Text Messaging

[GostHacked]

Locked into a contract? Did someone put a shotgun to your head?

In hindsight, don't blame the government for your bad choice. OTOH, you can blame the government for restricting your choice.

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IMV, the definition of poverty is a lack of choices. Rich people have many choices. Poor people have fewer choices.

Yes locked into a contract, sure you can opt out early, for a hefty disconnection fee. Well you can buy the phone at full price, without a contract, or you can buy the phone cheap or even have it for free, but you are locked into a 2+ year contract.

My choice has not been restricted, my personal phone is with Virgin Mobile. Their plans and rates are simple and to the point. I use the pay as I go plan. Which is perfect for me. Since I do not use my phone all that often. Almost easier to get ahold of my by email.

M Dancer

If you have an unlocked phone, you can go with whatever provider you want and it will be compatible. If your phone is locked, then you can buy the SIM card to put into your phone to make it work on that providers network. Hope that clears things up for you.

[cybercoma]

I just called around. It appears that CDMA network providers make you buy their phone but GSM providers will sell the SIMs seperately.

Isn't Rogers the only company using SIM cards in Canada?

I don't know much about Virgin or Koodo, but if those companies are on the GSM network, that's not much of an option. They're both pay-as-you-go only and their network coverage is terrible, from my understanding.

Edited July 14, 2008 by cybercoma

[GostHacked]

Isn't Rogers the only company using SIM cards in Canada?

I don't know much about Virgin or Koodo, but if those companies are on the GSM network, that's not much of an option. They're both pay-as-you-go only and their network coverage is terrible, from my understanding.

Virgin piggybacks on the Rogers network. I get better service with Virgin than I did with Fido. My new phone with Rogers (company cell) does not need the SIM card.

Edited July 14, 2008 by GostHacked

[August1991]

Yes locked into a contract, sure you can opt out early, for a hefty disconnection fee.

Gosthacked, you freely chose to sign the contract where the hefty disconnection fee (I assume) was clearly stated. Don't get angry with me or the government for your bad choice in long term, locked-in contract. You can get angry with the government (not me) for the lack of choice. Read on.

Virgin piggybacks on the Rogers network. I get better service with Virgin than I did with Fido. My new phone with Rogers (company cell) does not need the SIM card.

There are only three cell phone services (network of antennae) in Canada: Bell, Rogers, Telus.

Fido, Virgin, Koodoo and anyone else are all subsidiaries/derivatives/users or marketing arms of these three networks. There are no others or any foreign suppliers. (I stand corrected. Is Manitoba's system separate?)

In Canada, we desperately need to let someone else, a foreigner even, put up some new antennae and create a new network or two in Canada. An urban network would be great. The cost of (urban) cell phone connections would plummet and most Canadians and the Canadian economy would benefit tremendously when we could connect to the Internet for $20/month through a pay-as-you-go 4 Mbits/second Wifi cell connection as I'm doing now in Moscow.

Bell, Rogers and Telus don't want this and they control the CRTC, ostensibly a "public" organization working in the "public" interest. Why do Bell, Rogers, Telus and the CRTC oppose this?

There's an old story that globalization, free trade and new technology make the rich richer and the poor poorer. According to this tired Leftist idea, "Globalization exacerbates the economic divisions in society." Well, IMV, new technology and globalization only "exacerbate" the established rich corporate managers. (As a shareholder, I take a different view.)

If you were a senior manager at Bell, Telus, Rogers making a six figure salary, how would you feel about new technology, or a potential new cell phone network in urban Canada?

How would you feel about free trade in Internet services?

Isn't Rogers the only company using SIM cards in Canada?

Bell also offers GSM (SIM card) service. I don't know about Telus but I assume it does too. Edited July 14, 2008 by August1991

[blueblood]

I'm pretty sure out in the prairies, MB and SK for example MTS and Sasktel have the antennas up and its the other companies piggybacking off of them.

Sasktel I think is a crown corporation still. MTS is an ex crown corporation now publically traded. I don't know if the "Big 3" have stakes in them. The "Big 3" are only good in the city, out in the country they have piss poor service and if you want their contracts you have to get a major urban centre number. What a crock.

I say let the Americans in, let them pop up towers. Let them put those dinosaurs into extinction. After all its the Canadians, especially rural/western Canadians with the dollars now. The Americans could make a lot of money up here with a booming economy to invest in.

[Riverwind]

In Canada, we desperately need to let someone else, a foreigner, put up some new antennae and create a new network or two in Canada. An urban network would be great. The cost of (urban) cell phone connections would plummet and most Canadians and the Canadian economy would benefit tremendously.

Do you have any links that explain why the problem is regulatory rather than technical? (i.e. how many different physical networks does a typical mid size US city have?)

