Follow Us:
Quote of the Day of why Solo now offers Unlimited plans and Zones
Before the new-entrants came on board it was really only Fido that offered Unlimited plans in a “zone” based calling area. Now we have Wind Mobile, Mobilicity, Chatr, Public Mobile and now Bell’s Solo Mobile.
There has been much talk about this Solo Mobile offering and why they are choosing now to come out with an unlimited zone offering. Bell CEO George Cope recently said in their Q2 conference call that “Chatr, obviously it’s a significant competitive development. We will respond to that. Solo Unlimited will launch… It’s a development in the marketplace and we’ll, as we said defend our 3rd of the Postpaid market… No surprise to anyone because we’ve said that since the beginning we’re always going to remain competitive and our pricing will competitive”.
However, the quote of the day comes from Wade Oosterman, President of Bell Mobility, who said the “There’s a lot of noise in the system about whether this is spurred on by the new entrants, I wouldn’t see it that way. We saw an appetite for these types of rate plans.”
So one executive says they created the Unlimited plans and zones to “respond” to Chatr being in the marketplace (which was created to take on the new entrants), and another executive states the new offering is not because of the new entrants but because they suddenly saw a need.
Via: The Globe
Discussion
37 comments for “Quote of the Day of why Solo now offers Unlimited plans and Zones”
Post a comment
- CES 2012
- Mobile News
- Airtel Wireless
- Bell Mobility News
- Chatr
- Clearnet
- Eastlink
- Fido News
- Globalive News
- Koodo Mobile News
- Mobilicity
- MTS
- NorthernTel
- PC Mobile News
- Petro-Canada Mobility
- Primus Wireless News
- Public Mobile
- Rogers Wireless News
- SaskTel News
- Shaw
- Solo Mobile News
- Speak Out Wireless News
- tbaytel
- Telus Mobility News
- Vidéotron News
- Virgin Mobile News
- WIND Mobile
- Reviews – Carrier
- Reviews – Manufacturer
- Various News
AHAHHAHAH
Somebody should ask them how come the Solo Unlimited plans are not available in Montreal. I’m very curious what their answer is…
Adi
Like or Dislike:
24 
4
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Like or Dislike:
6 
31
@jarring Bottom line; you’re an i***t. Have a shitty day.
Like or Dislike:
18 
6
@jarr are you so short-sighted? I can’t even begin to explain how you have no idea about the Canadian wireless market
Like or Dislike:
18 
5
….Bell has always been good with B.S…so congrats to them.
Like or Dislike:
12 
2
Prices come down until Wind and Mobilicity go under. Then prices come right back up. It’s how the Big 3 operate.
Like or Dislike:
21 
3
canada’s only hope is to keep wind mobile alive, public and mobilicity are going out of buisness… i can also see wind buying out mobilicity in 3 years and starting up their own flanker brand yak mobile.
Like or Dislike:
14 
0
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Like or Dislike:
2 
13
@jarr
No, everyone else is right, you know nothing. Or you’re a paid shill. One of the two. The only reason they are doing this is the 150,000 and growing new subscribers that have moved to Wind in the last 6 months.
The big three have been price gouging and price fixing to ensure they stay in business and none of them have any incentive to actually compete with each other. It is much easier for them to agree with other on fee’s and pricing.
People realize this as well and the big 3 know that the only way they can continue with their current business plans/models is to remove competition who doesn’t toe the corporate line. This is why you have chatr and solo launching similiar plans only in the markets the new players have started in. They need to prevent any of the new players from getting new people signed up, once they go out of business they can do the same thing Rogers did with Fido. Get rid of the good plans and turn it into Rogers with a different name. This is why they don’t offer the plans all over Canada, and this is why you wont see decent cell plan prices in Canada until there is true competition.
Like or Dislike:
17 
1
be careful what you wish for. many of you own incumbent stocks and don’t know it, hidden away in your rrsp’s or pension plans. be careful. remember – these companies are here to make money, not to give service for free.
the reason they charge “money” for “services” is to make “money” for “investors” (investors include people like you, by the way)
Like or Dislike:
8 
13
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Like or Dislike:
5 
19
@JAWG, and who is ractually unning Chatr?
Like or Dislike:
2 
0
@jarr You should state something more obvious like snow is white or water is wet. Of course they’re in it to make money. That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Telco margins are effing ridiculous and anyone who refute’s that hasn’t worked in accounting for any of the big three. We’re being gouged up here and if you didn’t know that already you either have some serious skin in this game or you live on the moon. Either way, continue to have a shitty day.
