quote:

Originally posted by The Highroller My cellphone contract is going to come to an end in march. I'm uncertain as to whether I will continue using a cell phone. It's been 2 years and prices are exactly the same. I really can't justify paying ~$50/month for something I barely even use that much. I would use it a lot more if day time rates weren't so insane. The current plans just don't fit my needs.

Go with pre-paid then.

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Originally posted by DigiNut Actually there are well-documented connections between the head honchos at the CRTC and the telecom giants like Bell and Rogers. Of course that doesn't *necessarily* mean there are bribes, but come on...

yes tho i'm sure u'd find that apparent in any industry where there are billions of dollars at stake

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Originally posted by baystreetboi What makes it so bad? I just did a search for rates on Verizon, Cingular and T-Mobile for Buffalo... none of them appear to offer any significantly cheaper plans compared to what you can get here in Canada when you take exchange into account. Is it the lack of choice? The US is about 10x our size, yet they only have about 5-6 real "national" cell phone companies, so having even just 3 here isn't all that bad.

Their plans are far better then ours. You can't take exchange into account, we're not talking about anything 'cross border' here. If you lived in the states you would be paid in USD. When you live here you're paid in CDN. So $40 out of your pocket regardless of currency, gets you more in the US then it does here. They have more competition, and it will only get better for them.

the unlimited plan will be converted to a 750 minutes all time plan once the time is up, and there will be a new plan with 1400 minutes for 70$.

i fucking knew it that rogers would screw us over

i now have a plan with unlimited incoming calls for 25$, if they change it i'll ,... i'll .... i'll... be screwed

quote:

Originally posted by tw1tch Their plans are far better then ours. You can't take exchange into account, we're not talking about anything 'cross border' here. If you lived in the states you would be paid in USD. When you live here you're paid in CDN. So $40 out of your pocket regardless of currency, gets you more in the US then it does here. They have more competition, and it will only get better for them.

Sure you have to take exchange into account. Sure they get paid and pay in USD, but a person earning say $40K US would be earning about $50K CDN. A $40 US plan is the equivalent of about a $50 CDN plan.

Cingular: For about $30 US (or about $37.50 CDN) you can get 250 anytime mins, 1000 evening / weekend. Additional mins are 45 cents.

Rogers: For about $40CDN (including system access fee) you can get 200 weekday mins and unlimited evenings / weekends. Additional mins are 25 cents.

The only difference between the two plans is that the Cingular mins include long distance, whereas Rogers doesn't. (However, you do get cheaper overtime mins with Rogers and unlimited evenings / weekends).

Except for someone that makes exceptional use of their cell to make long distance calls, I'd say those two plans are essentially comarable, and about the same price.

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Originally posted by dEsidEL yes tho i'm sure u'd find that apparent in any industry where there are billions of dollars at stake

Of course, it's just that most of those industries don't have the authority to create laws. They can lobby, sure, but that's not the same as having direct connections to a regulatory board.

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I have no idea about US vs. Canada being better as far as minutes/dollar - however the US is MUCH MORE progressive in hardware - and that alone is an important factor.

At the very least - Virgin should bring some additional hardware competition.

I run between $200 and $250 per month on mobile billing (use it for home, business [expense], etc), so company "A" is the same as company "B" - they all would cost me about the same - but I just want access to GOOD handsets.

CDMA handset options are s**t in Canada. Mind you, -all- CDMA handsets could be s**t if you talk to some...

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quote:

Originally posted by dEsidEL i really hate that law they hav in place to protect the telecom market from foreign ownership .. what's the point if existing Canadian carriers are only trying to maintain the status quo

those large companies (Bell, etc.) are supported by the Lieberals, and vice-versa

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Nathan Fake - Outhouse (Valentino Kanzyani Remix) || ID PLZ! PVD ID!!!
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Originally posted by rabbitjoker CDMA handset options are s**t in Canada. Mind you, -all- CDMA handsets could be s**t if you talk to some...

V710!!
LG535

Flip = too fragile.

I want a CDMA Sony p910 (tw1tch, quiet with your GPRS bragging!! )

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- rabbit.joker [funny¿rabbit] | www.rabbitjoker.com |www.ddtt.org

Dark Dirty Tech Tribal. | Hands in air (trance) and feet on the floor (house).

I think Canada is about 7 years behind Japan as to mobile technology, and maybe 2 years behind the U.S.

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Nathan Fake - Outhouse (Valentino Kanzyani Remix) || ID PLZ! PVD ID!!!
Disco and classical had sex while watching a sci-fi movie. Their child: trance.

quote:

Originally posted by rabbitjoker Flip = too fragile. I want a CDMA Sony p910 (tw1tch, quiet with your GPRS bragging!! )

I like flips.
As well, the 535 is a slider