The team behind the hit SmartLess podcast has launched a low-cost cellphone service in the U.S. — but Canadians won’t get access to it anytime soon, despite the fact that the project is led and backed by several Canadian industry veterans.
On Tuesday, actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Toronto-born Will Arnett officially rolled out SmartLess Mobile, a discount phone service aimed at U.S. users who mostly rely on Wi-Fi and don’t need big data plans. The idea is to save customers money — using the same humour that made the podcast famous.
But despite being run by Paul McAleese, the former president of Calgary-based Shaw and Freedom Mobile, and backed by a fund owned by Toronto billionaire Peter Thomson, the service is staying south of the border. “We have no plans to launch in Canadian markets,” McAleese told the Globe and Mail (which is owned by the Thomson family).
SmartLess Mobile is what’s called an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator), which means it uses another company’s wireless network — in this case, T-Mobile in the U.S. Here are the plans that include 5G data, hotspot access, unlimited talk and text and unlimited global text, 100 roaming texts, plus international calling to over 200 countries (US pricing below):
Now in Canada, regulations make this true MVNO model difficult to roll out here, and the big three telecoms already operate their own discount brands like Virgin Plus, Koodo, and Fido. The CRTC in 2021 mandated wholesale access for MVNOs would only be available to providers that already own spectrum and infrastructure. So this means a company wanting to just buy wholesale access from the ‘Big 3’ and reselling it is not possible here.
The SmartLess brand, known for its casual chats with celebrity guests, is following a model made popular by another Canadian — Vancouver actor Ryan Reynolds — who helped grow Mint Mobile before it was sold to T-Mobile for a hefty US$1.3 billion.
For now, Canadian fans of SmartLess can keep listening to the podcast — but won’t be able to sign up for the cellphone service inspired by it.
Want to see more of our stories on Google?
P.S. Want to keep this site truly independent? Support us by buying us a beer, treating us to a coffee, or shopping through Amazon here. Links in this post are affiliate links, so we earn a tiny commission at no charge to you. Thanks for supporting independent Canadian media!
Oh Canada… land of red tape and protection for oligarchies….
Great. Hope they go bankrupt soon.
Made in Canada, stay in Canada or GTFO
CRTC didn't allow fellow-Canadian Ryan Reynolds' Mint Mobile here either – so no surprise.