Like or Dislike:
10 
5
@jagg.
My god man, of course they are there to make money. Have you looked at their profit Margins? They aren’t going to dissapear any time soon. You give the same bullshit arguments people gave in the 80′s when the American Government broke up AT&T. You obviously have a financial stake in seeing that they succeed so please just stop with the FUD. The big 3 are acting in an anti-competetive manner and they shouldn’t be allowed to do what they do. They are in cahoots with each other, and it’s disgusting that people such as yourself are trying to convince people that this is OK. It’s not OK. It’s never OK.
Like or Dislike:
17 
3
@j**g of course your chat-r works ok…its rogers network with blocked data. You are a ridiculous individual to think the crtc would do anything… Do you have any clue who sits on that board, you may want to look into that. Calling us Fanboys of new entrants really shows your lack of understanding of the term. We support competition, and fair market pricing not the monopolistic bs of the big 3 price fixing. Have you been to another country before…are you even aware what most of the western world pays for cell phones and plans. Canada is a joke relatively and the new entrants are forcing the big 3 back to reality by virtue of true competition. Your an obvious shill or have a vested interest in chat-r so I m sure you won’t think about this in any sort of critical fashion.
Like or Dislike:
16 
2
you can’t just walk in here and start ranting about how “margins at telco’s are high” without putting it in context. high relative to what? what are the numbers? comparing to what? a retailer that doesn’t spend billions on network and even more on spectrum? what margin? operating margin? or gross margin? if it’s gross margin – sure, perhaps, but what about operating margin after accounting for assets that have been purchased years to decades in advance? do you understand the scope of investment required to do what the big 3 here have done? how many other countries in the world have 3 HSPA+ networks? even the US is ‘just’ starting (and it’s biggest carrier, AT&T is just starting to roll out hspa+ at the hardware level now).
then you’ll look at price plans in all the european and asian countries and signal how “cheap” they are.
sure. great.
but do you bother to look at what THEIR margins look like? they are AWFUL – so awful that most CEOS constantLY CONSTANTLY talk about “consolidation” in the sector to remain profitable.
look down to the states at what’s happening with Cricket (Leap) . BRUTAL. those price plans they have are murderous, they NEED to consolidate soon to achieve scale just to remain profitable. Take a look at their operating margins.
Sure – let’s just look at “margins” and point to the guy who has the highest one and go “wow. they are killing the consumer” but do a bit more digging around to find out the sustainability of such margins.
it’s tough to compare plans out there today to what many are comparing to plans from even a few years ago in european countries where you claim “data is so cheap”. When did the iPhone come out. 1997? not even 3 years ago – why do i bring up the iPhone? stats/price plans etc on “data” in Europe, Japan, etc are IRRELEVANT when talking in the past or even in the present – until the iPhone, we as a society never used or consumed the amount of data happening on networks right now. that has totally shifted the cost structure – it is expensive to both lay the foundation to provide data and to then maintain it.
look around the world. look to the UK which has ALWAYS had unlimited data. didn’t you see what just happened a month ago? all of the carriers ‘caved’ and now are moving a “tiered data” approach. they simply can’t afford to give away data given the shift in usage and increasing download of new media that has happened over the past 2 years.
Like or Dislike:
7 
8
by the way, this is jarr.. changing my name as i have noticed someone else posting with this name on here.
Like or Dislike:
3 
2
Is Solo short for Sore Losers? I hope those Bell executives lose so many customers that they will lose their jobs.
Like or Dislike:
13 
2
@the corporate shill
Some companies around the world aren’t able to make their business plans work so huge corporations price fixing and acting in an anti-competetive manner to kill competition is totally OK!
Mentioning some arbitrary cases around the world is not some kind of proof that corporations acting in a blatant anti-competitive nature is OK. They are in cahoots together, they aren’t true competition, they do not want to change irregardless of the market place wants. This does not drive innovation, and this does not allow for new things to take hold. This is bullshit and should be uncanadian.
