The Canadian wireless industry! It hurts!

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:56:47 GMT

My partner's getting a new mobile for her law practice, and what with all the people coveting the iPhone, the launch of 3G services here, etc, etc, there seems to be a renewed wave of interest in the wireless industry and their offerings. Amazing new devices and technologies are coming out; old technologies are becoming more useful and ubiquitous, and it's all passing most Canadians by because the Canadian wireless operators suck horribly.

Unless they can unload a huge cellphone bill on their employer or business, most Canadians can't justify the cost of features like wireless data. And God forbid you want to use your phone in the US -- you'll pay something like $2 a minute for voice and 75¢ a message to text. I aggressively look for ways to NOT use my cell phone when I'm in the United States -- the whole reason I pay a SIP termination service is so that I can call home using the laptop & wifi instead of paying extortionate rates to my cell carrier.

A recent a wireless spectrum auction was set up with provisions to help new companies enter the market, and it looks like we're going to get some new upstarts out of it. I just hope they're not befallen by the same fate as the old upstarts -- both of which I've been a customer of; both of which offered great deals until they were bought out by the big incumbents.

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shadowspar

The Canadian wireless industry! It hurts!