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Canadians prove to be laggards in buying cellphones

SIMON AVERY

From Monday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 6:08 PM EST 21/07/08

Only 69% of Canadians use cellphone, compared with 90% in United States and 97% in Britain ...Read the full article

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  1. Journey Man from Canada writes: What do you know; the 'laws' of economics actually do work. If you charge too much for something people will avoid it. The Canadian cell phone monopoly has a very odd business model.

    I carried a cell-phone as part of my job function for years. When I semi-retired last year I celebrated the day that I turned it back in and I haven't even considered going back to the electronic leash.

    Good riddance.
  2. Stephanie B. from Canada writes: I agree. I suspect the real reason Canadians are avoiding cell phones in such large numbers is the ridiculously high price charged by service providers. I cannot wait until my cell phone contract is up as I won't be renewing it. In fact, I might suck it up and pay the penalty price for terminating my contract early. What a waste of money.
  3. m. r. from Canada writes: maybe Canadian land lines are much better than elsewhere and there is less need for cell phones. also, the rate of brain tumors will be much lower in Canada in the future.
  4. Randal Oulton from Canada writes: >> Canada lags other developed nations in mobile phone ownership, falling behind a global average of 30 countries

    And does it matter if we do? Does if matter if we have fewer to toss on electronic garbage heaps?
  5. M G from Canada writes: I had a cellphone in England. I do not have one in Canada. It's not our culture - it's the way the business is run. There, you buy the phone at a reasonable price and the pay-as-you-go system is ridiculously cheap. Also, landlines are just as expensive (if not more) than cellphones in England, whereas, in Canada, you have to pay the monthly landline fee if you want to be listed and have emergency access, and then you might as well make your FREE local calls from a traditional phone, which usually isn't too far away. The only time you really need a cellphone is when you are in a remote area, but access here is touch-and-go when you're in the middle of nowhere. If you check the latest scientific literature on cellphone effects on cancer rates, the jury is still out, but the majority of the newest studies conclusively show that there is a statistically-significantly higher rate in those who have used cellphones frequently and for long duration. So this might not be a bad thing.
  6. R M from Regina, Canada writes: Here's a thought: Canada is so far behind because of the higher costs, which I think most people here are on to. But we have higher costs because of the person to sq/km ratio. Think about how many times Britian could fit into Saskatchewan alone.
  7. double zero from Toronto, Canada writes: I had a cellphone but got rid of it when I constantly got charged between $200 and $600 per month for the privilege of using it. I tried hard to study the plan and figure out why I was being charged so much. It was very difficult to understand, because I was unable to login to my account. Every time I tried, they said my password was invalid. I spent hours on the cellphone with customer service trying to get my password reset, but it never stuck. I had to call Telus each time I wanted to look at my account. Finally I gave up trying to login and study my usage. Instead, I just tried to cut the time I was on the phone. But it didn't make any difference. There are so many variables and Telus always found a way to screw me, no matter what. I upgraded my plan and it still made no difference.
    Desperate for a solution, I found a company called Cellswapper. For $18.75, they put me in touch with a person who wanted to buy not only my phone, but also the plan! Within days, I was completely free of my 3-year contract obligation to Telus. It seemed too good to be true, and I was suspicious, but months later, Telus has not contacted me, nor has the other party, nor have any bill collectors, and it looks like I really am free of the contract.
    I heard recently that Telus and Bell want to start charging their customers for recieving, that's right; not sending, but receiving, text messages. The alternative is to buy a text messaging plan. Canadian cell plans are already the most expensive in the world. News like this new text messaging scam are definitely not going to encourage me to run out and buy another cellphone. I'd like to have one, but I'm not giving Telus, Bell, Fido, or whoever $600 a month ever again.
  8. James C from Shenzhen, Canada writes: i've got a cell phone here in china and its as cheap as can be. however the thing is an electronic handcuff and why do i want to be available to anyone anytime by lugging the thing around with me?

    i turn it on for an hour or two a day and other than that, only use it for texting. did anyone see a special produced by some US researchers that indicated extensive use of mobile phones had led to cancer in the brain?

    well another 10-20 years the pool of mobile users should be thinning out....
  9. James C from Shenzhen, Canada writes: 'm. r. from Canada writes: maybe Canadian land lines are much better than elsewhere and there is less need for cell phones.'
    _____

    this is definitely true. most people here in china have at least one mobile, some have two or three, but few people have a reliable land line in their home.
  10. Robert Boyd from Windsor, Canada writes: That won't wash.
    Ninety percent of the population is within a hundred miles of the US border.
    The cost of cell phones in underpopulated Montana is a hell of a lot lower than Sakatchewan.

