Sugar Mobile Sweetens Deal for Wireless Consumers

At only $19 a month, Sugar Mobile reduces wireless costs up to 75 per cent by combining WiFi with mobile network access; great for teens and seniors alike

TORONTO, Jan. 13, 2016 /CNW/ - Sugar Mobile announces a new, easy-to-use service that saves Canadian consumers money by seamlessly moving from costly mobile networks to free WiFi much like how a hybrid car switches from gasoline to electricity. The Sugar App is aimed at teens, seniors and anyone else wanting to slash their wireless phone bills.

"This is a made-in-Canada communication tool using today's technology to offer Canadian consumers price relief from those hefty wireless phone bills," says Samer Bishay, President of Sugar Mobile, a brand of Ice Wireless, a facilities-based mobile network operator in Canada's North.

"We call them mobile phones, but most people use their mobile devices while in areas with free ubiquitous WiFi; in coffee shops, schools, offices, at home and elsewhere. And when they move out of WiFi range, the Sugar Mobile app seamlessly transfers users to Tier 1 quality mobile networks for talking, texting and surfing," Mr. Bishay adds.

The $19 a month replaces customers' existing monthly bills. The Sugar SIM card allows customers to say goodbye to their Big Phone Company and the $75 a month average bill in Canada.

The proprietary app, built in partnership between Sugar, Ice Wireless and their parent company Iristel Inc., is an Over-the-top (OTT) product for smart phones just as NetFlix is OTT content for television. Unlike other popular talk and text apps like Skype, WhatsApp and Viber, Sugar customers can keep their existing phone number or pick a new number from a different area code in Canada.

"This has the potential to be a game changer because 80 to 90 per cent of the time when we're on our phones in an urban setting we're within range of WiFi," says telecom consultant Iain Grant of the Seaboard Group. "This is the first product of its kind in Canada that connects WiFi usage with mobile networks with its own SIM card, not one belonging to the Big Three phone companies."

Beyond saving money, Sugar Mobile offers consumers many other benefits, including:

• Pay in advance, no contracts, no strings attached;
• Unlimited Canada-Wide Talk & Text when connected to WiFi
• When out of WiFi range, customers can talk up to 650 minutes, or send 25,000 texts or surf up to 200MB per month, anywhere in Canada and the U.S. without incurring roaming fees;
• Unused non-WiFi data is rolled over to the next month. So, if you have 50MB remaining, your next 30 days will include 250MB (50MB + 200MB);
• The Sugar SIM card works on all unlocked Apple and Android smart phones. It's a 3-in-1 design and supports Standard, Micro, and Nano SIM sizes;
• Customers can use the Sugar App in all countries through WiFi. Non-WiFi data and talk will soon be available in Mexico and some European countries.

The primary target markets are teens and seniors, Mr. Bishay says. "Apps are second nature to teens and we see seniors with WiFi in their homes using Sugar to amalgamate their home phone and mobile phone."

Sugar Mobile starter kits and monthly top-up cards are available at 1,200 Shopper's Drug Mart and 500 7-Eleven stores across Canada or online at www.sugarmobile.ca

Sugar Free

To help familiarize potential subscribers with how the service works, Sugar has introduced a full-featured, 21-day trial of its service called 'Sugar Free'. The trial does not include a SIM card, and is limited to WiFi use only. It provides the user with a telephone number and a free app download. For more information visit www.sugarmobile.ca/free.

About Sugar Mobile

Sugar is a brand of Ice Wireless, a facilities-based mobile network operator delivering 3G/4G HSPA+ technology to rural and remote areas of Canada. Both Sugar and Ice are majority-owned by communications company Iristel Inc., the only CLEC (Competitive Local Exchange Carrier) with facilities in all 10 provinces and three territories.

SOURCE Sugar Mobile

Media Relations Contact: Patrick Arlia, Director of Operations, 416.800.0096, [email protected]; Bob Brehl, Media Relations, 416.800.0010, [email protected]