Type Private Headquarters Markham Number of employees 150 | Website Ice Wireless Founded September 2005 Parent organization Iristel | |
Industry Mobile network operator Key people Samer Bishay - President & CEO Products HSPA+ mobility services, mobile broadband Internet, fixed line telephone | ||
Ice Wireless is a Canadian mobile network operator and telecommunications company that provides 3G/4G mobility services, mobile broadband Internet, and fixed line telephone in the territories of Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The company’s corporate headquarters are located in Markham, Ontario.
Contents
- History
- Services
- Retail Stores
- Network
- Coverage
- Roaming
- Smartphones
- ICE Home Phone Services
- Mobile Broadband Services
- Relationship with Iristel
- References
Ice Wireless is a roaming partner for Rogers Wireless, Fido and Vidéotron Mobile in Northern Canada.
History
Ice Wireless was launched in 2005 to serve rural and remote communities in Northern Canada. The network was first developed in the community of Inuvik, Northwest Territories, a base for oil and gas exploration located approximately 100 km (62 mi) from the Arctic Ocean and 200 km (120 mi) north of the Arctic Circle. The network was the first GSM system in Northern Canada, originally designed as a “small cell” system that could be scaled down and economically deployed to rural and remote communities. Due the scalability of its technology, Ice Wireless could offer mobility service in locations that could not be economically reached by larger telecommunications companies. Ice Wireless was the first to launch mobility service in Inuvik, Aklavik and Behchoko in the Northwest Territories. As customers increased, Ice Wireless expanded service to include Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
In 2012, Ice Wireless announced a $12.4 million network upgrade to roll out 3G/4G HSPA+ across the three Canadian territories. As part of this upgrade, Ice Wireless launched a full range of telecommunications services, including 3G/4G mobility services, mobile broadband Internet, and fixed line telephone. Ice Wireless also announced a strategic partnership with Iristel, the largest Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) in Canada and the first CLEC to enter Northern Canada.
In 2013, Ice Wireless became the first mobile network operator to launch 3G/4G services to Iqaluit, Nunavut. These services were launched using SES’ AMC-9 satellite.
The Ice Wireless network now covers 75% of the population of the Yukon and Northwest Territories as well as Iqaluit, Nunavut.
Services
Retail Stores
Ice Wireless operates its own corporate retail stores, and also conducts business through a network of agents that operate in each local market. Ice Wireless provides 24/7 customer care and technical support for its customers, as well as 9-1-1 service.
Network
As a Mobile Network Operator (MNO) Ice Wireless owns and operates communication towers, facilities and radio access network equipment in all three Canadian territories.
Ice Wireless provides UMTS wireless services with Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+) for data, using its licenses on the 850Mhz/1900MHz frequency band, also known as Personal Communication Service (PCS). Maximum theoretical speeds for HSPA+ are 21.1 Mbit/s.
Ice Wireless is a member of the GSM Association (GSMA).
Coverage
Ice Wireless offers HSPA+ network coverage in the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Roaming
Ice Wireless is a roaming partner of Rogers Wireless and Fido in Northern Canada. Rogers Wireless and Fido customers roam on the Ice Wireless network when travelling in the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Ice Wireless customers roam onto the Rogers Wireless network when travelling in the rest of Canada.
Smartphones
Ice Wireless currently offers the following smartphones for use on its network.
ICE Home Phone Services
Ice Wireless offers the ICE Home Phone service, which provides customers with a home telephone line.
The ICE Home Phone is a small wireless device with a telephone jack that provides telephone service to corded or cordless home telephones. The Ice Home Phone uses the Ice Wireless cellular network to operate and can be used anywhere in a customer’s house or office that there is a wireless signal. The ICE Home Phone needs only be powered; it does not require the use of a home phone wall jack like traditional home phone service. The ICE Home Phone comes with a set of three V-tech cordless phones at time of purchase.
Mobile Broadband Services
Ice Wireless offers two mobile broadband products that provide high speed internet service:
The Mobile Hotspot is a portable wireless router that allows up to 10 Wi-Fi devices to connect to the Internet at download speeds of up to 21 Mbit/s.
The ICE Gateway+ is a desktop-based wireless internet router that allows up to 254 Wi-Fi devices to connect to the internet at download speeds of up to 14.4 Mbit/s. The ICE Gateway+ also doubles as an ICE Home Phone, featuring a telephone jack that provides telephone service to corded or cordless home telephones. The ICE Gateway+ comes with a set of three V-tech cordless phones at time of purchase.
Relationship with Iristel
In 2012, Ice Wireless established a strategic partnership with Iristel, Canada's Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) and VoIP service provider.Under the terms of this partnership, Iristel became a major shareholder of Ice Wireless. One of the key elements to the relationship between Ice Wireless and Iristel is the integration of the two networks to create a unique and dynamic system in which mobile phones and VoIP phones are all integrated in an owned and self-controlled network. It is this integration that sets Ice Wireless apart from its competition.