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Forget about Telus, but not Bell
Lately it seems all we talk about is Rogers and the coming wireless competition in Canada but what are Telus and Bell up to these days?
Of course, Telus has the wonderful HTC Touch Pro2 and the HTC Snap coming soon but their mobile data plans are just as horrible as ever! Here is a taste of just how bad:
Ok, so that’s $60 for 3gig? BTW, if you happen to go over your plan by a gig…$50 more. Telus…ummm…wake up??
Bell is looking much better though. Perhaps in preparation for the Palm Pre their plan prices include unlimited data:
Thats better, but I am sure I am missing something here. I’ll have to check into it. As you can see, they are saying $10 for unlimited on-device browsing…even on smartphones! Now THAT would be nice but it is probably VERY restrictive. The $30 plan adds unlimited LIVE messaging and email. That’s really not too shabby considering the options.
If you plan on starting a Bell contract be sure to look for a phone that is a “world” phone. They will have a slot for a SIM card so that you can use it on a GSM network or you can use Bell’s upcoming HSPA network.
We are still looking forward to seeing new competitors in Canada but at least we are seeing some changes.
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19 Responses to “Forget about Telus, but not Bell”
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I saw that earlier – that little note ‘Pay-per-use at 5cents/kb’ suggests that the $10 activates browsing but that you pay for traffic on top…
I’d love to be proven wrong though…
No, the 5 cents is the charge if you don’t buy the $10 plan. I have the $10 plan on my HTC Touch and it is unlimited for sure.
The HTC Touch was an exception (or an experiment?) so I will be calling Bell soon to ask about these changes.
So, here’s the scoop: Bell does have unlimited data, but that $10 plan is not available on smartphones, in general.
Basically, the HTC Touch, which is a smartphone, is allowed to use the $10/month unlimited data plan but it is the ONLY smartphone that can. The $30 plan is for Windows Mobile and Palm devices and does actually include unlimited data. FINALLY!!!
Really nice to finally see this happening in Canada. Bell is my new favourite Canadian carrier!
Data and voice prices are horrible in Canada. I can’t wait for our new carriers start offering service. Bell, Telus and Rogers/Fido have had it too good for too long.
Now, to be fair, $30 is pretty good – but I wouldn’t lock into any plans just now. My original data plan was $50 unlimited, and then I switched to $30 for 6GB (which is way more than I ever use). As far as I know, that plan is no longer offered. However, I expect the competition to offer better deals when they launch.
The data plans you posted for TELUS are for aircards, not for cellular phones.
TELUS still offers a $25 for unlimited data through the loyalty department. It is at their discretion though, whether or not they give it to you. However, most people seem to get it.
- Jason
@Jason – Thanks for clairfying. However, doesn’t it seem odd that to get that price you have to _know_ to call customer service and get in touch with the loyalty department? Especially when just about everyone that calls gets the deal. To me, this says that Telus is more than happy to rip off their customers that are not aware that there is a better deal to be had. And then you have to think about how many customers Telus leave Telus for better pricing elsewhere, or the customers that they never get because the pricing on their site isn’t competitive.
@Mike – When it comes to rate plans, a lot of carriers are similar. As far as I know, Bell got rid of the $30 unlimited data plan already, so it really just levels the playing field.
Here is the correct link to the smartphone packages for TELUS:
http://www.telusmobility.com/en/ON/other_smartphone_packages/index.shtml
Loyalty is where TELUS really shines. They’re pretty generous when it comes to that, but yes, you have to know what you’re doing and that they even exist.
- Jason
Oh my goodness!! Level the playing field???? That is exactly the problem with Canadian carriers. Rather than leveling the field – at its incredibility elevated level compared to the rest of the world – why not be competitive. None of the carriers are interested in being competitive and giving Canadians a chance to used mobile technology like the rest of the world does!
BTW, Bell has not gotten rid of the $30 plan, it’s an add-on to plans. Their site shows the combined data and voice plans. This has been confirmed by Bell employees on Howard Forums.
