I did not want to venture in the waters surrounding the launch of the Wind’s network and their new airtime plans, however as usual, my good friend and colleague, Mr Schultzter has dragged me into the lake kicking and screaming.
Unfortunately, his extensive Economic training is preventing him from doing any real math and showing you how much you would actually have to pay for the same device on all four networks over the course of a three year contract or in Wind’s case their Un-Contract.
| Canuck Telco Landscape | ||||
| Bell |
Rogers |
Telus |
Wind | |
| BlackBerry Bold 9700 |
$200 | $200 | $200 | $450 |
| Plan |
$40 | $50 | $50 | $45 |
| Features |
$51 | $25 | $31 | 0 |
| Minutes Included |
150 | 200 | 150 | Ultd |
| Data Included |
Ultd | 0.5GBb | 0.5GB | Ultd |
| Monthly Total |
$91 | $75 | $81 | $45 |
| 3 Year Spend
|
$3475.95 |
$2899.99 |
$3115.99 |
$2070 |
| Ultd Wind Matching | Local talking, basic email | Local talking, text, email | Cal display, forward, local talking, email | All features included |
Of course the un-contract portion is the caveat that he fails to mention. So, if you should happen to lose your job like so many of our friends already have in these troubled economic times, you won’t be forced to pay out in excess of $400 just to save on the remaining $2000 you would have if you stuck to your contract.
Needless to say, I think that Winds small localised foray in the Canadian Telco Market is a breath of fresh air that might actually turn out to the hurricane this Great White North needed. You know what they say about that Butterfly flapping it’s wings in the Okanagan Valley causing the Bluenose to list in Halifax… or something like that.
Comments
6 responses to “The REAL Canuck Telco Landscape”
Very nice, you just saved me the time for my own research 🙂
Adi
Here's my simple take on it, leaving the math out of it:
Bell coverage across Canada: Yes*
Rogers coverage across Canada: Yes*
Telus coverage across Canada: Yes*
Wind coverage across Canada: No**
* Certain areas are too far from Toronto to have a signal broadcast from there so stop whining.
** If you think that Toronto is the absolute center of the universe then change that no to a Yes and please don't call me.
So really the fight for a contract is between the Devils I know and not the ones i dont…
Rogers does have the best coverage in Toronto… bwah hah hah … as if…
Very nice, you just saved me the time for my own research 🙂
Adi
Here's my simple take on it, leaving the math out of it:
Bell coverage across Canada: Yes*
Rogers coverage across Canada: Yes*
Telus coverage across Canada: Yes*
Wind coverage across Canada: No**
* Certain areas are too far from Toronto to have a signal broadcast from there so stop whining.
** If you think that Toronto is the absolute center of the universe then change that no to a Yes and please don't call me.
So really the fight for a contract is between the Devils I know and not the ones i dont…
Rogers does have the best coverage in Toronto… bwah hah hah … as if…
I think you spent too much time out in the cold yesterday stitching up your panoramic shot!
Excessive training in economics does indeed prevent you from doing real math – but I avoided all the econometrics courses so that's not a problem for me. Besides, I let Google Spreadsheets do the math for me.
I assume your $45 plan with Wind is the Always Shout plan. Which does NOT come with any data. If you want to use data on your shiny new $450 Bb 9700 you're either going to pay $0.10 per 25 kb or you're going to have to add the Infinite Blackberry Plan for another $35 month. But don't you dare use voice or data outside your HOME Zone!!!
And if you want a Bb 9700 from Bell I suggest you get it at Costco for $150. If you're willing to put up with a Bb 9000 then Rogers has them for $0.99 (yes, 99 cents). And I suggest you check-out the bundles rather than pick the features individually (you might find it cheaper to take an extended or double minutes plan and a bundle with text messaging than taking a primarily social plan).
Of course the point is moot – you can't get one from Wind because you don't live in downtown Toronto or Calgary. In fact, your only hope is Quebecor, and they're a bit busy staying one step ahead of bankruptcy these days!
When you're going to replace your mobile phone, start by figuring out what you NEED and then do the research. The key point in my article is that it's based on my needs (and the assumption I could actually get Wind service, which I can't, so really it was just an exercise in wasting electrons and bandwidth).