    'R M from Regina, Canada writes: Here's a thought: Canada is so far behind because of the higher costs, which I think most people here are on to. But we have higher costs because of the person to sq/km ratio. Think about how many times Britian could fit into Saskatchewan alone.'
  11. Stude Ham from Canada writes: that is an absolutely frightening statistic... 69% of the people in this country between 16 and 65 rent (own is an oxymoronic euphemism) a celfone.

    that means the probability of having some rude jerk yell into your air space whether walking, or riding on public transit, or shopping, or standing in a walmart-royalbank type of queue, watching the new batman movie, etc... is very high. that means the probability of having some meeting interrupted, or spiritual assembly interrupted by these obnoxious fone rings is also very high.

    did the guys publishing the statistic imply that we canadians are less than patriotic for rejecting the rentals of these celfones? sure sounded like that.
  12. bob saunders from from not in the GTA part of Ontario, Canada writes: Well I'm guess that 100% of the 69% that own cell-phones talk while they are driving. Myself I have a cell that I only take when going on a long trip or out of country.
  13. Darphin Cofa from Canada writes: Also consider the fact that many people need landlines for long distance calling since the cheapest plans are on landlines, whereas in the UK, calling another cell number within the UK is always local, calling out of province in Canada is long distance.

    If you live a routine, slower placed life, I suppose a landline would be sufficient, but if you are out of the house the majority of the time, cell phones are a must. Aside from the high cost factor, perhaps more Canadians find cell phones superfluous to their lifestyle.
  14. Leon Russell from Gatineau, Qc, Canada writes: James C from Shenzhen, Canada writes: 'i've got a cell phone here in china and its as cheap as can be. however the thing is an electronic handcuff and why do i want to be available to anyone anytime by lugging the thing around with me?'

    That's the main reason I don't have one. I was the first on my block to embrace all kinds of new technologies, but with cellphones, I give it a pass. I hate being interrupted in what I'm doing. Very little advantage for the price.
  15. I. Con O'Clast from Canada writes: You mean that the Apple hoopla, ably abetted by a willing media herd, has not bamboozled 110% of Canadians into buying a lie-phone? This is cultural genocide. We just gotta ramp up the hype!
  16. Wilf Kruggel from Canada writes: In most countries, you pay air time and that's it. The Telus's of the industry prefer to gouge people, with the help of governments. Shame, shame, Shame! It's time to get into this century, Telus! Wilf
  17. Wilf Kruggel from Canada writes: Why are these phone companies allowed to charge us for things we do not ask for such as text messaging etc. I, like most Canadians simply loath anything related to phone companies. Why don't the government people just disband the USLESS CRTC, Wilf
  18. R. Carriere from Maritimes, Canada writes:

    "Only 69 per cent of Canadians between the ages of 16 and 60."

    I wonder what that number would have been if you included 13-14-15 year olds in that equation--or--13 to 50,55? Seems like every teen I bump into at the mall is either talking or texting.....

    .
  19. ken g from Canadian in Cuernavaca, Canada writes: What I can remember in the Philippines a few years back, it took two years to get a land line but only a few minutes to sign up for a cellphone and was cheaper than a land line. This proliferated cellphones in countries that had a limited wired infrastructure.

    Good point "Stude Ham from Canada"; I bet there is a market for a personal cellphone blocker that would make cellphones inoperative within 20 feet of your air space. And I found one:
    http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4355
    And no monthly fees!
  20. john doe from toronto, Canada writes: R M from Regina writes: "...We have higher costs because of the person to sq/km ratio. Think about how many times Britian could fit into Saskatchewan alone."

    Wrong. Canada is much more urbanized than the US -- a larger percentage of Canadians live in large cities than Americans.

    It's just over-priced and non-competitive, with backward technology, ugly design, and poor service.
  21. Nassar Ben Houdja from Canada writes: Canadians are quite capeable of acting independantly. We do not find it necessary to constantly call someone to direct our actions.
  22. Clive Gingell from Canada writes: The fact that I don't have a cellphone doesn't bother me.

    The fact that I agree with Stude Ham, well that's a different matter altogether.
  23. Denis R. from Belle River, Canada writes: The article states "The incumbent phone companies in Canada and the hopeful new entrants should also note that consumers here are unwilling to pay a high price for their next phone, and expect to keep the model they have for 3.5 years on average"

    I don't believe consumers are turned off the price of the phone as much as the price of the service and the fact most programs have you locked in for 1 to 3 years. There are really only 3 major mobile companies serving 35 million people in Canada; this gives this oligopoly the ability to charge anything they want, or at least what they thing the market will bare. It is obvious therefore that 31% of the Canadian population believes the cost-to-benefit ratio is too high. Simple economics Bell, Rogers and Telus: lower your prices. Simple rules of competition CRTC: open the markets to other companies, even AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.
  24. Scott Wicks from Canada writes:
    Gee, could it be that maybe that maybe Canadians are tired of being GOUGED AND SCREWED for cell phone service?

