CBC

Dear Bell & Telus:Wow. Today is a big day for you. You came up with a whole new way to dig deep -- way deep -- into the already porous pockets of Canadians. Up until now, I naively believed that the government and oil companies were responsible for gouging me, but clearly you’ve found a whole new way to exploit the Canadian population. After giving it some thought however (and doing a little research from online sources that appear to be credible), I was able to see your rationale for this new 15 cent per text message billing structure.  After all, times are tough – we’re all feeling the pinch.

I mean, look at some of these upsetting facts I found:

• Bell, in 2007, you only made 20 billion dollars in annual revenue  (from about 5.8 million wireless subscribers)
• And Telus, well, you are clearly in dire straits. Sadly, you only made about 9.2 billion dollars from 5.7 million wireless subscribers.

Wow, I can see how it would be hard to stay afloat given these rough economic conditions. Sadly, I cannot help with either of your causes as I currently contribute $100 / month in wireless services to Rogers’ annual revenue.

Despite the fact Rogers at the moment has no intention to jump on the pay per text bandwagon, I’ve already carved out my own plan to stick it to the man. See, I’m lucky enough to work for a little company named EQO, a Canadian company in fact, where I don’t pay a penny for messages. Listen up Bell and Telus (AND Rogers) subscribers! I’m about to share my secret with you – think of it as a quick tip to help you, the little guy, STICK IT to the big guys.

Just follow these simple directions:

1. Go to www.EQO.com and click on GET EQO NOW  
2. Sign up for your FREE EQO account, and follow the simple directions to download EQO to your phone (it works with your existing phone and plan). EQO will import your contacts automatically.
3. INVITE EVERYONE you know on BELL, TELUS (& ROGERS) to join your EQO network (think of the Facebook invite style, but on your mobile phone).
4. Select a contact from your EQO Phonebook, click on EQO Message, type your message (might I suggest something like “SUCK IT, Bell & Telus!”), and hit send. You just sent your message for FREE, and your buddy will receive your message FOR FREE – no charge from Bell or Telus (or Rogers), and of course no charge from EQO.  

Now THAT WAS EASY (insert Staples easy button here). You just sent the first of many FREE messages, the possibilities are endless. And by the way, for your buddies that aren’t on EQO, we also offer super-cheap SMS texts to anywhere in the world, though that won’t help your friend.

Why am I sharing my secret with you? Well, because it’s no secret at all. A bunch of us got together here at EQO a few years ago and set out to make staying in touch with people easier, and CHEAPER. It’s our contribution to good karma – enjoy, and make sure to let us know what you think!

In the meantime, you stay classy, Canadian telcos!

A couple weeks ago I attended DemoCamp Vancouver to give some of the local tech geniuses a demo of the new EQO Mobile. Sadly an iPhone turned up and I got bumped, but I still managed to get some time to show the wonders of EQO Mobile to the interested parties. After the demo I met Tod Maffin who requested an interview with us. EQO CEO Bill Tam was up to the task and here is the end result in video form:

CBC Technology Interview with Bill Tam

Bill talks about the company, the product, and even gives a demo of EQO Mobile in action using a Toronto and a Vancouver phone. If you are interested in seeing first hand how EQO Mobile works, give Bill and Tod a watch. Thank you Tod Maffin for an excellent interview.

Chris
EQO Customer Evangelist

Bill Tam, CEO of EQO, was on the CBC the other day talking about EQO (audio here).. It's a good demonstration of the notion that, for the uninitiated, VoIP is a dirty word. It's not that it isn't a powerful technology, but the stay-at-homes and most of the rest of us have been conditioned to think of the dangers of the misdirected 911 call when we hear the word "VoIP". In many respects this is because the industry didn't do a good job of containing these fears at the onset (blame Vonage). After all, the mobile carriers have never done a very good job at handling 911 location data, still don't, and regulators haven't exactly held their feet to the fire.

One of the great things about EQO is that it doesn't matter whether or not we use VoIP. In keeping people connected to online communities, we'd use string and plastic cups if it was most appropriate. If this industry is to surmount this kind of attack (hint: it comes when we say "cheap long distance" or "VoIP") then we need to sell based on features... things that improve how people communicate. EQO is doing that but the mainstream media don't always pick up on that because it's more interesting to them to report on the evil defilers of E911 data.