Eddy posted a note on my ‘o2 users are total CHUMPS‘ post asking me to take a look at a post on the Thomas Purves blog. I’ve quoted a lot of it below. This is just, just, just RIDICULOUS. Anyway, have a read…
Link: » Canada Worse than 3rd World Countries when it comes to Mobile Data Access
The motto of the CRTC, Canada’s telcom regulator is ‘Communications in the Public Interestâ€Â. Right.
If you live in Canada, write to your MP. The CRTC, as an institution, needs to be taken out and shot.*
This chart charts the best rates available from all carriers. And all levels of government say that ‘ICT†competitiveness is key factor in Canada’s future economic
prosperity. Ya. Right. I would like to say that Canada is a 3rd world country when it comes to Mobile ICT, except you can clearly see from this chart that even *Rwanda* has orders of magnitude better Mobile Data service than Canada.As I’ve noted in the chart, 500MB is about 100 minutes of usage at a Canadian Carrier’s maximum (advertised) download speed of 700kB/s (your mileage will vary, International carriers are typically twice or four times faster). 500MB is not a lot of data in the grand scheme of things, a few GB could make a better example but in that case the red bars would be completely off the charts.
If you don’t live in Canada but you or your small business depends on mobile connectivity or net neutrality in general, don’t come here.
Heh, oh dear me.
So if o2 users here in the UK are CHUMPS for putting up with their data rates, what are Canadians? Shocking.
Its just madness to charge $1600 for 500 meg of data transfer.
$102 from vodafone is off the wall as well.
When will the providers realise that the only way to get people to use data services is to take the cost scare factor out of it?
The guy with the $6000 bill (a reply to the article) after they took his unlimited deal away (put right thankfully) is a scare story that is beyond belief. How could a provider let you rack up a 6 grand bill?
Thankfully T-mobile and 3 are seeing the wood for the trees and are paving the way to a better all round solution.
Its up to the rest of the world to catch up…
I am from Canada and I have to say… SOOOOO TRUE. Its practically piracy the rates you get charged and the mobiles they sell (have you seen how long you have to subscribe for a small subsidy – try 3yrs).
That being said I lived in Alberta and I can say the signal I got on my mobile was years better than over here. Impressive when you consider the size of the country as compared to the UK.
But ultimately what he is saying is of significant value. Data needs to be number 1 priority if a 1st tier country like Canada is to keep up with its peers.
This headline is a little unfortunate given that you’ve devoted a number of other blogs to the real shooting in Virginia!
Er, you’re totally right. My mistake!
I just got a SMS from Rogers which says that they going to apply long-distance rates on top of my current air time rate to all long-distance incoming calls.
This is just ridicules.
In Canada we have worse mobile service in the world and this is not a joke. Most developing countries have lower price rate for much better quality mobile service. I will vote for anyone on next election who can promise that we will have the mobile service provider that can deliver high quality service with a reasonable price rate. There is no one country in Europe has so high price rate and so poor quality service!!!