Candian Cell Phone monopoly must die.
It is absolutely no secret that I am not a huge fan of the Canadian telcos who control the wireless and cell phone biz up here in Canada. The contempt they have for the customers is astounding and how they get away with extortionate data charges on cell phones is a mystery to me. I once got billed $600 for a 6 Gigabyte download over the space of three hours.
My carrier, Rogers, was a bit taken aback when they actually confronted someone who wasn’t going to roll over and let them scratch my stomach. I asked them to explain clearly to me how it is that I was able to download that amount of data into a phone that couldn’t hold that amount of data over a network the could not possibly download that much data in such a short time. Also could they p[lease explain to me how that data got downloaded because the phone was off due to the fact I was delivering a 3-hour lesson at the time.
Rogers is the exclusive iPhone carrier in Canada and they are sliding activation fees and all sorts of extras into the “deal” to the point where I suspect a lot of people are going to be coming down on them in a rather nasty manner within the next 12 months. When I can get unlimited data from Cingulair for $30 per month but up here I have to pay $70 for a few gig then there is a bit of gouging going on.
This past week really sealed my beefs with Rogers.
I was up North and on a back road when a lady in pickup stopped in the middle of the road, reversed, gunned the engine and smacked into me. Upshot is I have radiator leaking all over a dirt road. Naturally my cell phone doesn’t work because Rogers’ “network” doesn’t include that neck of the woods even though they claim their network covers 94% of the Canadian population. Here’s the thing…. I don’t care. I need to contact police while in the middle of nowhere and my being in the 6% “bubble” is irrelevant when my rad is leaking and I need help.
Turns out that Bell is the major carrier in that neck of the woods. Whoopee!!!
What I don’t understand is how it is that I can be anywhere in the world – Just in the past six months I have been in Beijing,Paris, Basel, Zurich, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York – and be able to use my phone. Put me between White River, Ontario and Wawa, Ontario in my own country and I am helpless.
Would it kill Rogers, Telus, Bell and whomever else is in the game to get together and allow “in country” roaming on rival networks? Would it kill the Canadian government to put these sharks in a room and essentially tell them that they need to work together or face the loss of their monopoly?
My carrier, Rogers, was a bit taken aback when they actually confronted someone who wasn’t going to roll over and let them scratch my stomach. I asked them to explain clearly to me how it is that I was able to download that amount of data into a phone that couldn’t hold that amount of data over a network the could not possibly download that much data in such a short time. Also could they p[lease explain to me how that data got downloaded because the phone was off due to the fact I was delivering a 3-hour lesson at the time.
Rogers is the exclusive iPhone carrier in Canada and they are sliding activation fees and all sorts of extras into the “deal” to the point where I suspect a lot of people are going to be coming down on them in a rather nasty manner within the next 12 months. When I can get unlimited data from Cingulair for $30 per month but up here I have to pay $70 for a few gig then there is a bit of gouging going on.
This past week really sealed my beefs with Rogers.
I was up North and on a back road when a lady in pickup stopped in the middle of the road, reversed, gunned the engine and smacked into me. Upshot is I have radiator leaking all over a dirt road. Naturally my cell phone doesn’t work because Rogers’ “network” doesn’t include that neck of the woods even though they claim their network covers 94% of the Canadian population. Here’s the thing…. I don’t care. I need to contact police while in the middle of nowhere and my being in the 6% “bubble” is irrelevant when my rad is leaking and I need help.
Turns out that Bell is the major carrier in that neck of the woods. Whoopee!!!
What I don’t understand is how it is that I can be anywhere in the world – Just in the past six months I have been in Beijing,Paris, Basel, Zurich, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York – and be able to use my phone. Put me between White River, Ontario and Wawa, Ontario in my own country and I am helpless.
Would it kill Rogers, Telus, Bell and whomever else is in the game to get together and allow “in country” roaming on rival networks? Would it kill the Canadian government to put these sharks in a room and essentially tell them that they need to work together or face the loss of their monopoly?
posted by Tom Green at 2:21 PM
5 Comments:
One of the main characteristics of capitalism is competition. Once companies become too powerful they dominate the market, which leads to monopoly. In socialist countries, instead of local/international companies, it’s the state that controls everything!
What’s the difference between socialism and capitalism?
If capitalism is not able to guarantee competition, then what’s the use of it?
Hi Tom,
Why didn't you publish my comment!
what you did is called censorship!
long live democracy!
Why not to start a new movement in Canada! You could call it the anti monopoly movement!!
Canada does need an anti monopoly act that protects consumers!
Amen, Tom!
And that does not begin to deal with the angst the Canadian cellular service situation is causing the interactive industry. Canadian content creators and tech firms are falling behind the international competition because of them and these crazy communications policies.
:S
yes we can!
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