[Ch28]

http://ow.ly/1dR9k

OTTAWA — Canada’s closed-shop telecommunications industry is being thrown open to foreign competition.

The government says in the throne speech that it intends to open the doors to allow foreign players into the market.

Details of the new policy shift will likely be announced in Thursday’s budget.
But analysts say such a measure would allow foreign giants such as U.S.-based Verizon to compete in Canada with the established wireless carriers, Bell Mobility, Rogers and Telus.

Critics of the current system say the virtual monopoly of the Big Three has kept phone rates artificially high and slowed innovation.

But others say the measure is a first step that could lead to allowing foreign entities to own television and radio networks operating in Canada.

About time! Hopefully this will get us away from our 3rd world country rank haha

[CRS]

FUCK!

WHY DID I JUST SIGN ON A FOR A NEW PLAN!

But knowing the government, it'll take a few more years in which case I will be able to negotiate an even better plan.

[twitchyzero]

cheaper and better internet, mobile plan, and tv please.
kk thanks.

[willystyle]

It's about time Canada. It's about time.

[q0192837465]

Nice, no more getting robbed by the monopolies

[Greenstoner]

good news !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[invader]

Is 24hrs a reliable source?

[NeoDestinyZ]

Does this mean we can finally use Japanese phones?!

[originalhypa]

Isn't this all based on licenses?
So in effect, these guys can now play, but unless they buy current licenses, or wait until the CRTC releases the next batch, we're not going to see any changes.

Also, these guys are smart and won't leave 50% on the table. Like the latest carrier coming in, don't expect huge savings right away. But wait for competition to slowly eat away at the collusion.

[wahyinghung]

Vodaphone, O2 etc... we need you......................

[Mizter]

Woo, my contract ends at the end of the month!

[skyxx]

The flood of international companies and the completion of allowing other competition to come in will take atleast 2 years. I just signed a 3 year contract from Telus. By the time it's up it'll be perfect!

[q0192837465]

But we need to consider is our population density. One reason our wireless services are so expensive is because how spread out we are. So don't expect prices like in Asia anytime soon.

[CP.AR]

competition = good for consumers

[TRD Rs200]

3! Vodaphone! CSL! Orange! Verzion! T-mobile!

its about time

[Tegra_Devil]

now they just need to do the same with insurance i.e. ICBC

[RFlush]

now they just need to do the same with insurance i.e. ICBC

LOL so you can pay more for basic insurance?

[TOPEC]

i can foresee china mobile and china unicom coming here.

[Harvey Specter]

TV carriage rules will begin to change as well next year which is good news. The CRTC's approach under the Con's is to open everything up.

[simsimi1004]

if only they did for ICBC. fuck you ICBC

[VK79]

Wonder how long it would take before I can get those ~$20 12gig/500min unlimited incoming calls, unlimited msg plans... Yep, we need some giant Asian telco asap to show the big 3 how its done.

[no_clue]

yeah right,
any of you go get a quote from alberta/ontario and you'll run back to ICBC
unless you are over 28 years old

[J____]

lol time to sell your rogers shares lol. Great news for us, but kinda bad for wind mobile. didnt they pay $400 mil to get into canada?

[CP.AR]

now they just need to do the same with insurance i.e. ICBC
As bad as icbc is, it actually is already pretty good compared to the places say out east or down south
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[hotjoint]

^ this

[Gridlock]

Wind should be pissed. They raked the companies finances over the coals to determine ownership so that 3 months later, it would be thrown out.

Honestly, it has to happen. I'm all over protecting Canadian interests, but they need to play fair. It's the same thing that happened with land line long distance. If the companies had not been raping the consumer, there would not have been the need to de-regulate in the first place. Our phone bills are huge, and for shit service.

I think that if a new company applies to operate in Canada, I think they should have to invest in the rural areas to a certain degree to obtain the license. By building infrastructure out in the outlying areas not currently covered, that buys them access to existing infrastructure in the cities. Overall, service for the country improves. At the end of the process, we have a world class level of internet and phone service, subsidized by the new interests.

The same thing will happen to the cell coms that happened to landlines. In two years, you'll have RogersBellTel as a new company to compete against Verizon, that would run over the canadian market like a speedbump. Picture it, they start one advertising campaign, and in 3 months, they have 6-7 million new subscribers?

[twitchyzero]

But we need to consider is our population density. One reason our wireless services are so expensive is because how spread out we are. So don't expect prices like in Asia anytime soon.

Maybe Asian/European services aren't fair comparisons, but we should be getting the competitive rates as any American city in a few years (density is roughly the same unless you live in rural areas).

[Kamui712]

If this really goes through... yay! We may be able to get more variety in plans and cell phones that Europe/Asia get.

