Glentel
Encyclopedia
Glentel is the largest independent mobile phone
retailer in Canada
. The company has three operating divisions - Canadian Retail
, American Retail, and a business division.
, Tbooth Wireless
, and Wireless etc. It has more than 280 retail locations that are located in shopping malls, street fronts, and Costco
Warehouses across Canada. Glentel's US retail division consists of over 130 Diamond Wireless - Verizon Premium retail locations in the United States.
Glentel's original brand, WirelessWave, was founded in 1997. The first store was opened in Burnaby's Metrotown Mall. WirelessWave currently has 121 mall-based and street front stores located in British Columbia
, Alberta
, Saskatchewan
, Manitoba
, Ontario
, Québec
, Nova Scotia
, and New Brunswick
.
In 2005, Glentel acquired Tbooth Wireless. Since 2005, the number of Tbooth wireless stores has increased by more than 50%, with over 80 locations across Canada; including an expansion westward into Alberta and British Columbia.
In 2007, Glentel launched Wireless etc, a store-in-store brand. Wireless etc stores are now in 77 locations of Costco
Wholesale in Canada.
In August 2010, Glentel acquired Diamond Wireless, a Verizon Wireless
retailer based in Salt Lake City, Utah
. There are 132 stores, the majority of which are located in shopping malls in the southern and western United States; Diamond Wireless has a presence in Washington State, Oregon
, Utah
, Colorado
, California
, Arizona
, Nevada
, New Mexico
, Texas
, and Hawaii
.
In October 2010, Glentel launched Wireless Wave to Québec
as Wave Sans Fil.
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
retailer in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The company has three operating divisions - Canadian Retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
, American Retail, and a business division.
Retail Division
Glentel’s Canadian Retail Division has three brands – WirelessWaveWirelessWave
WirelessWave is a subsidiary of Glentel, a provider of telecommunications services and mobile phones in North America.-History:WirelessWave opened its first mall-based store in the Metropolis at Metrotown mall in Burnaby, British Columbia.-Services:...
, Tbooth Wireless
Tbooth Wireless
Tbooth Wireless/la cabine T sans fil is a subsidiary of GLENTEL Inc., the largest independent mobile phone retailer in Canada. GLENTEL operates more than 280 locations across Canada under the brandnames WIRELESSWAVE/WAVE SANS FIL, Tbooth wireless/la cabine T sans fil and WIRELESS etc./SANS FIL etc...
, and Wireless etc. It has more than 280 retail locations that are located in shopping malls, street fronts, and Costco
Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...
Warehouses across Canada. Glentel's US retail division consists of over 130 Diamond Wireless - Verizon Premium retail locations in the United States.
Glentel's original brand, WirelessWave, was founded in 1997. The first store was opened in Burnaby's Metrotown Mall. WirelessWave currently has 121 mall-based and street front stores located in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Québec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, and New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
.
In 2005, Glentel acquired Tbooth Wireless. Since 2005, the number of Tbooth wireless stores has increased by more than 50%, with over 80 locations across Canada; including an expansion westward into Alberta and British Columbia.
In 2007, Glentel launched Wireless etc, a store-in-store brand. Wireless etc stores are now in 77 locations of Costco
Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...
Wholesale in Canada.
In August 2010, Glentel acquired Diamond Wireless, a Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless
Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....
retailer based in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. There are 132 stores, the majority of which are located in shopping malls in the southern and western United States; Diamond Wireless has a presence in Washington State, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
In October 2010, Glentel launched Wireless Wave to Québec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
as Wave Sans Fil.
Corporate history
Glentel has a long and complex history.- 1985: Ted RogersEdward S. Rogers, Sr.Edward Samuel "Ted" Rogers is regarded as the founder of Rogers Communications although it was established in 1967, almost three decades after his death.-Life and career:...
launches cell phone service with Cantel, now known as Rogers WirelessRogers CommunicationsRogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
.
- 1985: Alan and Tom Skidmore open Speedy Celtel – a Cantel service Centre in Surrey, British ColumbiaSurrey, British ColumbiaSurrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District...
. They sell the first cell phone in Western CanadaWestern CanadaWestern Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
. Speedy Celtel grows to 35 retail locations over the next few years. By acquiring Glenayre Electronics, a telecommunications company, the Skidmore brothers become the largest independent player in the Canadian cellular industry. Selling 1 of every 5 cellphones in Canada, they acquire 40% of Cantel’s market shareMarket shareMarket share is the percentage of a market accounted for by a specific entity. In a survey of nearly 200 senior marketing managers, 67 percent responded that they found the "dollar market share" metric very useful, while 61% found "unit market share" very useful.Marketers need to be able to...
.
- 1989: Speedy Celtel becomes the majority shareholder of Glenayre. They change the name to Glenayre Technologies Inc.
- 1990: Ted Rogers buys Speedy Celtel with a long-term contract to sell Cantel services and products.
- 1992: Glenayre Technologies is renamed Glentel.
- 1996: Fido SolutionsFido SolutionsFido Solutions is a Canadian cellular telephone service provider currently owned by Rogers Communications. It was formerly owned by Microcell Telecommunications. Fido does, however, remain a separate entity from Rogers...
and Clearnet CommunicationsClearnet CommunicationsClearnet Communications was a Canadian cellular telephone service provider from 1984 to 2000, when it was acquired by Telus Mobility. Clearnet operated a CDMA-based PCS network and an iDEN-based cellular network called Mike...
contract Glentel as a national distributor.
- 1997: Glentel’s first WirelessWave retail outlet opens in Burnaby’s Metrotown MallMetrotownMetropolis at Metrotown is a shopping mall complex in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. With over 450 shops and services, it is the largest mall in British Columbia, and the 2nd largest in Canada...
.
- 2005: Glentel acquires Tbooth Wireless.
- 2010: Glentel acquires a controlling interestControlling interestControlling interest in a corporation means to have control of a large enough block of voting stock shares in a company such that no one stock holder or coalition of stock holders can successfully oppose a motion...
in Diamond Wireless, a mall-based Verizon WirelessVerizon WirelessCellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....
retailer headquartered in Salt Lake City, UtahSalt Lake City, UtahSalt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. The move increases the company's holdings by a further 128 stores.