo-related at all. At any Bell store, however, it is still possible to purchase Solo SIM card and feature phones, as long as there is remaining stock. The representatives at these stores also provide activation, renewal, and support for Solo Mobile.
Former retailers
Although Solo Mobile products and prepaid vouchers were previously available at some The Source locations, no postpaidPostpaid
Post Paid: A model of cellular service whereby the customer is charged for usage in the prior month , and hence does not feature any limitations on volume of service used...
activations were done, so customers had to purchase feature phones at its full retail price and then activate a postpaid month-to-month or prepaid service on their own. This has led to store representatives comparing Solo to IKEA
IKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
's ready-to-assemble furniture. Additionally, only one-eight of the mobile phones section displayed Solo products, while three-eights were devoted to Virgin Mobile products and the remaining half were for Bell Mobility products. Finally, store employees discouraged customers from choosing prepaid products, especially those offered by Solo Mobile, recommending postpaid service with the Bell and Virgin brands instead. , Solo Mobile products are no longer available at The Source stores. Remaining phones were shipped back to Bell's warehouse as per an order by this company. The section that was previously reserved for Solo products has now been transformed to accommodate Virgin products instead.
In addition to Bell corporate stores, third-party Canadian dealers were also able to sell Solo prepaid feature phones. , however, this is no longer the case. Previous retailers included Best Buy
Best 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...
, 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....
, Glentel
Glentel
Glentel is the largest independent mobile phone retailer in Canada. The company has three operating divisions - Canadian Retail, American Retail, and a business division.-Retail Division:...
, Loblaw
Loblaw Companies
Loblaw Companies Limited is the largest food retailer in Canada, with over 1,400 supermarkets operating under a variety of regional banners, including the namesake Loblaws. LCL is headquartered in Brampton, Ontario...
-branded, Walmart 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....
stores. Although the Samsung Entro and R330 are currently listed as the only Solo phones on Glentel's websites, they have been discontinued a long time ago, and Bell asked the retailers to ship back all Solo merchandise. Only prepaid airtime for Solo can be purchased at these retailers.
See also
- Bell MobilityBell MobilityBell Mobility is a CDMA and HSPA+ based wireless network and the division of Bell Canada which sells wireless services in Canada...
, Solo Mobile's parent company- Virgin Mobile CanadaVirgin Mobile CanadaVirgin Mobile Canada is a cellular telephone company that was launched on March 1, 2005 as a joint venture between Virgin Group and Bell Canada. Since May 7, 2009, it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Bell Mobility. - Pre-launch :...
, mainly responsible for Solo's decline
- Virgin Mobile Canada
- List of Canadian mobile phone companies