
In Canada 50Mbps internet now considered a basic service - dgudkov
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/crtc-internet-essential-service-1.3906664
======
RandyRanderson
Let's not get too excited here:

1 The CRTC (our version of the US FCC) chairman said (in the linked article):
"The commission's approach to affordability has always been through market
forces". Market forces like competition?

2 Three companies control ~90+ % of the Canadian internet market (Rogers, Bell
and Telus).

3 Canada has _the highest_ mobile ARPU numbers _in the world_ because of the
'market forces' here [1].

4 It's well known in Canada that the Liberal Party (recently federally
elected) is very 'cozy' (not my word) with the big 3 telcos[0].

Merry xmas, Canada's telco oligopoly. Don't spend that 750million all in one
place!!! Yours always, PM Trudeau

[0] [http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/03/24/liberal-party-
cozy-r...](http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/03/24/liberal-party-cozy-
relationship-bell_n_9541032.html) [1]
[https://www.statista.com/statistics/203642/forecast-for-
the-...](https://www.statista.com/statistics/203642/forecast-for-the-global-
average-revenue-per-mobile-user-in-2015-by-region/)

~~~
robert_foss
I moved to Toronto from the EU a while back and can confirm that the ISPs and
mobile carriers are all awful.

Horrific service, decades old technology (I'm still on 3G in Toronto), traffic
quotas (low ones at that) and all options are rather expensive.

I had a quick look around, and in .SE you get about 40GB of mobile traffic for
90CAD. The same amount of money will get you 10GB of traffic at Bell in
Canada.

The story is identical for residential broadband. It is truly an
embarrassment.

~~~
cgh
I live in small-town BC and get 150/150 for $85 a month with no caps. Surely
you, in the Centre of the Universe[0], can do better than what you have now.

[0] How non-Torontonians sarcastically refer to Toronto

~~~
ohstopitu
I live in the GTA area, and pay ~$40 for just 12/1 (on Acanac).

I honestly can't wait for gigabit fiber to expand to outskirts like Ajax and
Oshawa.

------
faebi
Very nice. In switzerland we only have 4 mbits basic coverage but everbody has
by law to get it anywhere he lives. The internet is too essential for all
knowledge driven economies and therefore should be guaranteed for every
citizen like water and power.

~~~
mikebelanger
Easy for such a small country to say. Canada's population is much more spread
out, over a much larger space.

~~~
jlaporte
Canada's population is highly urbanized and concentrated in cities near our
southern border. More urbanized than Switzerland (GP comment). Not an
explanation for our uncompetitive mobile and broadband data markets.

Canada urban population: 81.8% of total population (2015)

Switzerland urban population: 73.9% of total population (2015)

\--

[0] [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/...](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/fields/2212.html)

------
martinald
Find this funny. Where 1GB LTE data only costs $75/month. That would be about
£5/8CAD in the UK.

PS: population density isn't that important for cell service, before people
start saying that. In fact higher population density is actually really
expensive for cell coverage. A 700MHz LTE site can probably do 50km range
these days.

~~~
mgbmtl
With Fido in Quebec, I pay 15$/month for 3GB on a data-only plan. I run my
phone (voice calls) over SIP (using VoIP.ms) for less than 5$/month. VoIP.ms
also does SMS.

I wouldn't recommend it to someone who uses voice calls a lot, but in my case
most people text (signal/WhatsApp), even my clients. I have a desk VoIP phone
for important calls (I do a lot of sales and support).

~~~
Solinoid
I was thinking of doing the same thing. What voip app do you use?

~~~
mgbmtl
csipsimple on Android

------
RandyRanderson
Also, let's not forget how awesome the similar US National Broadband Plan [0]
worked out...

[0]
[https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150728/08375931774/shock...](https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150728/08375931774/shocker-
billions-broadband-subsidies-wasted-as-government-turns-blind-eye-to-
fraud.shtml)

------
beezischillin
I live in Romania, where 100/100 is the cheapest and worst service you can get
for $6.45, while the most expensive option is 1000/300 at $9, without any data
caps.

