It keeps competitors out. Many governments do this. Keeps jobs and profits local, for the most part.
Canada's Telecom Market is Rigged, says Wind Mobile backer Naguib Sawiris
11–20 of 100 posts
Re: Canada's Telecom Market is Rigged, says Wind Mobile backer Naguib Sawiris
#12This definitely sucks for Canada. The Telco's and the antiquated regulation that protects them are big gatekeepers to progress and innovation. How do we break out of this deadlock?
One has to fix the prime example of regulatory capture that is the CRTC. This can be achieved by either changing the current management or drafting more legislation.
Re: Canada's Telecom Market is Rigged, says Wind Mobile backer Naguib Sawiris
#13I've never understood why in many western industrialized countries telecommunications has not been regulated the same as sewage, roads, electricity, etc. It is a vital piece of infrastructure in the 21st century and it should be the responsibility of the government to manage such infrastructure.
Re: Canada's Telecom Market is Rigged, says Wind Mobile backer Naguib Sawiris
#14new zealanders have a rough go with their telecommunications as well. I recall seeing the vodafone CEO on the news saying they made 3-4x as much profit in new zealand as anywhere else (per customer probably). The only competion was the ex-public telecom. canadians don't have it quite so bad as the new zealanders, but they get a worse deal than the americans for sure.
Canada has BY FAR the most expensive cell phone rates in the world. New Zealand is 19th according to this list. See: http://www.mobilemag.com/2010/08/27/canadians-have-the-most-... That graph doesn't even give justice to the true cost. Canada plans are almost always regional, so to call another city, even one nearby is a long distance call. VOIP phones are also rare because numbers are restricted, Skype and Google Ph…
> Canada has BY FAR the most expensive cell phone rates in the world. New Zealand is 19th according to this list.
Technically, the graph is not about rates though, it's about average bill. So countries with higher prices who don't use cells much (on population averages) would have a "better" ranking than countries with lower prices where cell phone use is ubiquitous and permanent.
> Canada plans are almost always regional, so to call another city, even one nearby is a long distance call.
The fuck? The concept of "long-distance" call still exists in canada? I'm shocked.
Re: Canada's Telecom Market is Rigged, says Wind Mobile backer Naguib Sawiris
#15It's almost as terrible as the car insurance market in BC: http://ihateicbc.com/icbcs-dirty-little-secret.html BC only has one car insurance provider so they're free to set the prices as they see fit. They even try and pretend that they're doing it to help keep prices low as competition would only raise the prices for everyone (yes, they really said this).
They did it because they made motor insurance mandatory and it would be unfair to force someone to have something that the market didn't have to provide.
In europe it's essentially impossible for anyone under 21 to get insurance ( without tricks like being listed on parent's cover ) even though the law says you can drive at 17. Typical rates for liability-only on a 17 year old are $10K/year
Imagine living in a rural part of BC where work and shopping is 20 miles away and the insurance companies all charge $10K for drivers under 21.
Yes it's unfair that as a middle age driver I pay 2-3x as much as I would in europe in order to cover a west vancouver millionaire's kid in a ferrari. But it's also unfair that I'm paying for elementary schools for someone else's kid or subsidizing somebody else's cancer treatment.
Re: Canada's Telecom Market is Rigged, says Wind Mobile backer Naguib Sawiris
#16#define regulatedMarket marketRiggedForEstablishedPlayers
Even worse in canada - all incoming firms have to be Canadian owned and financed. Try raising the money for a nation wide set of phone masts if you aren't allowed overseas investors
Re: Canada's Telecom Market is Rigged, says Wind Mobile backer Naguib Sawiris
#17new zealanders have a rough go with their telecommunications as well. I recall seeing the vodafone CEO on the news saying they made 3-4x as much profit in new zealand as anywhere else (per customer probably). The only competion was the ex-public telecom. canadians don't have it quite so bad as the new zealanders, but they get a worse deal than the americans for sure.
I'd argue against that - the required plan for the iPhone 4 starts at 50CAD/month, and the phone isn't free either. That's for a plan with: 200 minutes + 500 mb of data.
Hah. For the exact same price, Vodafone NZ provides the same 200mn and half the data[0]. 2500 texts though, I don't know what you get on the plan you quoted.