    Just a suggestion but maybe Canadians are SICK OF MONOPOLIES that work in COLLUSION with government appointed hack organizations like the PORK BARREL CRTC.

    Seems pretty obvious to me.

    Apologies for shouting.
  25. Douglas Ford from Kingston, Canada writes: When I was 10 years old I received a set of walkie talkies and my friends and I enjoyed them for a day or two and then left them in the drawer. Most cell phone conversations that I've been unfortunate enough to hear due to the rudeness and volume of users are as inane as our walkie talkie communications. It is unfortunate that two-thirds of Canadians are wasting money and risking their health using cell phones. On the Internet there are devices for sale that will end cell phone connections in your immediate vicinity, I've been oh so tempted to buy one, but being a frugal Canadian I haven't, yet.
  26. Gord Lewis from who knew!!, Canada writes: So we are 'laggards' . . . is that supposed to make us feel inadequate? Try looking at it this way: mabe 31% of Canadian motorists are paying better attention to their driving this morning.

    "Mr. Ennamorato suggested Canadians' frugality might stem from the phone operators' habit of locking consumers into three-year plans in return for heavily subsidizing their handsets." Yes, Mr. Ennamorato, maybe we are reluctant to be gouged by the triopoly, whose abusive practices are fully supported and encouraged by the CRTC, while the paternalistic politcos who desgned this mess can feel smug that Canadian businesses are 'strong'. None of our telecoms would survive 5 minutes in the US, where rates are typically half of ours.

    Being 'connected' just is not worth that kind of cash. I resisted getting one of these expensive appliances for years, and there are many days I just want to toss my long-distance leash out the window.
  27. Rudy H from Canada writes: I don't carry a watch because I don't need one. I don't have a cel phone because I don't need one.
  28. J L from Toronto, Canada writes: I love this line.... "One of the reasons Canadians are frequently reluctant adopters is because the quality of their land line phone service is both relatively inexpensive and of good quality..."

    What a line of crap - maybe we are "frequently reluctant adopters" because cell phone charges and plans are way frickin higher than every other damn country!!!
  29. bethany middleton from Canada writes: It's not about money; it's about being reachable all the time. I don't want to be available all the time and if someone needs to talk to me, they can leave me a message and/or send me an email. For those of you that say it's a 'must'...well, it may be for a very, very small minority, but given the majority of cell phone conversations I've heard "I'm on my way, honey", "Should I pick up some ham?", "Are you going to the party?" and that sort of thing, it's not necessary.

    Is laggard supposed to be an insult? I think it's great. Fabulous, in fact, that we're not all walking around with blue tooth whatever appended to our bodies.

    Never had one and hopefully never will.
  30. daniela === from Montreal, Canada writes: Well, no wonder. With the prices!! They are thieves to charge for incoming calls and others.. nowhere else would that happend. And include developing countries in the list as well!
    Here, in Canada it is a stone age when it comes to cell phones. Sadly....
  31. A Canadian Girl from Canada writes: Most of the people I know who do not have a cell phone are over 45. Talk to anyone who is between 16-35 and I bet that every one of them has a phone.
  32. Hugh Albert from Canada writes: JL has it partly right. Cell phone packages are more expensive in Canada than the US & Britain. Britain found it more cost effective to use airwaves than hardwire their public phone system. Canadians desire to have more competition to lower costs seems to have had the opposite affect when it comes to spending capital cost over a lower volume of phone users when compared to US cell phone systems.
  33. daniela === from Montreal, Canada writes: I fall into that category and I WILL NOT get a cell phone ... not that I cannot afford it but I just refuse to pay so much money.
  34. No Waymang from Toronto, Canada writes: The main reason that we don't have cellphones might be the same reason why Apple repremanded Rogers and demanded that they review their pricing scheme. Both Rogers and Bell severly overcharge for cellphone usage compared to other countries. Having lived in the US, EU and Canada, I can honestly say that Canada is by far the most expensive to use. God help you if you call long distance or from out of the country. I have personally racked up a bill in excess of $2000 whilst working in the Caribbean over a period of three weeks. I have a special deal with Rogers (just because they keep screwing up and overcharging) so that they can keep my business account and when I tell people how much money a month I pay for wireless and data usage, I think the average person would go weak, and my collegues overseas in the EU would just about die. If the CRTC would rein in these giants (Rogers and Bell), perhaps we would join the rest of the world and all become wireless users. Until then expect the average person to remain content with their home phone. These giants (while they are charging so much) should also re-invest some of their unbelievable profits into expansion into rural areas. Having worked north of Sudbury, I can also attest to the fact that coverage between cities (Sudbury, Timmins etc.) is almost non-existant. These companies need to realize that people do inhabit these regions too, and are in fact our backbone and with the northern development projects initiated by our premier, there is an ever increasing number of business people and engineers in this region who need to remain in contact with there home operations. Nothing like driving for an hour into town to make a phone call. Ted Rogers should try it some time.
  35. K D from Canada writes: If they weren't such a rip off (high cost in Canada system access fees, 911 fees, GST, PST etc. etc.) I am sure we would be at 90%.

