Wireless carriers hike prices across Canada

Canada’s big three wireless carriers have hiked the base prices for new plans by $5 in most markets over the past two months.

Rogers, Telus and Bell Mobility now all charge $80 per month for new smartphone plans with a new contract, $5 more than what many of those same plans cost when they were introduced last year. The prices for other smartphone plans with more data cost upwards of $145.

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The price hikes affect every province except Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The $80 a month plan includes 500 MB of data, unlimited nationwide calling, unlimited messaging, voicemail and call display.

Existing plans are unaffected.

Last summer, in response to the incoming wireless code of conduct, the three wireless carriers simplified their pricing models for new plans. Instead of choosing different plans based on minutes, data and messaging, customers instead pay a baseline fee depending on the type of phone they have, and then add a basket of data which can be shared by members of the same household.

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Initially, those base prices were $55 per month for higher-priced smartphones such as a Samsung Galaxy S4 or iPhone 5s, $45 per month for other, cheaper smartphones, and $35 per month for already unlocked smartphones. The prices for all three of these base prices has been increased.

Push for more competition

The three companies came under fire by the federal government last year, which is pushing for a fourth wireless competitor in all four markets.

Quebec-based Videotron was awarded 700 MHz licences in Ontario, B.C. and Alberta, and may emerge as a fourth wireless competitor in those markets.

Manitoba and Saskatchewan, however, have more competitive pricing. Due to strong regional competitors in SaskTel and MTS, Bell and Rogers plans start at $65 per month with five GB of data. An equivalent plan elsewhere in the country costs $55 more per month.

When asked for comment, a Rogers spokesperson told CBC News that "needs of our customers are changing as they’re doing more than ever before with their connected device."

Telus said while it has raised the cost of its base plans in January, it has decreased the cost of its most widely used data add-ons last week.

CBC News also asked Bell for comment on this story, but the company did not respond to inquiries.