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Telecoms in Canada

AlbertC

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Good thing I'm with Teksavvy. ??

TekSavvy to Customers: "We lowered your Internet bill. Thank the CRTC."

CHATHAM, ON, Sept. 13, 2019 /CNW/ - TekSavvy Solutions Inc. (TekSavvy), Canada's largest independent Internet service provider (ISP), today announced that it is lowering bills and upgrading packages for hundreds of thousands of internet subscribers, crediting a recent decision by Canada's telecom regulator for its consumer-friendly moves.

TekSavvy confirmed that over 85% of its customers will benefit from reduced prices or upgraded, unlimited data plans on their next monthly bill, as the ISP streamlines its retail product line in the wake of a major regulatory decision by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) last month.

On August 15, 2019, the CRTC determined that Canada's biggest telecom companies—such as Bell Canada and Rogers—had grossly overstated their costs in providing smaller competitors with wholesale access to their networks. The CRTC identified numerous brazen deficiencies in the big telcos' evidence, found that the existing wholesale rates were in fact severely inflated, and corrected the final rates down to more reasonable levels. The CRTC further ordered the big telcos to repay the amounts they had overcharged smaller competitors during the 3 year regulatory proceeding.


Canadian Internet rates are falling, and you can thank the CRTC

 
Man, Rogers offered me a 500mbps unlimited plan a year and a half ago to entice me to switch to them. Normal cost is around 125/month. They gave it to me for 35/month for a year. No contract, no modem rental.
After 10 months, I phoned them to find out when I should cancel it so as not to be billed the full price because it's just the internet (about as important as that rifle I own that I haven't fired since like 1999)....within a week they emailed me saying they extended the offer for another year.

It went up to 37 dollars/mth shortly after but....um.....yeah...

It's going to be interesting to see what happens next July when this extension is coming to an end. I hope they remain desperate.

I am not paying more than this for internet. I'll go without.
 
Ťhey should lower the price, everyone in Canada suffered from high price internet. Fortunately, I got Fiber-to-the-building service for 1000 mpbs internet from a second-tier ISP called CIKTelecom, only $35 bucks per month. I am quite satisfied with their service so far, especially quick response of tech support. They offered me 2 years price guarantee, but of course I hope I can keep this price in long term.
 
Yeah, that's a good price. The internet isn't worth more than 40/mth. Anyone who tells you otherwise either has a vested interest in selling connectivity or needs better hobbies and/or some friends.

What am I saying? It's probably not even worth that much. Like 25$ a month, tops.
 
TekSavvy launches ad campaign in latest battle with big phone, cable companies

The Canadian Press January 20, 2020

TORONTO — TekSavvy Solutions Inc. has launched an advertising campaign seeking public support in a politically charged battle that Canada's independent internet services providers are waging with the big phone and cable companies.

Ontario-based TekSavvy is Canada's biggest independent internet service provider, but it's small in comparison to the internet-arms of Canada's major phone and cable companies.

The big telecom companies asked the federal cabinet in November to overrule a 2019 regulatory decision that slashes how much they can charge independent ISPs like TekSavvy that need to buy wholesale access to their networks.

The industry giants argue the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission overstepped its authority in August by cutting wholesale capacity rates by up to 43 per cent and chopping access rates up to 77 per cent.

TekSavvy vice-president Janet Lo says the Chatham-based company will use billboards, transit ads and other advertising to urge the public and politicians to support the CRTC and oppose a return to higher rates.

The cabinet has set Feb. 14 as the deadline for receiving comments on the issue and TekSavvy says it will collect comments through the website Paylesstoconnect.ca.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2020.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BCE, TSX:RCI.B, TSX:T, TSX:SJR.B, TSX:QBR.B)

David Paddon, The Canadian Press

 
Elon Musk's company SpaceX applies to offer high-speed internet service to Canadians

Jun 19, 2020

Elon Musk's SpaceX has applied to offer high-speed internet to Canadians living in remote areas by beaming it to them via satellites.

The Globe and Mail newspaper first reported that space exploration company SpaceX applied with Canada's telecom regulator, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), for what's known as a Basic International Telecommunications Services, or BITS, licence.

That's a requirement for any company that wants to offer what the CRTC calls "telecommunications traffic between Canada and any other country."

If they are successful in getting a BITS licence, that means SpaceX — whose formal company name is Space Exploration Technologies Corp. — could theoretically try to offer more wireless telecom services down the line, such as voice and data plans. But for now, the application focuses on high-speed internet, beamed directly into rural homes and businesses via the company's existing network of so-called near-Earth satellites.

