New Canadian mobile operator Globalive has announced it is to rebrand as WIND Mobile ahead of its launch in the country later this year. The new brand is the same used by the WIND-branded mobile operators in Italy and Greece, which (like Globalive) are also controlled by Naguib Sawiris’ Weather Investments, an affiliate of Egypt’s Orascom. “WIND is an established and growing brand with a successful history of over 10 years in two large European markets, and Canadians will benefit from the economies of scale of this relationship,” said Anthony Lacavera, chairman of Globalive Holdings, in a statement. “By choosing the same brand name, we are able to not only leverage WIND’s challenger status, but also its operational intelligence and experience.”

Globalive confirmed in its statement it is on target to launch in key markets in Canada in late 2009 and will continue to launch services next year. Service will operate on an all-IP HSPA network, which will pave the way to an LTE network in the future. It also announced the commencement of a recruitment drive; it is actively looking to immediately fill 300 positions in customer service and up to 2,000 more positions within the next 12 months. Globalive was one of the biggest spenders in the Canadian Advanced Wireless Services spectrum auction last year, paying C$442 million (US$415 million) for mobile licenses in every part of the country with the exception of Quebec. Orascom says its stake in the fledging operator is worth around US$500 million to US$700 million over the next four years, giving it an equity Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of around 20 percent.