I think this is one thirst that carriers in this country are not going to help quench. We still have home internet plans that are metered, lol. As long as the masses are still into buying $80 monthly plans that come with a "free" phone every two years that bundle with 500 megs of data, the carriers have us in a vulnerable position.
I think it would be a great option for those people that need it and hopefully come at a reasonable price. But as someone who can survive on a smaller data package and Shaw Go WiFi Hotspots, I hope they would keep cheaper data packages available for people like me who prefer low cost over unlimited data.
As will13am mentioned the problem is with the "free phone" and the idea that a 1.5 yrs old premium phone is already outdated and we need a new phone and I don't want to pay for it at the start so I will pay double or triple the normal monthly plans for 2 yrs.
@mtfolks, you presume that bandwidth is costly. Well it isn't. The overage charges are virtually 100% pure profit. If usage really cost anything measurable, believe me there would be a lot less unlimited calling plans. That said, the greatest impact of unlimited plans is a huge hit on the revenue.
I dunno. I think you're right to an extent. But you're also basing this assumption somewhat on current usage patterns affect on cost to deliver service. However, if cell phone bandwidth is anything like cable internet bandwidth you likely still have to worry about congestion issues. Especially if unlimited data became the norm and everyone was incentivized to stream anything and everything without giving their usage a second thought.
I'll fully admit I haven't researched how this plays out in reality in places where unlimited usage plans are the norm (if anywhere?) so will gladly stand corrected.
Totally agree about lack of calling. The only one left is my 91 year old mom that I still call. How times have changed. I would love more data but find the wifi at work and home fit the budget. Although my kids seem to find 9 gigs confining.
Our societal usage if data is exponentially growing with each passing month - and I agree, who exculsively calls people other than their grandparents. I don't think there is a place where unlimited data is the norm other than in the US where unlimited plans are available with the big 4, but typically how it works there is the unlimited data is "throttled" after a set amount (i.e. 6GB) down to 4g or 3g speeds. While this is annoying, still having data available is a huge bonus. As far as cellular infrastructure in this country, I have a family member who is involved with the engineering side of the industry and our networks are very much capable in handling "throttled unlimited plans" at this time. The question is, does any company (the big 4 in this country, or an MVNO) have the foresight to be the first one in Canada to offer such a plan. Public??
Possibly. But not if they throttle after 5gb or 6gb. A few hours of Netflix and you're looking at drastically reduced speeds til your next billing cycle. That would drive me insane.
I have no doubt we will see unlimited plans roll out eventually. I'm just not personally in a rush to see it happen. Plan cost is my number one issue. That's obviously not the same for everyone tho.