    If my company didn't pay for mine, I wouldn't have one either. Way too expensive.
  36. Silver Standard (Used to be gold) from Canada writes: I HATE cell phones, they are too expensive. I WISH I NEVER got one. Second problem is that they alter brainwaves and can cause cancer, as soon as my contract is up I will NEVER buy one again.
  37. Bill H from Canada writes: i thought we were supposed to be one of the most advanced in telecommunications...unfortunately we have a few greedy companies who exploit our passivness and figure they can milk us dry with pathetic rates. it is no wonder many of our "Canadian owned" companies get run over by American comanies when the oppertunity arrises. They aughtta smart'n up and get in line with the rest of the world.
    As far as i'm concerned there should be a lawsuit brought against some of the big guys for collaberating in such stupid ideas as to charge users for recieving text messages.
  38. M K S from Ticked off in Toronto, Canada writes: The logic is straightforward:

    Prices for wireless voice and data access amount to robbery.
    Complaining is useless because not everyone has the time to wait for 45 minutes until on operator comes on (or the line spontaneously disconnects).
    Dealing with a phone upgrade is more stressful than buying a car because the phone company has you "over a barrel" and the contract is so confusing that there is no point trying to understand it.
    I'm really ticked off at the situation because I need my phone for business - so basically I'm screwed.
    Canada is the laughingstock of the rest of the civilized world with regards to the access and prices that we pay.
    I have no loyalty to my current carrier and when the market monopoly is broken I will switch in a heart beat. I'm just not sure that my heart will last until that day...
  39. Bryan M from Calgary, Canada writes: So Canada lags behind the world in cell phone adoption? Could it have something to do with the fact that NASA communicates with the Hubble cheaper than a Canadian can send the smallest bit of data on their cell? How many years of record profits have mobile carries seen now?
  40. Elisabeth Roejskjaer from Sudbury, On, Canada writes: Yes, I do own a Cell, but only on the "pay as U go" plan, and I only activate it in the car, if I have an emergency - which I have not had for a long time - touch wood.

    You pay for 30 min and they steal the left-over minutes if not used up in a month - that is highway robbery, and the reason I have not used mine in over a year.
  41. ms beee from Ottawa, Canada writes: Did it not occur to these business geniuses that a good part of this country has no cellphone coverage? Sure, it works fine in the city, but you leave the highway corridor and you have NOTHING. Heck, even at the edge of Ottawa, there are still a number of areas that have little/no cell phone coverage.

    And it doesn't make a lot of sense to replace your landline with a cell when unlimited landline plans are about $50/month, and not so much with the cell phones. Compare that to a country like Thailand where minutes are absolutely DIRT cheap and coverage is much broader...
  42. Martin James from Canada writes: Even the language of the headline: "Canadians laggards" shows the pro-technoweenie bias of the media that creates desire and need and the market.

    It is not until we get into the text that we geta sense that a good portion of Canadians have thought it through and said, "no". Not because they are behind, but because they have thought it through and seen what a waste of money cell phones usually are.

    Still, they are pointed at as laggards.

    I've only found one really useful application of a cell phone: finding my wife )or she me) when we are in a large store. The rest...it's rarely critical. For every time it is convenient, there are ten times when it is simply a case of banal blah-blah-blah for the sake of using up hours or just talking...something is much too much of, with little actually said.

    My vote for dolts of the year: Canadian I-phone purchasers. Proof that the hype creates the market and a fool and his money are soon parted.

    Time to go check on Rogers shares.
  43. F Johnson from Canada writes: The explanation of 67% cellphone use in Canada is simple. The operating cost is outrageous compared to U.S. and Britain.
  44. Hugh Glen from barrie, Canada writes: Forget the (agreed) ridiculously high prices, how many of that 31% realize that cellphones are wholly unnecessary and make you look as cool as smoking cigarettes does? (ie: it doesn't)

    The cellphone push is silly.. how many people really NEED to be constantly wired? 1 in a 1000? Maybe. And how many people simply want to be seen talking in public so as to prove they have friends? 689 in a 1000? Check and mate.
  45. Trevor Klein from a better vision, Canada writes: I think the jury is has reached a verdict. Cell phone companies are charging to much and the percentage of users is a clear sign of that. Hey CEO's lower the rates of your service!
  46. Cuban Cigar from Canada writes: In addition to land lines being affordable, the cell phone companies are awful, expensive, customer service stinks, etc, etc.

