Rogers’ Chatr discount prepaid brand to be delayed

It looked like Chatr, the discount wireless brand recently created by Rogers, was ready for an imminent launch. In fact, on Friday Boy Genius Report saw pictures of the phones in stores, further confirming the target July 21 launch date. Over the weekend, however, the launch hit a snag. Mobile Syrup passes along a note which reveals the unexpected delay. The stores have the phones — those pictures were not forgeries — but they have been instructed to keep them in storage until further notice. That doesn’t sound good for the Chatr brand.

It’s not certain, but this might have something to do with the complaint that Mobilicity threatened to file if Rogers moved forward with their Chatr plans. As Mobile Syrup explains:

[Mobilicity] Chairman John Bitove said he’s going to file a complaint with the Competition Bureau if Rogers proceeds. “They’re trying to destroy our success” Bitove said. In the “Abuse of Dominant Position” in the Competition Act it states that the “use of fighting brands selectively on a temporary basis to discipline or eliminate a competitor”.

Again, there’s no confirmation of whether this is the specific cause for the delay, but it’s a possibility. In any case, we’ll look for any indication of a new launch date. Considering how closely Boy Genius Report and Mobile Syrup are to this story, I suspect we’ll find out more this week.

Related Posts

Leave a Reply