Cheaper plans and better plans.

[tehowennathe]

I was recently in the US and heard a radio advertisement for Metro PCS.. They offer Unlimited talk and text with unlimited data for $30 a month. They offer 1GB at LTE speeds then after that for rest of month it's reduced speeds. Maybe it's time to look at how the US and see how they price their plans. I know lots of people who will get metro pcs and use the service in Canada because it's still cheaper then anything similar. Maybe starting something similar is a way to keep Canadians from leaving Canadian companies for American companies. Most US plans work in Canada with one price and no extra charges for roaming.

[will13am]

@tehowennathe, I know where you are coming from with this idea, but it's pointless to make this suggestion in the labs forum.  Only competition can make this happen.  At the moment, only Freedom Mobile has soft caps on data, but their service is so terrible that none of the competitors really take them seriously.  When Freedom Mobile becomes a worthy competitor, we may see this from Public Mobile and other brands offer soft data caps.  Until such time, don't hold your breathe.

[tehowennathe]

@will13am true but freedom mobile has no plans to have service in Montreal. That's why I made the suggestion. Closest thing to Metro PCS would be Chatr's unlimited $40 plan as long as your in one of the cities they have listed. It's a good deal but Chatr's Us roaming is not good at all. Public Mobile has better American service

[will13am]

@tehowennathe, it's interesting how many treat roaming in other countries as an important feature.  Personally, it's not on my radar.  I would much prefer to obtain a new SIM and account from a local provider.  That's usually the cheapest option, maybe not the most convenient.  My SIM card is not welded into the slot, lol.

Lucky you that Freedom Mobile is not offering service in Montreal.  You would definitely have less hair if you were to use the service.  

[tehowennathe]

The local mobile companies in Montreal such as Videotron charges way more then any of the cheapest plan on Public Mobile for their cheapest plan. That's why I left Videotron

[NDesai]

We already know that Canadians pay one of the highest price for plans. If only big 3s can lower their instead of raising it all the time, 2nd and 3rd tier carrier would drop it big time. Either way, Public Mobile offered the lowest price and their current 6GB plan price is still cheaper than other carriers. Plus, you won't find any better rewards system elsewhere. I don't know if there is any carrier that gives you a chance to lower your plan price to $0 with referral rewards. 

[CalvinW]

That's true, only competitors would be able to push other companies to adjust their price point. When PM launched the fall promo, Fido quickly followed suit to offer a similar plan. But what I noticed is how PM doesn't offer a competing plan when other carriers do promos. So this is a bummer for customers that missed out on the fall promo.

[imm1304]

On the viability of a US carrier's plan while living in Canada.. it is usually required that more than half of the usage must be inside the US. If you are always in Canada, they will suspend service or terminate you as a customer or charge you international roaming. Do you know any real viable US plan for Canadians?

[tehowennathe]

 The ones I know who use an American carrier in Canada have family in the US so they visit often. Plus they go often for work. So I guess they get around it that way.

I'm surprised Ting Mobile hasn't tried to do anything in Canada because they are a US carrier with an office in Toronto. Looked them up. Their plans are real cheap and good.

[paulie]

I like the AT&T and Tmobile plans !    Unlimited data (okay...22GB data) but still lots of data !    🙂

And I have posted before, would love to be able to buy data (above whats offered in a plan) but it needs to be cheap !  And roll over until used.  It would raise revenue and profit for PM.  😉    

[hslmdjim]

While these ideas are great, and we'd all like a cheaper plan, I'm sure PM and any carrier have people whose job is literally running models to optimize revenue/costs. We pay a lot for cell service in Canada because of the large landmass relative to population and the lack of competition. People in population centers are subsidizing the costs for people in more rural areas. Similar to how young people's health insurance subsidize the elderly.