High Road Communications

Competition in Canada’s mobile communication industry is heating up – and it could affect the way companies approach public relations.

With new wireless phone providers entering the market, Canadian businesses might have to seriously beef up the mobile quotient of their public-outreach strategies. Over the past few months, new companies have announced their plans to enter the wireless market. In October, Quebec-based Videotron said it would spend $800 million to $1 billion building an advanced wireless network. In November DAVE Wireless unveiled the executive team charged with taking the business from concept to going concern.

The Canadian wireless market seems ready for more mobile services. According to the CRTC’s Communications Monitoring Report, 60 per cent of Canadians subscribe to wireless – while reports indicate that other countries have nearly 100 per cent wireless market penetration. The Canadian new entrants look towards our nation’s apparent market headroom to drive their profits – and if they succeed in enticing more people into subscribing to wireless, mobile communication could become an even more prevalent aspect of Canadians’ lives.

What does it all mean for public relations? More than ever before, businesses would have to include mobile outreach in their campaigns to connect with people. Certainly we’ve seen the start of this with companies employing new communication services such as Twitter and text messaging in their strategies today. Mobile video could also become an important part of the PR mix down the road.

There are no guarantees that the new mobile providers will succeed – and who knows? Perhaps Canada’s current 60 per cent penetration mark is as fruitful as the market will ever be. Regardless, organizations would do well to watch the mobile trends, and envision ways to use mobile tools to ensure they’re ahead of the curve if it comes.