Like or Dislike:
6 
1
@Andrew
now you’re just getting silly and moving this into a conversation about how big bad and evil all corporations are. now it moved from the big 3 being unfair to canadians to every wireless carrier in the world , oh, sorry , my “arbitrary” cases, are unfair. my cases weren’t arbitrary, i picked the largest markets out there – all of Europe, Japan and the UK (and the US). what are you going to do? pick the Samoan islands as your ‘one’ case? please…
you completely steamrolled past all my comments without addressing anything i asked. do you understand how much it costs to build a wireless network?
what are you comparing the “expensive” prices from ALL CARRIERS IN THE WORLD THAT ARE IN CAHOOTS to? the price of bread? this conversation is getting a bit ridiculous when you just start saying that “all companies are anti competitive” without giving a reference company, country or industry.
what price do you want to see a monthly bill priced at, given the network, spectrum and all other costs related to the initial and ongoing investment to sustain wireless services? at what point do YOU stop arguing?
Like or Dislike:
2 
9
You moved the conversation over to every other wireless company in the world and the ones you mentioned aren’t the biggest ones. I am also aware of the costs involved, it’s called part of doing business. Also, once again, every single f*****g argument you are making were the same arguments made in the 80′s with the breakup of at&t bell. “It will doom the industry!” Business always finds a way to survive though… funny that.
You are again, a paid corporate shill spouting off fear uncertainty and doubt. Price fixing is illegal and the CRTC would/should have investigated the big three over this if they hadn’t got their own employees on the board. Price fixing is bad, you can think it’s Ok all you want, doesn’t make it so. You are a moron and wrong. You think I’m wrong and a moron. You are just goin to have to accept this.
I’m outta here.
Like or Dislike:
12 
1
@Andrew
yes, damn right i moved the convo to include other company’s, and yes, those are some of the largest company’s in the world (unless of course you are including the large conglomerates such as MTN or Orascom which are almost pointless to use as a comparison since they operate across so much geography), because, again, i’m looking for CONTEXT
i asked you a simple question: at what point (i.e. price point) do YOU stop arguing. it is YOU who are upset with the prices and believe it is unfair – i continue to ask you to put it into context – relative to WHAT? i put out the various countries and some of the history of price plans in these countries to spur some conversation.
how much do you want for an all you can talk, text and download plan – what’s your price point, and then justify that price based on, as you mention – the costs that you are aware are involved to provide the services.
give me the price point. thats all i’m asking for. $50? $60? compare that price now, to what you get in Canada, US, (hell, just compare it to the company’s that you are stating are the ‘big ones’ that I ‘missed’) and then look at the usage.
you and others like you, come here, whine about how “bad” the prices are how they “price fix” them – but then, as i continue to state DONT PUT IT IN CONTEXT!? they are bad? ok, maybe, but relative to what? as i asked, are you comparing these relative to the price of bread? eggs? milk? a car?
Like or Dislike:
4 
8
let me put in context again, how much solo SUCKS! Their battery life for many of their phones is 2.4 hours (such as lg querty keyboard phone). The customer service for this plan is NOT competition, having NO CUSTOMER SERVICE ON WEEKENDS (I called toady again just to be sure), yup not at all!!!
wind customer service=24 hours, rogers chatr = 9-9pm monday-friday, 9-6 on weekends
solo has an hspa network (bell) but REFUSES to sells sim cards, making you buy one of their crappy phones!!! this is not competiton, Solo mobile sucks. Telecommunications industry sucks, choose wisely and if you don’t liek your service, choose someone who makes you “happy” or get rid of it if you don’t need it for work. solo unlimited does not make me happy with lousy customer service, lousy phones, etc.
I’m preferring home phones more and more everyday for so many reasons.
Like or Dislike:
7 
1
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Like or Dislike:
1 
12
j**g, out of honest curiosity – what are a few ideas you have for how the government/crtc should be helping canadians and reducing prices?
Like or Dislike:
4 
1
@rkarsk:
Under the present situation or environment there isn’t much you can do unless Canadians band together,you have to dismantle the CRTC and create regulators like in Europe that establish fair rates for everyone without hidden fees…to do that you need a strong government that will actually force that to happen and considering our laws this may be hard to do.
I don’t think issuing licenses to anyone who has billions where ownership is questionable is the the way to go since reputable corporations will be left out and the way Wind got into the market suspiciously with no disclosures from the government considering Orascom is so corrupt displays what kind of a mess we are in.But,supporting New Entrants because they only offer cheaper rates is not a sensible solution either considering they are not really improving our communication industry and that only leaves us to push the Big Three to start acting like Canadian by offering good services that people can afford.
