Tech Blog

[#1]

The entry of new wireless carriers into Canada’s wireless landscape was long overdue, and though the shockwaves we came to expect haven’t materialized yet, there has been one area where the new guys have made a difference — long distance calls.

Let’s face it, long distance plans or add-ons from the incumbents weren’t anything to really write home about. True, there were some incentives and tweaks that made it possible to use up long distance minutes with key contacts, like those MyFive or Fave5 variants that have been offered for a while now. Mobilicity now offers unlimited long distance plans for Asia, Europe and Central and South America — though each region represents a smaller number of countries and cities, and calls can only be made to landlines.

Despite those limitations, at $20 apiece, these plans can be useful for those who need a constant line of communication overseas. Public Mobile offers unlimited Canada and U.S. long distance for $10/month. Contrast that with WIND Mobile, which offers U.S.-only long distance for $10/month. Unlimited calls to China with WIND, for example, are $20/month, which includes both landline and mobile numbers. They’ve expanded the number of specific countries that type of plan can work with, and more are said to be coming up.

Here’s what the established carriers offer:

Fido offers unlimited North American long distance for $30/month. Rogers offers the same deal for $35. For a flat monthly fee of $5, Rogers and Fido reduce your long distance cost from $0.35 to $0.10 per minute. Bell and Telus don’t offer anything that much better, and perhaps more surprisingly, they don’t with their subsidiary brands, either (Solo Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Koodo).

When I look at the incumbents and the newbies in this business, long distance seems to be one of the biggest chasms between them. I mean, seriously, it’s a big difference to go from $35/month for unlimited North American long distance with Rogers, down to $10/month with Public Mobile. Granted, Rogers has a much bigger network and greater reach than Public does, which currently only operates in Toronto and Montreal.

The story is also the same with WIND and Mobilicity, too. They just don’t have the reach yet. But what they offer in long distance add-ons is more progressive than anything I’ve seen from the incumbents.

Maybe that’s a good start for things to come.

[#2]

The weakest element of ALL Canadian carriers is US Roaming. $1+ per minute is irresponsible; these carriers need to go to the table with their US counterparts to fight for us.

[#3]

How do these rates compare to $5 long distance calling cards?

I realize some cards are better for the States and others are better for the Far East.