Hi folks, today, my Monday GlobalTV Morning News Tech Segment was on choosing between the new aggressive and competitive cellphone providers like Mobilicity and the traditional cellcos like TELUS, ROGERS and BELL.
http://www.globaltvedmonton.com/video/index.html?releasePID=2otNz__mRBNjvBv0hUIjvJzsNvhEoRln
What is different about these two types of cellcos?
Companies like Mobilicity and Wind are niche, specializing in mobile phones. Mobilicity for example, has invested in their own 3.5G network in relatively small areas covering Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, Vancouver, Ottawa and Toronto, with cheaper feature-rich plans. But past these well defined fast networks, Mobilicity phones switch to a contracted competitors slower network charging 20 cents per minute. Same goes for long distance calls and data, outside the inner core six cities with Mobilicity.
Mobilicity has plan options to overcome some of these additional network charges but also requires you to purchase your phone model (between $49.99 and $549.99) outright. This compares to the rigid long term phone subsidy plans of traditional cellcos.
Mobilicity offers 16 phone models, none of which, if unlocked, will work with TELUS, ROGERS and BELL. Their phones cover a variety of texting and smartphone models. Their popular Motorola Spice for example, with many smartphone features, pullout keyboard, pinch touschscreen and 3 megapixel camera costs $189.99 with no contract monthly plans from $25 t0 $45.
What is the Mobilicity Advantage?
If all you want is a phone that does it all at better long-term prices, Mobilicity works. You save about 40 per cent on the cheapest phone and three year no-contract plan over similar options from incumbent cellcos and about 80 per cent on a quality BlackBerry 8780 Bold smart phone with all the bells and whistles like voice, caller ID, voice mail, text and data plans.
You also see a payback of your original phone investment, depending on model, from four months or up to a year, meaning you are ahead of the mobility game financially.
But if you want an iPhone, the coolest large-screen Samsung, LG Android and Windows Phone 7 smartphones, look elsewhere. Same goes for folks wanting data plans for iPads, Samsung Galaxy Pads, and mobile PCs. They incumbent cellcos may not be dropping their prices to mach the news kids on the block, but they have more choices like voice and data sharing.
If you spend the time with the seemingly never-ending layers of options in TELUS, ROGERS and BELL plans you may get something more suitable to you and your shared family liking.
One tip: You have the upper hand when negotiating for a better contract with your existing cellco provider than a new one you plan to join.
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