I think Canadians need a strong voice for this to happen and maybe it’s time they start reacting as a united front.If it was possible in Europe it’s possible here and until then you just have to wait for real changes.
Like or Dislike:
0 
2
@ j**g how is a united front possible when people like you say things like “be quiet, rates are dropping”… Your first post was to pacify people and say “hey, you are saving money here, shut up and enjoy chat-r”. Do you see now why you are so full of crap?
Like or Dislike:
0 
2
@EJ:
Guys like you are full of ????…I never said be quiet or stop fighting…I said don’t lie.Fanboys on claim the Big Three are corrupt with no proof and praise the New Entrants simply because they hate Rogers/Bell/Telus…that is mot a united front and what is truly crap.If you want to make the Big Three listen you don’t bring in 3 worthless new companies that don’t really deserve to be supported or promote Wind/Mobilicity/PM strictly because they momentarily give you somewhat lower rates…you fight to dismantle the CRTC and force the government to actually fulfill their obligation to the population as a whole.
Regardless what you say at the moment Chat-r is the best of all the New Entrants and the only way things will improve is you have choices without going against the Big Three,it’s ironic that Wind welcomed the competition in fear of being further investigated and that Mobilicity wants to stop what is actually producing change…if you want genuine improvements the only way to do that is to destroy the old system and make a new one for the future.And without Chat-r/Solo/etc if successful the New Entrants will only gouge you further eventually and I would be more concerned with their actions since they’ve already proven to be unreliable in every way…I for one along with my friends will not support them and the ones that do like many who have left already will get it deeper in the butt.
Like or Dislike:
0 
3
I’m tired of this whole bloody industry to be honest, they are ALL corrupt. I hate how chatr (which I am currently on) does not offer $35 card to pay for oyur plan, how is THAT SIMPLE?!!?!?! I’m starting ot think I’d rather have a bare bones $10 prepaid phone on fido and just use a bell landline, at least I can pay my bill how I want, not have to pay .25 cents a min to check my “free voicemail” wheni can buy a damn answering machine and pay nobody any money for something that should be free. I don’t have to worry about “Coverage” garbage or getting a signal, we think we need cell phones so much in our lives, but did we not function before we had them? We did. We are so spoiled and take it for granted,think we are entitled to it (sometimes and some people).
I know some peopleneed phone for business, as do I, but this whole thing is really ridiculous. I’m thinking of leaving chatr around mid october if things don’t change.
Maybe I’ve had it because I have in the telcommuniations indsutry years ago and am burnt out, I don’t know, but what I do know is it’s a joke, and I’m not wanting to give os much and get so little in return. I should just have the unlimte dplan, can go buy a top-up amoutn for the plan in a store, pay it and leave. I DONT WANT TO USE A CREDIT CARD WHEN BILLING GETS MESSED UP AT CELL PHONES COMPANIES ALL THE TIME!
Thank you, sorry for rant but felt needed to be said, if someone even reads it all.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
p..s this is what I just wrote chatr (whom i have not heard back from at all form previous message asking for help).
“I feel unheard. Nobody has responded to my message I have sent here at all.
to be quite honest, I just want a $35 card to pay for my plan, since billing was screwed up by customer service who told me i never paid by supervisor kevin and CSR Alex. Manager Jolene did NOTHING about it, which makes me feel very much like “I HAVE WORRIES,talking unhappy”.
Right now I have no option to top-up $35 through a credit card and my “Free voicemail” isn’t free, if i have to pay .25 cents a min to check it. I’m seriously considreing just going back to a bell landline where I can pay my bill for around $35 and get an answering machine for free.
Please feel free to review the call with supervisor kevin and customer service rep Alex.
Have a great day, welcome to hear from someone who wants to help me out, since Jolene certainly did not, if chat-r (rogers actually cares at all.) Thanks and have a wonderful weekend.”
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
To all
yes, damn right i moved the convo to include other company’s, and yes, those are some of the largest company’s in the world (unless of course you are including the large conglomerates such as MTN or Orascom which are almost pointless to use as a comparison since they operate across so much geography), because, again, i’m looking for CONTEXT
i asked you a simple question: at what point (i.e. price point) do YOU stop arguing. it is YOU who are upset with the prices and believe it is unfair – i continue to ask you to put it into context – relative to WHAT? i put out the various countries and some of the history of price plans in these countries to spur some conversation.
how much do you want for an all you can talk, text and download plan – what’s your price point, and then justify that price based on, as you mention – the costs that you are aware are involved to provide the services.
give me the price point. thats all i’m asking for. $50? $60? compare that price now, to what you get in Canada, US, (hell, just compare it to the company’s that you are stating are the ‘big ones’ that I ‘missed’) and then look at the usage.
you and others like you, come here, whine about how “bad” the prices are how they “price fix” them – but then, as i continue to state DONT PUT IT IN CONTEXT!? they are bad? ok, maybe, but relative to what? as i asked, are you comparing these relative to the price of bread? eggs? milk? a car?
