Entertainment centric MVNO Amp'd Mobile will launch in Canada next year thanks to a partnership with TELUS. Service is scheduled to begin in early 2007 and will run on TELUS' EV-DO network. Interestingly for a MVNO carrier, the agreement Amp'd has with TELUS only has content responsibilities for Amp'd.
Under the terms of the Licensing and Services Agreement, Amp'd Mobile will be responsible for bringing the freshest, hottest and most exclusive entertainment to Canadian subscribers as well as providing optimized handsets capable of fast download speeds. TELUS will manage sales and distribution, billing, client care, network operations and pricing - ensuring that Canadians continue to receive the exceptional consumer experience they've come to expect from TELUS. TELUS shall have the exclusive right to use the Amp'd trademarks, premium data services, handsets and content delivery platforms in Canada.
This move might point to a strategy shift by Amp'd. In the US the company controls sales, billing and simply buys airtime in bulk from Verizon Wireless. As part of the deal TELUS Ventures, a venture investment division of TELUS, announced a $7.5 million investment in Amp'd.