    I was with bell, found them to be crooks - went with Rogers who turned out to be a bigger crook!

    In other parts of the world, although customer their service stinks too, but at least they are reasonably priced.
  47. Melanie Proteau from Canada writes: I fall into a high-cell phone usage demographic: I'm in my 20s, University educated, technology literate and I live in a city. However, I am definatly what the article termed a "rejecter", I cant stand the idea of people being able to get ahold of me 24/7 ...and whats the point of owning and paying for one if you keep it off all the time.
  48. Jimmy K from Toronto, Canada writes: Because of the quality of landlines? Yes and I'm sure American and English landlines are of third world standards right?

    The reason less Canadians use cellphones is because our wireless oligopoly robs us blind for service. There are providers in the US that now offer unlimited (yes, that's right, UNLIMITED) cell phone usage, including long distance in the US, including daytime nighttime whatever, including call waiting and voice mail and caller id, for 50 bucks a month. In Canada, a similar plan would cost upwards of 150-200. What do you know, when you charge people too much, they don't use your service as much, shocking, eh?
  49. A non-Imus from Canada writes: Each year, there are maybe half a dozen occasions when I say to myself, "a cellphone would be really handy right about now." That said, are those few occasions worth signing an indecipherable contract that will see me charged a minimum of $30 /month. Not to mention the racket of System Access Fees, 911 Fees, etc. And why is it that carriers are so intent on selling me a phone that takes pictures and plays music, yet fails to deliver good voice quality? My camera doesn't make phone calls, so why should my phone take pictures?
  50. Erik D. from Ottawa, Canada writes: Well, when you get hosed for service upon buying a cell phone...what do you expect?
  51. M. Archambault from Laval, Canada writes: Why would I need a cellphone?

    I've got a phone at home, one in my office and one in my lab. If you can't reach me there, it is very probable that I'm busy anyways. Leaving a message would be a better solution.
  52. Stephen McPherson from Newmarket, Canada writes: This is really, really old news. Cell phone usage in Canada is lower per capita than any other country on the planet for one simple reason: cost. Canadians pay more for cell phone plans/usage than any other citizens on the planet. I for one am contemplating starting a new neo luddite planetary trend along with your another poster named Journey Man. The trend will paraphrase and old country song: "Take This Cell Phone and Shove It!".
  53. l. mills from BC, Canada writes: Maybe when these cell phone companies stop gouging Canadian customers we'll be more open to their product. I have no sympathy for them whatsoever - besides I am sure cell phones are a hazard to your health and it is only a matter of time before someone will be be brave enough to insist that the studies showing just that will be taken seriously. It is like the cigarette industry all over again - any studies indicating they are a serious problem will be swept under the rug for many years to come is my guess.
  54. contrite individual from St. Stephen, Canada writes: I had a cell plan in the UK last year and the cost was 16 pounds (about $35) a similar plan (although not quite as generous) in Canada is now costing me $138, go figure!
  55. Dr. Glenn Marshall from Canada writes: I suspect the high cost of cell phones, the outlandish extra fees and contract and marketing offers which change like the wind, are the major reason Canadians ignore the hype around phones. I recently spent time in the Middle East where cell phones are much more reliable, better technology and cheaper than here in Canada. The cost of owning and using were minimal. The idea of paying for someone's call to you, and contracts with huge cancellation fees were not applicable at all. To paraphrase an earlier writer "the racket of system access fees". Our solution, we turn off the cell phones during the day an on at night in case of emergency.
  56. rahim ladha from Montreal, Canada writes: Even though we have 4 companies offering mobile services, the cost is not competitive and much higher then in US, a near monopoly
  57. F/A josquin from Canada writes: "Canadians' frugality might stem from the phone operators' habit of locking consumers into three-year plans in return for heavily subsidizing their handsets."

    Do ya think?? I dream of the day I can chuck it. I cannot stand paying that bill. I am annoyed at the extra fees, the complicated plans etc..

    Canadians are a little short in the old pocket book these days, and all the 'talk 30.s, talk 40's talk incessantly plans, are not going to entice us into that expensive 3 year contract.

    I use my phone for work emergencies, one or two times a month, and I spend over $30 for that. The day I retire is the day I stomp on the piece of over priced crap.
    '
  58. Dan Shortt from Toronto, Canada writes: We can look for the quality and reliability of land-line service in Canada to deteriorate, as well as for the price to increase, as Bell, Rogers, and other land-line service providers try to push the "rejectors" into the cell phone market.