Just for the sake of argument though, lets look at what Bell has on their site compared to Telus: as noted in this article Telus has a $60 plan that gets you 3gig…that’s it. You then have to buy a voice plan on top. For the same price Bell offers:
300 daytime minutes
Unlimited data
Unlimited nights and weekends from 5pm to 7am.
Does that seem “level” to you?
Give me a break; Telus is stuck in the 80s with its data prices and is completely milking Canadians. Is it any wonder new customer sales were down 30%?
You link does not help your case at all: $45 for 1 gig of data compared with $30 for unlimited? Or even compared with the about plan which for $15 more gives you unlimited data, and a voice plan.
What exactly is your role at Telus?
Business Transformation QA – nothing to do with marketing or product sales. Yes: level the playing field. I’m not saying that competition is bad – I’m saying that this is the way things are at the moment.
The Bell getting rid of the $30 data was from this thread:
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1560336
Allow me to reiterate: the 3GB for $60 is for AIRCARDS. The smartphone plans are posted above, whether or not you think it’s a good deal…well, I’ll leave that for you to judge.
In terms of milking Canadians, it’s not just TELUS. If you think I’m defending TELUS, I’m not. I’m just telling you the way things are, and to prevent misinformation from spreading.
Data prices (at TELUS at least) change often enough. As I mentioned before, the $25/unlimited is still available if you ask, just not advertised.
- Jason
Not sure why no one bothered to confirm this but Bell still offers the unlimited data for $30 and I have spoken to several CSR’s. One mentioned he had just added the $30 feature for a client a few minutes ago. It is not on Bell’s website but it is still in the system as they are trying to promote the bundled unlimited data feature instead. I asked weather the $30 feature will go up in price anytime soon and one CSR said that the price for the UN data has not gone up since he worked there.
So again, the $30 unlimited data feature by itself is still available on corporate or regular plans!
__________________
@ Jason
I have changed the thread title as this was just a rumor.
In that case, I apologize for the misinformation on the prior post.
- Jason
Thanks for the confirmation. I did get my $30 unlimited data after they made the change to there website, but i didnt have any problem getting it.
It looks like they are not emphasizing the data on their site; they would rather sell the combos. But the data add-on to current plans is still available.
Thanks…OpenWave. Unmask yourself!
NP Darren Humphries, Bell still offers the best value for data plans, remember though that because the Unlimited data feature is just that, a feature and that bell may increase the price from $30 to whatever they wish whenever they wish.
One way to avoid this is to take one of the ‘Smartphone Combo plans’ Which includes voice AND data an which the price will not increase because it is no longer a feature but a plan. Combo plans start from $45 for 300 minutes and 500MB of data and up.
Link: http://www.bell.ca/shopping/PrsShpWls_RtpDetails.page?wlcs_catalog_category_id=DataRatePlans
okay, so reading all of this i was a little confused..
say i buy a two year plan with telus.. and i get say the storm or tour smartphone.. is it possible these days to get an unlimited bbm/live/texting plan for $35 ?? thats what i’m seeing on their student 35 blackberry section or whatever..
i just basically need help choosing my provider and the best unlimited everything price for a new smartphone.. thanks guys!
That plan is not too bad and it is unlimited bbm, live messenger, and texting but it does not include any other data. In other words, if you want to check a web page, or use maps or another other data you will be charged to your account. You DONT want that to happen!
You could add data to this $35 plan but it will cost the amounts mentioned in the article above and it is in addition to the $35. So the 1gig wow cost you 35 + 30 and the 3gig would be 35 + 60.
If you don’t want data, the $35 is a good plan though.
so it is possible to get a smartphone with just the $35 plan without having to add more data to it?
If I wanted to go on Facebook or Twitter for example, it would be better to add the extra $30 or $60?
thanks for the prompt response!
Yes, it looks like you can just have teh $35 plan without needing to buy a data plan as well. I would check with Telus on that though.
If you plan on doing any surfing though, even just a bit of facebook or searching or w/e, GET A DATA PLAN!. If you don’t, the overage charges will be nuts.
Quick correction: Facebook is included in this $35 plan, so you wouldn’t pay extra for that. Of course, you can only use the included Facebook app, not the browser, so if there is a link in someones status or comments, don’t click it.