[dachinesedude]

Yes! We need PCCW here, cheap plans and mobile wifi ftw
Posted via RS Mobile (http://www.revscene.net/forums/announcement.php?a=228)

[Preemo]

YES!!! Even if it takes a couple of years to show any difference in my bill I am DOWN!

Smartphone plans are raping me monthly. I pay like $80 a month.

Anyways it doesn't just mean new phones and plans. It could potentially mean new jobs! Stimulate the economy some more!

[hk20000]

YES my contract is about to expire in 9 months! Just in time for this!

I would like a Vodafone please?

[godwin]

Unless they are going to roll out their own network (which you would have to kiss the cheap rates bye bye).. they are all going to just piggy back off the existing providers.. like Virgin do with Bell etc.

Wind mobile is having problems signing up new customers as it is.

Competition is good in theory, but it is very hard to execute in Canada.. Where we have low population density, and we mandate to have rural access.. Just be glad we don't have prices like in Sydney etc (where population density is about the same). Their price is much more.

[willystyle]

^ Bell owns Virgin, so obviously Virgin will be piggybacking off of Bell.

Also, WIND Mobile is a new national carrier, and has only been around for 2-3 months in only 3 Canadian cities. They have expected to lose money in the first few years before they can successfully get their brand out there. Their concept is totally new to Canadians, so it will take time for us to adjust. Give it some time, Orascom, their head company is owned by an Egyptian Billionaire. If he wants, he can go toe-to-toe with any of the Big 3 "Major Players" in Canada.

[bengy]

^ Regardless.

The wireless infrastructure in Canada is owned by 3 companies. Bell, Telus, and Rogers? Everyone else piggybacks on those networks.

[willystyle]

Bell, Telus, Rogers and WIND Mobile. There's 4.

Many of you are speaking as if new entrants into the Canadian Wireless Market will all be piggybacking off the Big 3. Don't you think that they have just as much brains to figure out that they need to build their own networks, in order to compete with the existing 3?

If they can somehow make it work financially, the new entrants will do just that.

[CRS]

Well WIND isn't exactly big yet especially when you compare it to the other 3...

[willystyle]

^ I know, I was referring to the whole network infrastructure thing. WIND does have their own network infrastructure, am I not correct?

[CRS]

^ I know, I was referring to the whole network infrastructure thing. WIND does have their own network infrastructure, am I not correct?

I was under the impression that they were piggy backing a network. I could be wrong, I didn't really read into this and when I did it was a while back.

[murd0c]

I'm just wondering about the big american companys verison etc it seems like there cell plans are big time cheap compaired to ours.
Posted via RS Mobile (http://www.revscene.net/forums/announcement.php?a=228)

[willystyle]

I was under the impression that they were piggy backing a network. I could be wrong, I didn't really read into this and when I did it was a while back.
WIND Mobile operates on Canada's first AWS Spectrum, operating at 1700/2100Mhz. Rogers, Telus and Bell operates on 850/1900Mhz UMTS GSM Spectrum.

So yes, WIND Mobile cannot be piggybacking off of the Big 3.

[godwin]

Actually not piggy back off Bell's back bone per se.. A lot of the cell site are owned by the Big 3 and the small companies like DAVE and Wind has to rent rack space at cell sites to install their own equipment. Especially in urban areas, there are finite number of cell sites to provide effective coverage as it is.

It is part of the Industry Canada's ruling.

WIND Mobile operates on Canada's first AWS Spectrum, operating at 1700/2100Mhz. Rogers, Telus and Bell operates on 850/1900Mhz UMTS GSM Spectrum.

So yes, WIND Mobile cannot be piggybacking off of the Big 3.

[SpartanAir]

I'm so happy for this. It's about time, we will get much better phones too.

I've had my I phone for 2 1/2 years, I bought it down at the Everett Apple store and had it for a YEAR before the Iphone came here. I don't see any reason why we have to wait so long.

I have a friend that moved from Boston who has kept her phone plan from there and her 617-number, because she pays $85/month for unlimited everything; calling, long distance, data, texting etc. I pay $115 a month and I don't have nearly enough minutes.

[yvrnycracer]

i want an unlimited data talk and text plan from AT&T wireless and TV and Internet from Time Warner Cable... even 5 years ago in the states the technology and prices were better than they are today in canada...

TWC's on demand service is the best, also not having to pay up front for your cable box! And having 2000 minutes from AT&T plus unlimited evenings and weekends with no roaming or long distance for US+Canada+PuertoRico for $100 a month... and long distance rates at like 2-3 cents to asia and europe... and toss in a roaming rate worldwide that was half of what it costs a canadian to roam in the US... I miss it...

[slammer111]

w00t! More competition is always better anyways.

If you ask me, Wind's approach is probably the smartest. Sure they may have a tiny network but all of my non-local friends are in Calgary and Toronto, which are both covered.

