It ain’t much, but
it’s honest work...or something like that. The Big Three (Rogers, Bell, TELUS) cut prices (a bit) on their data plans, according to
a federal report.
ICYMI: Reducing cell phone bills has been a priority for the Liberal government. In March 2020,
they asked (no, demanded) wireless carriers to lower prices on data plans by 25% within the next two years.
The latest report looks at whether the Big Three are making good on their promise.
- Quebec is the only province in which the Big Three cut prices on all of their plans (ranging from 2-6 GB) by 25%.
- In the remaining provinces, the Big Three only reduced prices on their 6GB data plans, to $45 from a benchmark price of $60.
But $45 on 6GB is hardly a steal. In the U.S., mobile carriers like
Mint, Verizon, and AT&T sell unlimited data plans starting at around $40.
The Big Three dominate the wireless market, and with little to no competition they are able to pretty much charge what they want.
- Canada’s telecom regulator ruled last month that existing providers can operate as mobile virtual network operators (MNVOs).
- MVNOs will be able to piggyback off the Big Three’s wireless infrastructure and that’ll increase competition, but that alone won’t be enough to significantly lower cell phone bills.
In June, smaller operators will be able to participate in the
5G spectrum auction, another sign that the government wants to reel in control from the Big Three.
Bottom line: While the price changes aren’t that significant, more competition and pressure from the federal government are a hopeful sign that we’ll see lower cell phone bills. The real question is when will we get unlimited data for $40?