Videotron is finally getting set to launch its 3G+ wireless network this week. The company will be holding a press conference this Thursday, September 9 at 10 a.m. to announce details.

Launch events will be held in Montreal at Entrepots Dominion, 3968 Saint-Ambroise St., and in Quebec City at the Quebec City Convention Centre, 1000 Rene-Levesque Blvd. E. Pierre Karl Peladeau, President & CEO of Quebecor Media, and Robert Depatie, President & CEO of Videotron, will be on hand to discuss details. The conference will also be broadcast live on VOX (channel 9 or 609, and online at webcast.videotron.com.

During the Advanced Wireless Spectrum (AWS) Auction that took place in the summer of 2008, Videotron managed to secure 17 blocks of spectrum in Quebec, as well as a small portion in Toronto, ON. The total investment was $554,549,000. In addition to participating in that auction, Videotron was one of the most vocal companies lobbying for Industry Canada to open the auction up to new players; a move that has turned out successful with the likes of WIND Mobile, Mobilicity, and Public Mobile already up and running with their new carrier brands.

At the Canadian Telecom Summit this summer, Depatie reinforced Videotron's commitment to offering a viable competitor to the existing national carriers in the company's region.

"You need to offer more than just a fair deal," he said during his keynote speech. "You need to offer seamless service, choice, and good customer service. Without choice, the real value of the service can't be realized."

Videotron is already a major force in Quebec in home telephony, Internet, and TV services. According to Depatie, Videotron has received a 97% global satisfaction rate, and the title of Quebec's most admired telecom company five years in a row.

In Quebec, Videotron is competing with the likes of the "Big Three": Bell, Rogers, and Telus. None of the new wireless carriers secured spectrum in Quebec.

Robert Depatie, President & CEO of Videotron, speaking at the Canadian Telecom Summit this summer.

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