Canada is far from the only place SpaceX is trying to offer internet service. The company is planning to offer high-speed internet services in the United States later this year through a subsidiary known as Starlink before "rapidly expanding to near global coverage of the populated world by 2021," the company says on its website.

 
Elon Musk's company SpaceX applies to offer high-speed internet service to Canadians

Jun 19, 2020

Elon Musk's SpaceX has applied to offer high-speed internet to Canadians living in remote areas by beaming it to them via satellites.

The Globe and Mail newspaper first reported that space exploration company SpaceX applied with Canada's telecom regulator, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), for what's known as a Basic International Telecommunications Services, or BITS, licence.

That's a requirement for any company that wants to offer what the CRTC calls "telecommunications traffic between Canada and any other country."

If they are successful in getting a BITS licence, that means SpaceX — whose formal company name is Space Exploration Technologies Corp. — could theoretically try to offer more wireless telecom services down the line, such as voice and data plans. But for now, the application focuses on high-speed internet, beamed directly into rural homes and businesses via the company's existing network of so-called near-Earth satellites.

Canada is far from the only place SpaceX is trying to offer internet service. The company is planning to offer high-speed internet services in the United States later this year through a subsidiary known as Starlink before "rapidly expanding to near global coverage of the populated world by 2021," the company says on its website.


Can we finally stop having rural internet as an election talking point?

AoD
 
Yes, now instead, the new talking point should be the Triopoly of Bell, Rogers, and Telus. While Freedom and other small telecoms aren't perfect and are also just in it for the money, at least they're actively trying to bring competition into their respective part of the communications market.
 
Can we finally stop having rural internet as an election talking point?

AoD

Depending how 'rural' is defined, StatsCan says it represents ~20% of the population and, more politically important, a significant number of ridings. It's not just deep woods folks. My daughter and S-i-L lives just outside of a decent-sized city, and a friend is in Durham region - both with either DSL or wireless as internet options. When I researched it for my switch, wireless was more expensive and had data limits compared to cable. This already impacts business' ability to operate and if it comes to pass than more people are working from home, might impair it.

It would be interesting to see the costs for satellite-based internet service.
 
Federal government wants cost of wireless plans cut by 25%

Jul 28 2020

The federal government is tracking the cost of wireless service plans across the country, to help aid in their efforts to cut the cost by 25% over the next 2 years.

The first set of wireless pricing data on 2 GB to 6 GB data plans from February to June 2020 was published today, with plans to continue price monitoring and regularly updating the cost of plans moving forward.

“The Government of Canada continues to be committed to helping reduce the cost of some of the most popular wireless plans by 25% over the next two years and further increasing competition, as well as tracking progress toward this goal,” says a release from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

Bell, TELUS and Rogers (across their brands) will be expected to lower their prices in the next two years, or the federal government will introduce regulatory mechanisms to increase competition in the market and help to reduce these prices.

The reductions are based on prices advertised on company websites in early 2020 for post-paid, bring your own device (BYOD), unlimited talk and text 4G/LTE plans in the 2 to 6 GB range.

In Quebec, prices for the 2 GB and 4 GB data plans were already lower than the January 2020 benchmark prices, while they remain consistent in the rest of the country.

“From waiving home Internet overage fees to maintaining, repairing and upgrading their networks, they have helped support Canadians during this difficult time,” said Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.

“In that same spirit, our government is optimistic that it can continue working with the big three providers to reduce the cost of mid-range wireless services by 25 percent over the next two years. The tracker launched today will help monitor progress toward this goal.”

 
Freedom Mobile gave me 10 extra GB of data for free on top of my existing cellular plan per month for 24 months.

Do you plan to use it? One thing I noticed is a general offering of stuff to customers who don't really need it as a marketing gesture. I got "free global texting for six months to help you in these unprecedented times" totally unsolicited from Freedom, which I'm sure they looked at my account and saw I have almost never in six years called or sent text messages outside of Canada and have no reason to do so.
 
Do you plan to use it? One thing I noticed is a general offering of stuff to customers who don't really need it as a marketing gesture. I got "free global texting for six months to help you in these unprecedented times" totally unsolicited from Freedom, which I'm sure they looked at my account and saw I have almost never in six years called or sent text messages outside of Canada and have no reason to do so.
I do use cellular data, except that I very rarely use over 2GB per month. It's always good to have extra.
 
Freedom Mobile gave me 10 extra GB of data for free on top of my existing cellular plan per month for 24 months.

dafuuuuq....for real? Fido are so cheap. I tried haggling a new deal and they gave me a measly 10% discount on my long-standing terms (since 2005).

I miss when Fido were independent and not a subsidiary of Rogers. They were better in every single way. Rogers buying them was like contracting cancer.
That's right, I said it: Rogers = cancer
 

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