Whats happening with the Telus/Bell GSM Network? | Other carriers | Consumer forum

Hi;
I'm wondering what is happening with the GSM phone marketplace across Canada -- especially Manitoba these days. The only place in Canada without two competing GSM networks will be Manitoba where MTS partnered with Rogers. They will operate separately there but the equipment will be shared -- more like the SO/Rogers arrangement. There will be no roaming to a second network where there is no coverage from the other -- because there will only be one network of towers and equipment.

Bell and Telus have partnered to set up what they are now calling "The largest GSM Network in Canada." Bell launched their GSM network and started selling iPhones on Wednesday and Telus did the same Thursday last week. Has anything changed across Canada? SaskTel has signed on with the Bell/Telus network but will be a bit behind on deployment of their GSM network in Saskatchewan. Ostensibly the launch was to compete with the new upstart compaies that will be arriving soon. Practically the launch seems a bit premature as neither Bell nor Telus seem ready for it -- but there is no doubt on the "Wet Coast" that it is so they will be ready to try to capitalize on GSM phone roaming charges during the Olympics next February. If their network isn't up and running, all that revenue would have gone to Rogers.
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I was in a mall here in Victoria on Wednesday and there were more people in the Bell store than I had ever seen there total, let alone at one time. The Telus store had no sign that they would be adding any products the next day -- I wasn't back to see if anything changed. I was also in a "generic" store which sells several makes of phone and I heard a conversation between a sales person and a customer about how there were more options with the new Bell GSM phones that were released that day. The sales person was definitely hedging -- he never mentioned Telus as if he were prohibited from that. He just told the customer he could fix him up with a phone that day but "if he came back tomorrow some of the stock in the back will be unpacked" the local papers had talked about the Telus launch the next day, so I assumed the stock in the back included both Bell and Telus phones.

My interest is twofold. My contract with Telus is up for renewal shortly. I am already getting the "deals" offered for extending my contract with a new phone. So far everything I've been offered is CMDA not GSM. I have a rather good plan with Telus for local service and up until this past week I have been assuming I would likely renew it. I use it pretty much as my only phone.

My biggest complaint is the hassle when I travel. It is outright embarassing to give someone my callback number knowing full well they will pay long distance toll charges to Victoria and I will pay back to wherever I am if they return a call to me. I paid a lot of money for long distance while in rural Nova Scotia dealing with a family emergency last March. The calls I initiated were "local" and in most cases included with my "plan". However when people returned calls to me, it wasn't local for either of us even if they were across the street from me. The nature of the situation was such that I couldn't very well say "I'll call you right back". I didn't find out about SO until after that trip -- either a Speak Out Phone or a Petro Canada phone would have paid for itself and the airtime in that one trip in saved long distance charges. I had someone who could have bought SO time here and/or in Manitoba for me if I needed to add time on Speak Out -- and I could have topped up a PC phone locally or on the Internet.

I also have a Rogers Internet Stick which I purchased for a specific need for temporary Internet use. I got it when they were first promoting them and could have paid full price and then used it for the short term for that need. (Same trip to rural Nova Scotia). I chose to spread the same amount of cash over time by signing up for a one year data plan. The stick has come in handy a couple of times since the trip -- once when a friend moved and couldn't get her internet connected for a week, and the other on a trip I made out of province. The SIM card from that phone works for browsing on a Windows Mobile phone I have. I just have to remember not to use it for voice or I'll get a big bill from Rogers.

My SO phone is the same smart phone -- I just change out the Rogers SIM with my SO SIM. I'm going to try the SO Unlimited Browsing later this week. My SO phone has a 204 area code and it is perfect for me as I have family in both Winnipeg and Rural Manitoba. It gets around the long distance callback hassles as incoming Manitoba calls are flat rate and 10 cents per minute less than Telus charge me. And most importantly they are local for the person calling me.

I was hoping the impending renewal date of my Telus cell phone and the expiry of my data plan with Rogers might be the time to consolidate things. I'm really curious how the Manitoba situation will play out. MTS/Allstream and Bell are at war in Ontario and/or at the CRTC regarding wholesale internet access and pricing so it is no surprise that MTS didn't join the Bell/Telus system. Telus and/or Bell have some infrastructure in Winnipeg but nothing outside the city, All the towers that would give full rural coverage are either controlled by MTS or Rogers. The Bell/Telus conglomorate are going to have to spend a lot of dollars if they want rural coverage. MTS and Rogers are obligated by the CRTC to allow use of their infrastructure to the new startup companies -- but not the established ones.

The western end of Ontario is MTS not Bell for cell service in a number of areas. Bell never did service that area even for land lines, and the municipal phone companies partnered with MTS to get cell service on the CMDA nework.

If Telus GSM service goes to a "roaming" service at the Manitoba Saskatchewan border, and at Sault St Marie on the other end -- Rogers may very well be getting my business.

Any input will be welcomed.
...ron...