Although technically, to qualify for any phone rebate you need 24 months, which includes a rebate on the plan as well, so you would take the $85 plan for 24 months ($400 off of the phone and $15 off of the plan), yielding a $60 plan (same as the $65 one previously quoted but 300mn voice) and a free iPhone 4 (a 16GB 4S would be $150).
Belgium has cheaper prices (e.g. 40€ prepaid with 285mn, 2000 SMS and 2GB data[1]) but absolutely no phone subsidies (they're pretty much illegal) so an iPhone costs you the full price, 529€[2] (~730 CAD)
[0] https://www.vodafone.co.nz/phones-plans/plans/smart/
[1] https://mobilevikings.com/en/offer/price-plans/full-option/
Re: Canada's Telecom Market is Rigged, says Wind Mobile backer Naguib Sawiris
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
Canada has BY FAR the most expensive cell phone rates in the world. New Zealand is 19th according to this list. See: http://www.mobilemag.com/2010/08/27/canadians-have-the-most-... That graph doesn't even give justice to the true cost. Canada plans are almost always regional, so to call another city, even one nearby is a long distance call. VOIP phones are also rare because numbers are restricted, Skype and Google Ph…
> Canada has BY FAR the most expensive cell phone rates in the world. New Zealand is 19th according to this list. Technically, the graph is not about rates though, it's about average bill. So countries with higher prices who don't use cells much (on population averages) would have a "better" ranking than countries with lower prices where cell phone use is ubiquitous and permanent. > Canada plans are almost always reg…
That's what I'm saying, its worse than those numbers make it look. Canada has the highest average cost, and because a Canadian regional plan is more expensive than a nation-wide long distance plan in the US it is masking the true cost. Canadians can't afford to use their phones, so they typically don't make anything but quick calls or text messaging.
Re: Canada's Telecom Market is Rigged, says Wind Mobile backer Naguib Sawiris
#19It's almost as terrible as the car insurance market in BC: http://ihateicbc.com/icbcs-dirty-little-secret.html BC only has one car insurance provider so they're free to set the prices as they see fit. They even try and pretend that they're doing it to help keep prices low as competition would only raise the prices for everyone (yes, they really said this).
They did it because they made motor insurance mandatory and it would be unfair to force someone to have something that the market didn't have to provide. In europe it's essentially impossible for anyone under 21 to get insurance ( without tricks like being listed on parent's cover ) even though the law says you can drive at 17. Typical rates for liability-only on a 17 year old are $10K/year Imagine living in a rural…
The difference in car insurance from vancouver to victoria is 50%. People drive more expensive cars in vancouver and apparently are more likely to have accidents.
Re: Canada's Telecom Market is Rigged, says Wind Mobile backer Naguib Sawiris
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
Canada has BY FAR the most expensive cell phone rates in the world. New Zealand is 19th according to this list. See: http://www.mobilemag.com/2010/08/27/canadians-have-the-most-... That graph doesn't even give justice to the true cost. Canada plans are almost always regional, so to call another city, even one nearby is a long distance call. VOIP phones are also rare because numbers are restricted, Skype and Google Ph…
> Canada has BY FAR the most expensive cell phone rates in the world. New Zealand is 19th according to this list. Technically, the graph is not about rates though, it's about average bill. So countries with higher prices who don't use cells much (on population averages) would have a "better" ranking than countries with lower prices where cell phone use is ubiquitous and permanent. > Canada plans are almost always reg…
From the bell website: "Additional local minutes and Canadian long distance minutes are $0.45/minute"
And yeah I'm paying that for any call made to outside the current city in which I am located. Cell to cell its both ways (so I'm told), and the fact that I have a number from a different city means OH WAIT -- Everything is long distance.
I don't change my number because I'm a student and to change my number is $20 at the store + $35 on my bill, twice a year since I go home for the summers. Which basically means I make very few phone calls outside of my unlimited nationwide. Yeah I'm paying out the a to have a plan with unlimited text and nation wide fab 5.
Something else cute -- its $12 to add voicemail and caller id to that $50 package. Is this the same in NZ or do packages come with this sort of thing?