Back on June 30th, Rogers announced their intent to launch a new brand to focus on the unlimited talk and text segment of the market that has recently taken off. This new brand will be the third cellular brand for Rogers, after acquiring Fido a number of years back and will be called chatr.
chatr wireless officially launches today – http://www.chatrwireless.com They currently have 4 phones listed on their site, all of which are of the non-smartphone variety. In regards to plans, it looks like chatr is directly aimed at the new carriers that have recently launched across Canada – Wind, Public Mobile, and Mobilicity. For $35 you get unlimited incoming calls, unlimited outgoing calls to anywhere in your province, unlimited incoming text messages, and 50 outgoing texts. Plus you get call display, call waiting, call forwarding, and group calling for free. The only other plan they offer is $45 and that plan raises the limitations of the smaller plan. So unlimited calls to anywhere in the province becomes unlimited to anywhere in Canada and the 50 outgoing text messages becomes unlimited. Currently, chatr doesn’t have any data plans. I’m sure they’ll be adding something in the future.
In much the same way as Wind, chatr has zones of coverage. You can be in the chatr zone and out of the zone. Extra charges apply for when you’re out of coverage, and the coverage maps look very much like those of Wind and Mobilicity.
It’s great to see the competition in Canada finally starting to heat up. Wind was the first to break ground with unlimited and it’s made the big guys take notice. It’s going to be an interesting year for mobile in Canada. 
Full press release from Rogers about the launch of chatr is available after the break.
TORONTO, June 30 /CNW/ – Rogers Communications Inc. today announced the introduction of a new mobile phone brand to focus on the growing unlimited talk and text category. The offering, called chatr, is the first in the category to offer unlimited talk and text to customers with the reach and
reliability of a proven network.
“We’ve been watching this niche but growing category closely and it’s clear that some Canadians want to use their handsets for voice and text only but want a network they can trust,” said John Boynton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Rogers Communications.
chatr will offer voice and text only, and unlimited pricing options without term contracts within defined chatr zones. chatr will be supported by independent customer care and extensive retail distribution. Information on markets, pricing plans and available handsets will be provided by chatr when it launches later this summer.
“The launch of a third brand mirrors many other industries like the hospitality and retail sectors and is designed to offer Canadians more choice,” added Boynton.
The introduction of chatr rounds out Rogers’ existing multi brand approach to targeting distinct market segments. The Rogers brand will continue to deliver leading edge devices; a proven, reliable and fast network; handset servicing; and world class tech support. Fido will remain a value brand with superior service that cares about the customer and the environment. chatr will offer Canadians unlimited talk and text plans backed by Canada’s reliable network.
About the Company:
Rogers Communications is a diversified Canadian communications and media company. We are Canada’s largest provider of wireless voice and data communications services and one of Canada’s leading providers of cable television, high-speed Internet and telephony services. Through Rogers Media we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting, televised shopping, magazines and trade publications, and sports entertainment. We are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). For further information about the Rogers group of companies, please visit www.rogers.com
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