Rumour has it that Wind's Home Zone will cover up to Chilliwack. That's already way better than the Big 3 (where coverage stops at Langley). If that's true, I'm sold.

[2damaxmr2]

i need Verzion internet and better deal for my cell.

[Durrann]

do u guys know when wind mobile will launch in vancouver?
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[slammer111]

^ It was April/May 2010 last time I checked. We are next in line after Ottawa.

[J____]

^^^ perfect! thats when my old city fido contract ends!

[q0192837465]

hmmm, maybe i should wait for it to launch

I'm considering the Bell Bronze plan:
For $30, u get
1. unlimited browsing,
2. 100 daytime mins,
3. unlimited wkends.evening starting @ 6pm
4. Call forward, conference call

I think that's a decent plan since I dun text at all

[StylinRed]

This is good & bad but we'll enjoy lower prices/more services which is nice but Ill stick with the Canadian Companies as long as their prices become competitive (which they'll have to become)

[TOPEC]

hmmm, maybe i should wait for it to launch

I'm considering the Bell Bronze plan:
For $30, u get
1. unlimited browsing,
2. 100 daytime mins,
3. unlimited wkends.evening starting @ 6pm
4. Call forward, conference call

I think that's a decent plan since I dun text at all

u should clarify about the "unlimited browsing" with the carrier before u use it.
if i remember right it's useless cause it's only certain pages that r unlimited, so u'll get charged browsing revscene.

[k2_alpha]

^not for Bell.

its unlimited mobile browser.
it is exactly what the names states
unlimited internet browsing on a regular non data phone.

[skyxx]

^ Okay good, you clarified it. No data phone. :)

[silva95teg]

I am wondering what spectrum new entrants are going to use, wind is using their own but then they have a very limited selection of handsets. I would assume anyone building their own network on an entirely new frequency range would be in the same boat.

[Tapioca]

Whenever these discussions come up, I always ask myself, "How much wireless service do people actually need?"

This is what I have:

- 200 minutes
- 500 MB of data
- Unlimited texting
- Unlimited calls on weekends and weeknights after 6 PM

I pay just over $50/month for this service which I think is fairly reasonable (and has pretty much eliminated my need for a landline), but I know others pay less for more service. Why do you need unlimited data anyway? How connected to the 'cloud' do you need to be? If I need to make a call during the day, I use my office phone. Or if I want to spend 2-3 hours talking to someone, I'd rather do that in person over a beverage than over a phone. When I want to browse the web heavily, I do so at home with my fibre-optic 20 MBPS connection that I pay $35 for. Mobile web browsing can't replace what can be done a computer, at least not for the short-term. Even if you wanted unlimited data so you could tether and replace your home internet connection, 3G speeds can't replicate a good fibre optic connection, at least not yet. And if everyone did the same thing, I'm sure we would have major network problems because our mobile networks are not currently equipped to handle that kind of traffic. But on the other hand, you could always argue that the demand will force companies to ramp up their infrastructure.

This probably comes off as a bit of a rant, but when I hear of calls for more competition and cheaper services, I wonder how much people want to actually pay. People always make comparisons to Hong Kong, but when you have an area the size of Metro Vancouver, it's easy to provide cheap service.

[raygunpk]

Whenever these discussions come up, I always ask myself, "How much wireless service do people actually need?"

This is what I have:

- 200 minutes
- 500 MB of data
- Unlimited texting
- Unlimited calls on weekends and weeknights after 6 PM

I pay just over $50/month for this service which I think is fairly reasonable (and has pretty much eliminated my need for a landline), but I know others pay less for more service. Why do you need unlimited data anyway? How connected to the 'cloud' do you need to be? If I need to make a call during the day, I use my office phone. Or if I want to spend 2-3 hours talking to someone, I'd rather do that in person over a beverage than over a phone. When I want to browse the web heavily, I do so at home with my fibre-optic 20 MBPS connection that I pay $35 for. Mobile web browsing can't replace what can be done a computer, at least not for the short-term. Even if you wanted unlimited data so you could tether and replace your home internet connection, 3G speeds can't replicate a good fibre optic connection, at least not yet. And if everyone did the same thing, I'm sure we would have major network problems because our mobile networks are not currently equipped to handle that kind of traffic. But on the other hand, you could always argue that the demand will force companies to ramp up their infrastructure.

This probably comes off as a bit of a rant, but when I hear of calls for more competition and cheaper services, I wonder how much people want to actually pay. People always make comparisons to Hong Kong, but when you have an area the size of Metro Vancouver, it's easy to provide cheap service.

and what's the deal with ovaltine? the jar is round, the mug is round, it should be called roundtine.

[DsZ24]

and what's the deal with ovaltine? the jar is round, the mug is round, it should be called roundtine.


Haha