Globalive CEO Tony Lacavera’s Wireless Soapbox

I want to briefly talk about Globalive CEO Tony Lacavera’s most inventive, exciting, and yet dangerous Wireless Soapbox initiative in this blog entry and I will leave a more detailed business analysis for later (assuming I can find time or find a publisher to pay me to write it (smile)).

Listening to Tony asking Canadians in this video to share with him our wireless experiences and what we think about wireless in Canada was truly a refreshing start on things. Tony, good for you. At the same time, this can be dangerous because willingness to listen is just an important **first step**. So far, in six hours, you’ve got yourself 500+ comments and feedbacks posted on your site for you and all to see.

I see potentials for great things to be done with these comments and feedbacks from Canadians. The great and rewarding challenge is how do you respond to them appropriately and act accordingly. Tony, I truly hope you and your team are using this as a great opportunity to provide great and competitive (read “reasonably priced”) wireless service to Canadians from sea to sea.

Judging from this CBC report, you and your company seems to be thinking in the right direction.

“I’ve never built a wireless company and we as Globalive have never built a wireless company, so we’re not going to claim to be the experts,” he [Tony Lacavera] said. “Canadians have a lot to say about wireless and it’s about time that a company did a lot more listening and lot less telling.”

The company has not yet decided on which equipment maker will build its network, although the field is down to two, Lacavera said. Globalive plans to launch a test service with a small group of customers in the second quarter of next year, with a full roll-out coming in the “back half” of 2009.

Tony, good luck to you and us all. Canada wireless industry needs some competitions and shake up. It is good to see you trying the inventive and exciting Wireless Soapbox initiative. I have subscribed to your blog and will be paying close attention to what you guys do. Best of luck.

P.S. My current contract with Bell Canada expires in 2010, I guess the timing works out well for me.

*******

Sept 5, 2008 Update: Here is Gobalive’s Twitter account. And here is their Facebook Fan page.

Found this 2002 Autumn U of Toronto Skule Matters magazine (PDF file, (cover & pg 14-15)) featuring Tony (BASc Comp 9T7). He was then President, CEO and co-founder of Canopco (and six years younger!). Here is a Globe and Mail article about Canopco.