[Smallc]

I'm pretty sure out in the prairies, MB and SK for example MTS and Sasktel have the antennas up and its the other companies piggybacking off of them.

Sasktel I think is a crown corporation still. MTS is an ex crown corporation now publically traded. I don't know if the "Big 3" have stakes in them. The "Big 3" are only good in the city, out in the country they have piss poor service and if you want their contracts you have to get a major urban centre number. What a crock.

I say let the Americans in, let them pop up towers. Let them put those dinosaurs into extinction. After all its the Canadians, especially rural/western Canadians with the dollars now. The Americans could make a lot of money up here with a booming economy to invest in.

Bell doesn't really have a presence here in MB. Telus uses the MTS system that is very good for coverage. Rogers has its own smaller system.

[bush_cheney2004]

Wait...it only gets worse if you want an iPhone from Rogers....three year contract! And people waited in line for this?

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...80711/20080711/

[August1991]

Bell doesn't really have a presence here in MB. Telus uses the MTS system that is very good for coverage. Rogers has its own smaller system.

Smallc, I think you're right and it's also true in Saskatchewan where the CRTC also allows a local monopoly. What happens in the Far North?

Canada has three "major" cell phone providers (and two local providers: Manitoba and Saskatchewan).

Background news.

This Reuters report of a government press release doesn't help me understand this except to know that there is no final date for the auction:

Canada's government launched an auction of wireless spectrum on Tuesday that it hopes will bolster competition and lower prices by allowing new players to break into the cellular phone market.

In a process that Industry Minister Jim Prentice estimates could take up to a month to complete, 24 companies can bid electronically on 292 licenses for chunks of wireless airwaves in different geographical regions across the country.

Reuters

Here's some theoretical perspective that I happen to disagree with. Here's thread that I started on the topic.

---

The upcoming auctions are on the 1700/2100 MHz bands. These are new, non standard internationally (for the moment) and I can understand the curious interest. As an investor, frankly, I'd go for it.

Welcome to the six band phone - the cool phone that every Lufthansa Senator Club, International Business Class Traveller will want to have.

Edited July 14, 2008 by August1991

[blueblood]

Bell doesn't really have a presence here in MB. Telus uses the MTS system that is very good for coverage. Rogers has its own smaller system.

MTS isn't even that good. Go 12 miles from a tower and watch calls drop like the Subway man's weight. If your in town or in the dirty W then it works like a charm. The free MTS cell to MTS cell anywhere in the province is a nice touch and compensation.

[cybercoma]

Bell also offers GSM (SIM card) service. I don't know about Telus but I assume it does too.

Do you know where I can find out more about this because I was told by sales people, at various locations, for Aliant (Atlantic Canada Bell) and Telus that they do not have SIM cards because their phones don't use the GSM network. I'd be interested in seeing what those options are for Telus and Bell.

[Smallc]

MTS isn't even that good. Go 12 miles from a tower and watch calls drop like the Subway man's weight. If your in town or in the dirty W then it works like a charm. The free MTS cell to MTS cell anywhere in the province is a nice touch and compensation.

MTS does a pretty good job, 97 percent of the population is covered. Oh, and nice touch with the Dirty W line

Edited July 15, 2008 by Smallc

[August1991]

Do you know where I can find out more about this because I was told by sales people, at various locations, for Aliant (Atlantic Canada Bell) and Telus that they do not have SIM cards because their phones don't use the GSM network. I'd be interested in seeing what those options are for Telus and Bell.

Cybercoma, you have the correct information and what I posted above is wrong.

Sometime ago, I brought my GSM phone to a Bell office in Montreal and was lead to believe that I could use it with Bell. After a bit of research on the Internet, I realize that that's wrong. Bell (and Telus) only use CDMA.

[White Doors]

Virgin piggybacks on the Rogers network. I get better service with Virgin than I did with Fido. My new phone with Rogers (company cell) does not need the SIM card.

Sorry, Virgin uses Bell's network.

[GostHacked]

Sorry, Virgin uses Bell's network.

You are correct, for whatever reason I had Rogers in my head regarding Virgin. Still with them riding the Bell network, I got better reception and service with Virgin... which is really dumb.

[M.Dancer]

You are correct, for whatever reason I had Rogers in my head regarding Virgin. Still with them riding the Bell network, I got better reception and service with Virgin... which is really dumb.

Being with Rogers is the total complete opposite of being with a Virgin.

[cybercoma]

Cybercoma, you have the correct information and what I posted above is wrong.

Sometime ago, I brought my GSM phone to a Bell office in Montreal and was lead to believe that I could use it with Bell. After a bit of research on the Internet, I realize that that's wrong. Bell (and Telus) only use CDMA.

You had me worried there for a minute, I thought I switched providers for nothing. *phew*