Bell, Telus roll out rate plans for two-year contracts

BCE Inc. and Telus Corp. introduced new monthly mobile pricing to support two-year contracts after the CRTC effectively eliminated three-year agreements in its wireless code regulations. Wireless providers were expected to adjust the pricing for their mobile phone packages as a result of last month’s CRTC decision, which said consumers can back out of wireless contracts after 24 months of service without a cancellation fee. Reducing wireless contracts by a year means providers are looking to ensure they recoup device subsidies for smartphones and tablets over the course of two years instead of three. Telus said in a release Monday that it will launch new two-year plans on July 30 at a slightly higher price point than its three year plans. The plans, called SharePlus, now include unlimited national calling and texting, it said. Telus spokeswoman Donna Ramirez said in a phone interview the company's new smartphone plan supporting 1GB of monthly data will rise from $80 per month on a three-year contract to $85 per month under a two-year agreement, though the plan will now include unlimited national calling and texting. Telus said that, under the new two-year agreements, its "Smartphone Lite" plan, which includes 500 MB of data and unlimited national calling and texting, will be $70 per month. Ramirez said the upfront pricing on devices, paid at the time of entering the contract, will increase “moderately” and will be released July 30. “Canadians like the upfront costs to be low, so you're only going to see a moderate change there. We've kept that in mind,” Ramirez said. Telus said users' monthly cost per device will fall if they add more devices to their primary account. “You can add an existing device you already have to the plan, buy a new one outright and pay a lower monthly rate, or pay off a new device on an easy-pay plan amortized over two years,” the release said. Wireless blog MobileSyrup reported Monday on leaked billing information from Bell Mobility, which showed new rates under two-year contracts. Bell said in the document that, as of July 30, three-year contracts will no longer be available. The company's new “Voice and Data Lite” plan, which includes unlimited texting and calling and “upward of 1GB data,” will range from $45 to $60 per month, MobileSyrup reported. The company's “Voice and Data Plus” plan, which includes unlimited calling, texting and 5 GB of data usage, will cost $60 to $100 per month, MobileSyrup said, adding that device prices will “slightly increase.” Bell declined to comment for this story. The CRTC's wireless code of conduct, which will also introduce $50 caps on wireless consumers' additional international roaming charges, comes into effect on Dec. 2. Canada's largest three wireless providers have filed a motion for leave to appeal with the Federal Court of Appeal, seeking to clarify the retroactivity of aspects of the wireless code to existing three-year contracts as of June 3, 2015. —With reporting by Simon Doyle at sdoyle@thewirereport.caand editing by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca

Bell, Telus roll out rate plans for two-year contracts

News | July 15, 2013

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Bell, Telus roll out rate plans for two-year contracts

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