    After all, that's the purpose of this kind of survey, isn't it?
  59. Rocky Balboa from United States writes: Too bad Canadians near the border can't sign up for service with an American cell phone provider. Their prices would be lower and more Canadians would use cell phones. My basic service cost me $100 for an entire year last year and for that, I got 1,000 minutes to use the phone anywhere in the US. I didn't use most of my minutes, and by renewing my service for another year, got to roll over my unused minutes. This year I bought only a $25 card, also good for one year. The cost per minute is higher (about 17.5 cents per minute for 150 minutes), but I now have enough minutes, together with my carry over minutes, to last me at least another 12 months. The cost of the cards also include all taxes.
  60. F/A josquin from Canada writes:
    To "A Canadian Girl from Canada (who) writes: Most of the people I know who do not have a cell phone are over 45. Talk to anyone who is between 16-35 and I bet that every one of them has a phone. "

    that may be right, however all of them between 16 and....oh----let's say 23, have someone else paying for them !!

    It's like a credit card, you get sucked in and pay through your teeth for years.

    Read my lips 'you don't 'need' it'. Until they are inexpensive, you don't need it.
  61. Anthony B from Maritimes, Canada writes: "Canadians prove to be laggards in buying cellphones"

    This is terrible! We are a nation of luddites who shun progress and are too stupid to see the obvious benefits of being gouged (er, served) by this technology.

    But wait .....this headline is in the Globe and Mail, a publication that is 68.5 percent-owned by Bell Canada Enterprises.

    Imagine that!
  62. Dan Green from Palm Beach Gardens Florida, United States writes: Monopoly ! equals, a price some cannot afford !
  63. Terry Terry from Brantford, Canada writes: Thanks for this story. The G&M should make it a point to have a good news story every Monday morning. Although from time to time there might be a valid reason to use a cell phone, from the conversations I've overheard in restaurant, grocery stores and at the beach, 90% of the conversations are inane. "Why are you talking? Because it's there."
  64. Ed Long from Canada writes: My faith in Canadians is being restored.

    Now if we only avoided tax and spend governments that reach into our pockets.
  65. Jeremy F from Alberta, Canada writes: I'm very much surprised this article didn't mention one of the reasons being the high prices of cell phone plans in this country.

    I guess it doesn't dawn on cell phone companies in this country that if more people bought their phone, it would be more people they can push extra features on. By excluding 1/3 of the population from buying a phone because of price, you are essentially losing a huge revenue base.

    Just a really bad business model if you ask me.
  66. P Martin from St. John's, Canada writes: I have had 2 cellphones in 9 years. My current cellphone will last until it dies. I only have it for business and when I can, I will get rid of it. It is way too expensive compared to everything I have seen when I travel. I go to Europe, buy a temporary phone and use it while I am there, much easier and cheaper than anything in Canada. I am disgusted why this is the case in Canada. My family does not have a cellphone, my parents do not have a cellphone and I have no plans on getting a new one.
  67. guy tozer from Saskatoon, Canada writes: Back to the 'ol landline as soon as my Sasktel mobility contract is up.
  68. Jennifer Menna from Canada writes: Regarding the comments that 90 % of CDN's live within 100 km of the border so captail costs should be lower.

    Wrong - while a large portion of our population does live near the border we have coverage over most of the country. I have travelled for business with my cell and the only places where I haven't gotten coverage are dips along the TransCanada from Ottawa where I am surrounded by Rock and on Vancouver Island heading down from Lk. Cowachian to Duncan.

    Otherwise I have had coverage in the Rocky's, Northern Ontario etc. I understand from Friends in the Mining Industry that there is no service in the Northern Alberta and SK Mining Camps however they bring in a sat. Connection.

    While we may have a high pop density than several US States, overall we are less dense than the US and that does effect capital cost.
  69. Gordon Murray from Canada writes: Perhaps new feature for phones will include RESPECT of the hour towards STRANGERS calling at 6am here, even when it's 9am there.
    How about FORWARD TO MESSAGING between sleeping hours x and y, UNLESS from contacts?
    A person can't at all nap even with all the work being done???
  70. J S from Canada writes: I'm with Rudy H: No watch, no cell phone. I'm free, free! I am a rejector! Yessss!
  71. Interest from the West from Canada writes: Ken G and Douglas Ford - I wouldn't rush out and purchase a cell phone blocked from the US. They're illegal here in Canada, due to concerns for safety. You may get really peeved with the guy 1 row away in the theater being selfish, but the doctor sitting near you is probably following the etiquette and may need to be called in at any time for an emergency.

