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Zer01 Mobile – New USA Cell Phone Service Operator

The United States is seeing significant growth and competition in the wireless industry.  One of the most recent players is a company call Zer01 Mobile (www.zer01mobile.com).  Zer01 Mobile launched services in the United States July 1, 2009 and offers a very unique service for customers, UNLIMITED USAGE!  That is correctly, Zer01 offers true unlimited calling, unlimited data and unlimited web browsing.  The unbeatable part of their offer is their pricing in the US.  Starting at just $69.95 / month Zer01 is going to be a competitive player in the market that will likely attract a lot of new business.

So what is the difference with Zer01 that allows it to offer true unlimited service at a low discounted price?  Well the answer is Veritable Mobile Convergence (VMC) which allows “smart phone users to make voice calls or transmit data by sending voice communications through a VoIP system.”  This patent pending technology is provided through Buzzirk Mobile’s VOIP communication system and allows for this inexpensive communication channel, more info at (www.buzzirkmobile.com).

One of the main challenges facing Zer01 Mobile is device compatibility.  As of today the only devices compatible for them are Windows Mobile 6.0 type devices on the GSM network.  CDMA models are not compatible and many GSM mobiles will not be compatible either.  This means that customers would have to change devices including ditching their iPhones and Blackberries, which may be tough for many consumers to handle.

However, the company still seems to be drawing on positive PR and exposure. Zer01 Mobile has attracted so much attention lately that at the CTIA 2009 Wireless 2009 Conference they were awarded the ‘Best Overall Product’ by Laptop Magazine.  As Zer01 Mobile moves into the USA marketplace it will be interesting to see how their service, devices and company hold up against major industry players like AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.  However, if the product is as good as it sounds it could change the landscape of the mobile industry.

The next question is when can we expect a service like this in Canada?  Well, although the website does mention entry into the Canadian market I would not expect to see Zer01 Mobile in Canada anytime in 2009.  The Canadian marketplace is very difficult to enter due to government regulations and tight competition from the current players.  For now, watch what Zer01 Mobile and other new entrants to the US market do and maybe we will see them and their low cost, high usage options in the not too distant future. 

World Cell Phone Penetration Reaches 60%

In 2008, the International Telecommunications Union forecasted that global cell phone penetration would be at 50% by the end of the year.  As of 2009, the numbers are now showing that 6 out of 10 (or 3 of 5) humans on the planet now have a mobile phone. A United Nations 2009 review reported that global cell phone penetration is now at 60%.  As a result we have seen an improvement in cellular services around the world as companies upgrade to 3G networks and offer new services and plans for customers.  The growth in the market has mostly been attributed to an expanding pre-paid market as apposed to a slower growth rate in plan subscriptions.  The carriers and manufacturers are looking to cash in on these new users which are nearly 4 billion individuals across the world.

There is a definite skew toward the developed nations of the world.  Switzerland, as an example, has over 80% cell phone penetration and most developed nations are over 60%.  However, there is expanding growth in third world countries where some people don’t have bank accounts but do  have cell phone accounts!

The rapidly expanding market penetration of cell phones is magnified by the fact that  in 2002 only 15 % of the global population used cell phones. In only 8 years the world population of cell phone users has gone from approximately 1.2 billion to 4 billion.  Some reports are suggesting that by 2012 nearly 90% of the world’s population will be using cell phones.

What does all this mean?  Hopefully for Canada it will mean two things. 

1. That Canadians will see more competition and thus better pricing and services.

2. And that with more cell phone users in Canada that they will have more of a voice and say in the government decisions on cell phone practices in Canada.

What do you think?  Will increase market penetration of cell phones in Canada and the world be a positive or a negative?

(For more information on this article see: http://www.tgdaily.com/html_tmp/content-view-41586-113.html)

BBC NEWS ARTICLE MAY 29, 2009

This is a great story that I came across on the internet a few weeks ago.  It sounds as though when you go to prison one of the hardest things to detach yourself from is your cell phone.  These prisoners were foiled in their attempt to get cell phones air lifted by remote control helicopter into their prison compound.  Here is the article by Gary Duffy of BBC News in Sao Paulo.

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“Police in Brazil have foiled a plot to smuggle mobile phones into a high-security prison using a remotely-controlled model helicopter.

Four people were arrested and the high-tech toy was recovered after police stopped a car near to the jail.

Mobile phones are widely used by prisoners inside jails in Brazil to continue directing criminal activities.

Earlier this year prison guards in the same state discovered that pigeons were being used to carry mobile phone parts.

It seems the plot to smuggle the mobile phones into the Presidente Venceslau high security jail in Sao Paulo state was only stymied when police stopped a car as part of a routine check.

In the boot of the vehicle they found the one-metre long model helicopter with a basket-like container attached to its base.

Inside were nine mobile phones wrapped in a disposable nappy, while another five phones were also discovered in the vehicle.

Four suspects were arrested, and the youngest, who was aged just 17, is reported to have confessed they had been given $5,000 to buy and prepare the helicopter.

They were apparently to be paid the same amount if they had successfully landed the model inside the prison walls.

Prisoners in Brazilian jails routinely use mobile phones to carry on with criminal activity, and the police say the ones they recovered were probably intended to go to gang leaders inside the jail.

It is not the first time that the authorities have foiled an innovative attempt to smuggle material into a jail in Brazil.

Earlier this year Sao Paulo state prison guards uncovered a plot using pigeons to carry mobile phone parts over the walls of a jail.”

Please click the link below for the story and photos of the helicopter on BBC News:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8067589.stm

Enjoy your freedom and your cell phones!

www.saveoncellphones.ca