Like or Dislike:
1 
1
I like the autoblocker thing here, it eliminates having to see the rogers fanboy jagg rant and rave, exaggerate and lie, run and hide, obsess and then obsess some more, fabricate and deceive, lie to himselfe and believe……
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
jagg?
What do you get out of all this bashing of wind? It seems its all you do. Its almost if you have no life at all. You most certainly do not have a girlfriend, wife or boyfriend, that much is clear as no self respecting person could put up with that caustic attitude and total lack of personality, motivation or creativity.
Seriously, you need to go out and get a hooker, slap her around some and feel superior about it, that seems the type of classy thing you would do… work off some of that angst that wind mobile is causing you. It must seem horrible that a phone company has caused you so much personal distress, anxiety and fear, that you cannot now cope as a functioning member of society.
Instead of hiding in your mommies basement, why not contact the real news, or your politician, spread the word on how wind has cause you such tremendous and irrepairable harm. I am sure posting it on mobile phone blogs isn’t really harming wind or its 100000 customers, and you certainly have ZERO credibility to any intelligent person who reads a single one of your posts. The constant crying and bitching is getting old, and all your posts eventually become hidden anyway…its time to regroup and try a different approach, if anything you are causing harm to rogers, unless they are aiming for the demented tinfoil hat wearing demographic which you so eloquently represent with each nonsensical orascom fairy tale..
Like or Dislike:
1 
2
basic question to all of you:
what price point do YOU want to see for
unlimited talk, text and data
at what price point would YOU stop whining? ex. if Rogers offered unlimited talk, text and data at (fill in the blank price) would you never post a complaint on this website again?
curious to know
once you have listed the optimal price, please back it up with the required investment dollars to sustain the wireless service
thanks.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
The only individuals angered by the truth are the Fanboys,Orascom’s corruption is well documented throughout the world since it is 100% accurate and if some of you i****s are using the comment blocking thingy to silence people it’s because you are programmed trolls with no real opinions promoting a company like Wind that has no integrity just like yourselves…that’s pretty pathetic man and what is even more pathetic is that when someone makes a remark that you can answer logically you insinuate they have no girlfriend or work for Rogers.Are you Canadians or total losers!?!
Do you actually believe Wind/Mobilicity will sustain their rates or lower their prices with continued losses where financing now is almost getting impossible to obtain considering no one has any faith in them or that Orascom with all their law-suits or intentions of selling their major assets to a Russian Telecommunication giant is going to waste even more funds to improve the Wind network so you clowns can use your Androids to have fun,what absolute assholes with no knowledge of reality preaching high school crap and thinking the New Entrants are changing the world.
Answer the man’s question and make total fools out of yourselves as you all sound illogical/irrational which is why you block comments like kids in a wimpy gang that run when you have to fight.
Like or Dislike:
1 
2
To All:
Please list the price point at which you would STOP complaining about the big 3.
How much is “fair” for unlimited talk, text and data ?
At what point will you, personally, be satisfied with the price for the service?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Everyone knows Orascom is corrupt who are in total charge of Wind regardless what people say and they are doing everything to stay out of the courts,although I’m no big fan of Vimpelcom (the Russian Corporation) they are more reputable and wouldn’t it be nice if the sale went through where it would trickle down to getting rid of Tony the Gigolo…it may happen in Italy and may also happen here.
I really wouldn’t have much of a problem with Vimpelcom if they actually started building the network properly and offering great phones with reasonable rates,still considering their overall actions in Europe they also may be a security risk in North America and that would just complicate things since our Government/CRTC are such pussies…I’d rather see T-Mobile here or others like them.I just hope Wind fails since they are a pathetic organization and are only built on lies.
I was in a Thornhill Mall today,1 person in the Wind store and about 50 in the Rogers store…says a lot no matter how much the Fanboys on here lie and try to bully the truth.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0