    Sorry to burst your bubbles.
  72. Brian Brett from Salt Spring, Canada writes: The answer to this is simple. We are trapped by monopoly organizations and there should be a public inquiry into their billing methods, service, and their misleading, deceptive sales practicses. Brian
  73. LT 73 from Sarnia, Canada writes: "Laggards"!?

    Hardly.

    "Price gouging"

    Undoubtedly.
  74. R W from Canada writes: Excellent. Maybe we can get that number down to 50%.Why is it so important to always be reachable?
  75. Deeply concerned citizen from Great White North, Canada writes: And I'll be getting rid of mine at the end of my 3 year contract (prison term) . The companies have gouged me long enough and I will have none of it.
  76. Wealthy CEO of a Canada Retailer, We sell everything 50% Higher in Canada from Canada writes: This is actually good for Canada.

    Price is high and service is poor. But think again - when one pays high prices, he also pays high taxes to government coffers. That means that government has more money to spend on its stuff salaries. As the coverage - Canadians do not actualy need cell phones. As somebody already pointed out, cell phone sold in the US are unhealthy, toxic, and full of pollution to the environment.
  77. Phil King from Canada writes: And yet ironically Canadians are amongst the world's most prolific internet users.

    Go figure.
  78. Joe Liberali from Canada writes: This is purely and and simply an issue of cost. Canadians pay more than Americans, and Americans pay more than the British (the British pay for local calls on land lines!)
  79. C C from Canada writes: Well, clearly pretty much everyone knows that this lack of cellphone use in Canada is likely primarily because the cell phone business in Canada is ridiculously and artificially uncompetitive, leaving a few big companies free to gouge consumers and charge rates that no one in Europe or the U.S. would ever stand for. So it's good that people realizethat (even people who break down and pay the outrageous prices because our system doesn't give them a choice).

    As for people not needing a cell phone, well, for many people that's probably true (though even for people like me who use it infrequently, it sure is nice to have when you DO need it).

    What I DON'T get is all the people saying they don't have a cell phone because they don't want to be constantly accessible. That they don't want people to be able to reach them wherever they are. These people do realize that cell phones don't magically connect people to you, don't they? You do have to answer them you know. Now, again, not needing a cell phone is a legitimate reason to not own one. Don't buy it if you won't use it. But not wanting to be accessible all the time? If you don't want to talk to someone, don't answer the phone. If you don't want your phone to ring, turn it off.

    I wouldn't like be constantly accessible either, which is why I only answer my cell phone when I want to talk to whoever's calling. For me, it's not about other people being able to reach me (unless I want them to, in which case I answer) it's about me being able to reach other people, even when I'm away from a landline. How accessible you choose to be is still entirely in your hands, even if you own a cell phone. A lot of people commenting must spend an awful lot of their time talking to telemarketers of they feel compelled to answer a phone just because it rings.
  80. The Middle Finger ..I.. from Canada writes: Maybe its just a matter of choice not to allow the interference into one's life. I personnally believe all cell phones should be banned.
  81. Martin Fedgrass from Canada writes: Based on the cost and lack of competition - its a waste of time to own a cellphone here
  82. Aaron Barlow from Victoria, Canada writes: Jennifer Menna from Canada writes: Regarding the comments that 90 % of CDN's live within 100 km of the border so captail costs should be lower.

    [...]

    While we may have a high pop density than several US States, overall we are less dense than the US and that does effect capital cost.

    I might be inclined to believe that, except that Australia has a similar landmass to Canada and significantly LOWER population density, but you can still get a cellphone plan (or unlocked, pay-as-you go GSM) for 1/2 the price of one here, and the coverage is, for the most part, superb. Try to find a pay-as-you go in Canada that will give you per-second billing, free incoming calls, voicemail, call display etc. and 5c per text message sent (received is free of course).
  83. Marcus C from Toronto, Canada writes: Its great to see that I'm not alone when it comes to concluding that Canada, is proabably the most expensive country to own ANYTHING!...and cell phones are no different.

    The reason our pentration rate and technology are so behind, is nothing else but the fact that we are being gouged by our providers...CRTC...USELESS!
  84. Bryce Richards from Calgary, Canada writes: The Canadian Telcos need to drop cell phone rates to match those in the USA and the world. Last time I checked the $CAD was at par. Drop rates -35% for a start. Then just maybe more Canadians would be interested in a wireless phone service. Stop nickel and diming us to death.
  85. Never Wrong from sunnyvale, Canada writes: Happy I'm not the only sensible person who has realized that Rogers/Bell/Telus are gouging Canadians. Even the basic pay-as-you-go plans are rip-offs with expiring minutes and other arcane requirements and limits... and the dreaded system access fee.

