Bell says that starting October 5, its Virgin Plus flanker brand will offer reduced wireless costs that meet government goals.
In 2020, the federal government set a goal of reducing wireless plans by 25 percent in Canada. Since then, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has published Quarterly Wireless Pricing Reports.
The 2020 benchmark listed targets for the 2GB, 4GB and 6GB plans. For the 2GB options, the benchmark wanted prices to drop from $ 50 / month to $ 37.50 / month, 4GB from $ 55 to $ 41.25, and 6GB from $ 60 to $ 45.
Bell’s ad says Virgin Plus will offer exactly those plans, starting October 5. In addition, the airline noted that the reduced price comes “several months ahead of federal expectations” of a 25 percent price reduction by 2022.
- 2GB – $ 37.50 / month
4GB – $ 41.25 / month
6GB – $ 45 / month
Unfortunately, it is not easy to make a direct comparison as Virgin Plus does not currently offer 2GB or 6GB plans. The flanker brand 4GB plan costs $ 45 per month. Additionally, the ‘low-cost plans’ mandated by CRTC offered by Virgin Plus and other wireless operators do not count toward the government’s 25 percent reduction benchmark because the operators limited these low-cost plans to 3G download speeds.
“Our goal at Bell is to advance the way all Canadians connect, and these latest reductions in the price of mobile data are based on the actions we take every day to further improve our industry-leading networks and services. world, ”said Bell President and CEO Mirko Bibic. .
However, it is important to note that these price reductions only apply to Virgin Plus, not Bell postpaid plans, which are the following:
- $ 30 / mo “Basic 30” plan with unlimited talk and text (only available as BYOP or with the purchase of a “Basic” phone)
- $ 80 / month 30GB
- $ 85 / month 35GB
- $ 125 / month 50GB
- $ 175 / month 100GB
So far, the government’s quarterly price reduction reports have shown a slight trend toward lower wireless costs. At the same time, reports have revealed inconsistent availability for these plans. Many of the lower-cost options are promotional plans that operators only offer for a limited time. Another frustration with the 25 percent reduction target is that the big three carriers have managed to dodge it by hitting the target with lower-cost flanker brands, keeping prices in the $ 80 + range at major brands.
Bell also cited statistics from Statistics Canada indicating that wireless prices have fallen 31 percent since January 2019. Rogers, Bell and Telus first launched their new unlimited wireless plans in June and July 2019. Those plans offered a Significant price reduction by providing more data and separating the cost of plan devices. Although the new plans were cheaper than what was offered earlier that year, Rogers, Bell and Telus have since increased the initial cost of those plans.
Source: campaign