It always strikes me as really weird and potentially bad that providers not
only don't invest in infrastructure, but actively try and limit the use of
their current one in every western country. I'd love to see a study on how
much profit the economy's losing out on thanks to this.

------
sgt
Somewhat unrelated, but I'm home for Christmas at my mom's house, and she has
a nice and fast 50Mbps fiber connection. However, the Wi-Fi is able to sustain
about 1Mbps. I don't have a specific point about this but Wi-Fi can drive you
crazy.

~~~
prodmerc
Heh, reminds me of a 100 Mbps fiber connection I had... with the slowest
router in existence, which could only push 45 Mbps before literally dying
(simply stopped responding). I wonder if the ISP used those on purpose...

------
DylanFuery
As somebody that lives quite literally half way between Toronto, Montreal and
Ottawa the closest town (one I also live in) still doesn't have fiber and
barely proper Cable/DSL. They have the TO-MTL Bell fiber backbone going along
the Heritage Highway (the St. Lawrence River) Everything is over Cable here.
250/20 Mbps and Unlimited data is over $130 a month, but not everybody in the
city can get that. Most of the city is still on old Bell copper which is just
DSL speeds. 6/.5 Mbps "maybe" and if you want to use your phone at the same
time the line being so old and congested you will probably get dropped.

The second house I live at is 15 KM north of this city. I have no Bell (copper
of any kind), no Cable... Just Hydro. Meaning my next bet is to installed a
80'-100' tower and do Wireless Internet (2.4 GHz and 5.6 GHz technology).
6/.85 with a soft cap of 200 GB at $66 a month or 10/1 with a soft cap of 200
GB for $100 (this is only for certain Sectors which are suitable, luckily I am
one of them).

This is on top of paying monthly for the equipment rental or buying it out
right. The towers alone can cost $1,000+ (it was $250 just to have it anchored
with guide wires). Let's not even get started on Ping Speeds I'm thankfully
between 30 ms to 150 ms on average. But I've hit over 1500 ms on days, and
Rain Effect (especially being in Canada where it snows A LOT) makes
connections almost impossible.

Though I would love the CRTC to do something of this, I'm sure I don't qualify
as "Remote" or "Rural" enough. It's a scam really (3ish major providers with
1% or so it seems of actual coverage) and if you work from home you are
literally out of luck. Especially when within a 25 KM radius there are only
TWO cell phone towers. The one that is closest that provides the best signal
and speeds is slightly off on its pointed degree and angle so I can't pick it
up so I receive the farthest cell tower away which gives me about 1 bar of 3G,
I'm often on 2G (which will be shut off soon) and rarely LTE. Then if I do use
my cellular data that's $52 per ONE GB over your plan. Its a pointless battle.

I understand most of the population lives within a few hours of the border,
and "remote and rural" are priorities but even people 20 minutes away from big
cities have it rougher than most think. Something needs to be done.

------
guessmyname
And here I am paying $23.60 for just 10Mbps [1] ಠ_ಠ

[1] [http://www.une.com.co/internet](http://www.une.com.co/internet)

~~~
shakna
How about $40/month for 12, but capped? [0]

[0]
[https://www.exetel.com.au/broadband/nbn](https://www.exetel.com.au/broadband/nbn)

~~~
sgt
$55/mo for unlimited though. That's pretty acceptable.

------
ramoq
Mods: I submitted this article (link to the exact same article, exact same
url), before dgudkov. How did this submission get accepted as being unique?

------
rayj
I'm lucky to get 1.5mbit out here in the sticks with centurylink for $45/mo,
without any upgrade plans. Internet in rural America leaves something to be
desired.

~~~
leesalminen
I'm on CenturyLink's newer fiber offering (symmetrical 100Mbps) and am happy
as a clam. Until I have to call them.