    Until we get a pricing model that works for all, then I suspect that penetration will not increase. In fact, you may see a decline as consumers choose to reign in spending.
    thanks for nothing CRTC!
  86. More CO2 Gas from Canada writes: A land line and and answering machine can certainly handle all the messaging I need to do in a day.
  87. Phil King from Canada writes: Cellphones costs are merely symptomatic of a bigger problem in the Canadian marketplace.

    The promise of digital technology was always low overhead. This allowed the third world to develop infrastructure that they never could've afforded otherwise. In the west however, the industry refuses to acknowledge these savings in any area of IT business.

    Look at bank machines. Teller withdrawals are free, despite the salaries and location overhead costs. Bank machines on the other hand can be placed in a space the size of a large mailbox, have low upkeep, and yet we're charged up to 20% for withdrawals in some cases?

    Look at music and video. Production and distribution was the only defence for a $15 album. Now I'm asked to buy the same album more than once at the same inflated prices despite plummeting costs and access to the world markets.

    I think it's high time we had a closer look at the usury practices of the modern digital economy.
  88. Pete G from Toronto, Canada writes: I have been 'landless' for 9 years. The convenience of a mobile phone far outweighs any negatives. Everyone I know has a mobile phone and I find this statistic surprising.

    It all depends on your lifestyle. I like the ability to text, phone or receive calls whenever I want (if I don't want to be contacted I just turn it off). It's easier to make plans on-the-go and coordinate plans last minute if need be.

    I do agree with what has been said above: we are being gouged by phone companies who do what they do - because they can. I'm with Virgin which doesn't have a contract (hurrah!) I pay less than half of what I did with Telus for the exact same features (and better service). Plus, Virgin (as of yet) hasn't decided to charge for incoming text messages.
  89. Vincent Clement from Windsor, Canada writes: It wouldn't have anything to do with the high monthly rates, the ever-increasing fees, ever increasing 'cost' of providing features such as call answer despite the ever decreasing cost of disk storage and technology or the one-time account setup fee which is the same as the one-time hardware upgrade fee which is the same as the account upgrade fee?
  90. sonny l from Toronto, Canada writes: I don't have a cell because:

    1) The cost is a rip-off.
    2) Most of them still sounds like crap.
    3) I don't want to be accessible all the time and when you don't answer your cell, red flags abound.
    4) Brain/ear/side of head cancer sucks.
    5) Long contracts suck.
    6) Email is better
    7) I already give (the useless) Rogers co. too much money every month. By the way, my call waiting still doesn't work!
  91. David Rouleau from Canada writes: I will own a cell phone when they become the one and only way of communication between two persons who are at a distance from each other. There is nothing more dangerous (IMHO) than following a person who is driving while screaming at another person over their hand-held cell phone. What ever happened to listening to your favourite music while driving? This world is becoming far too fast and furious. Besides...I am not a proponent of being available to ANYONE 24/7. Cheers!!
  92. Howard Roark from Canada writes: OK, here it is folks...the solution to the problem:

    DISBAND THE CRTC, and let the free and open market determine prices, features and plans.

    You can thank me later.
  93. jer greene from Canada writes: Hmmmm, I wonder whether it has anything to do with the obscenely high cost of using a cellphone in Canada? Bring the fees down, and more will join in... Duh
  94. Gord Lewis from cranky caller, Canada writes: There seems to be the assumption that coverage is good in cities, which is just not true, at least in Bell's case. Here in Sarnia, my phone does not work in my own house, forcing me to keep my land line at $25 per month (with Bell, naturally, there are no alternatives yet). Now this is a small city, but not THAT small, and there are other places it does not work, like along the 402 Hwy. Often when it does work, the 'Roaming' indicator comes on, as much as 5km from the border. Of course no compensation or adjustments will be considered by Bell.
  95. Gord Lewis from cranky caller, Canada writes: Anyone else share in the sentiment that Emily should be strangled? For a period of 45 minutes, the minimum time required to obtain anything resembling 'customer service'. Which is an oxymoron; 'customer abuse' more accurately describes the treatment. Her patronizing tone does nothing to soothe me; it just addes insult to injury and enrages me more.
  96. Gord Lewis from cranky caller, Canada writes: Howard Roark from Canada writes: OK, here it is folks...the solution to the problem:

    DISBAND THE CRTC, and let the free and open market determine prices, features and plans.

    You can thank me later.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Howard, I will thank you right now. Let's get started by killing all the lawyers . . .
  97. Peter The Not Quite Great from Canada writes: "Canadians prove to be laggards in buying cellphones"

    It is better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
    • Posted 21/07/08 at 10:59 AM EST |