Freedom Mobile

Freedom Mobile (formerly Wind Mobile) is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider owned by Québecor. As of November 30, 2022 it is the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the country with 2,290,497 subscribers and a 6% market share, primarily concentrated in urban areas of Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba. In addition to mobile phone plans, Freedom also offers home internet and TV services. Founded in 2008 by the telecommunications provider Globalive, Wind Mobile was one of several new carriers launched that year under a Canadian government initiative to foster competition in the wireless sector. Alongside Mobilicity (later acquired by Rogers Communications) and Public Mobile (later acquired by Telus Communications), Wind Mobile initially introduced mobile data and voice services in Toronto, Ontario, on December 16, 2009, and Calgary, Alberta, on December 18, 2009. In 2016, Shaw Communications acquired Wind Mobile, and subsequently rebranded it as Freedom Mobile. On June 17, 2022, Shaw Communications, Rogers Communications, and Québecor announced an agreement for the sale of Freedom Mobile to Vidéotron, a subsidiary of Québecor, pending approval from the Competition Bureau and the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. The sale received approval on March 31, 2023, and was finalized on April 3, 2023.