The latest Bell
Deferral Account quarterly status report was released through the CRTC website on 17 Apr 2014. This report covered the period
Jan to Mar 2014 and like previous reports was heavily redacted with much of the
information of value to potential customers blacked out under the pretence of
"competitive information." (I
am sure the new cell site in Wawa, Goulais and St. Joseph Island would go
completely unnoticed by the competition unless they were identified in the report.)
There were no problems
or delay identified for the Algoma District Deferral Account areas and the previously
published activation schedule still applies:
|
Deferral Account Area
|
Activation Date*
|
|
Echo Bay
|
31 Aug 2014
|
|
Goulais
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31 Jul 2014
|
|
SSM-Airport
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31 Jul 2014
|
|
St. Joseph Island
|
30 Jun 2014
|
|
Wawa
|
31
Jul 2014
|
∗ Latest planned date. Could be earlier if all is ready
By way of clarification these dates apply to the activation and
availability of the special Deferral
Account service rates . Most of the tower and associated cell sites in Goulais, St. Joseph Island and Wawa are
completed and are operating in a normal fashion as part of the standard Bell
Mobility network. This means that anyone using a data hub or a data stick
connected through these new sites constructed as part of the Deferral Account
project are currently paying the normal rates.
I am not sure of the policy that will apply after the Deferral
Account service rates become available: will customers be moved onto the new
rate plan immediately or will they be transferred only after their existing
agreement expires?
Below
is the proposed rate structure accepted
by the CRTC for HSPA+ wireless based version of Bell Deferral Account
service.( The original proposal back around 2004 called for a DSL based
solution.) It has been fined tuned over the years: - the activation fees has
been waived and the monthly rental fees dropped. For some reason, Bell is
keeping the details very close to the chest. Bottom line is that $46.95 + plus
tax ( $41.95 Home Zone Wireless Plus + the $5.00 insurance for an extra 40 GB),
one can get 65 GB.
|
|
Proposed HSPA+ Retail Broadband Services
|
|
|
Province
|
Ontario
|
|
|
Service Name
|
Home
Zone Wireless
|
Home
Zone
Wireless
Plus
|
|
Monthly Rate
|
$31.95
|
$41.95
|
|
Download Speed
|
Up to 2Mbps
|
Up to 7 Mbps
|
|
Upload Speed
|
Up to 1 Mbps
|
Up to 3 Mbps
|
|
Monthly Usage Allowance
|
2 GB
|
25 GB
|
|
Monthly Charge
for Additional Usage
|
$2.50/GB,
maximum of $30 per month
|
|
|
Usage
Insurance
|
$5.00 per
month for extra 40 GB
|
|
|
Activation Fee
|
$29.95
|
|
|
Hardware
|
Turbo Hub:
$3.95 monthly rental fee
|
|
|
Term
|
Monthly
|
|
The final
rate structure is not readily available at this time but a Bell representative
accidently quoted a basic rate of $37.95 for 20GB to customer in East Algoma
but quickly withdrew the offer saying the plan was not available in the
customer's area.
Even though there are area in other parts of
Ontario where the plan has been launched, there is nothing on the Bell website
and I have not been able to get hold of the plan's official rate structure. Unlike the tower/site
locations redacted in the report, I accept the rate structure as legitimate
"competitive information" at this time.
Bell
will be conducting a marketing campaign with more detail once the service is
ready to accept customers.
The other big unknown is
how will the other cellular service suppliers react to the new
competition. Will they match the new
rates for their data hub services?
I am fascinated as to how all this will turn out-it's good news for Algoma for sure.
ReplyDeleteThere are 40 Bell-DSL deferral sites already on line according to that recent CRTC spreadsheet, some as far back as 2011. How come nobody know or has found out the Bell rates?
ReplyDeleteThat’s a good question. It has not been from a lack of trying. I and others have contact various levels of Bell, Bell Aliant, BCE and Bell Mobility and to date have consistently run into a brick wall of claimed ignorance on the matter, wrong department, etc.
DeleteQueries to the CRTC result in the standard reply of they do not regulate the cellular or broadband Internet service. (While this is accurate in the services are forborne, they did insist on a certain rate structure before approving the Deferral Account applications which they now do not want to discuss.)
Some of the Deferral Account sites already on line are in Quebec. We know the rates for Quebec are different than the rates for Ontario; this is in response to the Vidéotron competition. As such, they are of little use to us in the Algoma District.
Nine of the sites identified in the latest list were the Bell test sites locations: – namely
Blyth, Clinton, Flesherton, Goderich, Harriston, Markdale, Otter Lake, Ridgeway, and Wingham. These sites were used for field trials and proof of principle starting in 2012. One of the major outcomes of the trails was the need for exterior antennas as part of the package.
Phones calls to some of the Bell World stores serving some of the activated Deferral Account areas were also unsuccessful. In most cases, the stores claimed not to have any knowledge. One store in the Wingham area said they would discussion rates if I came into the store.
If anyone knows what Bell is charging, I would really like to hear.
My theory is that the Bell keeping the rates under wraps fearing a backlash from people on the wrong site of the Deferral Account area border that will not be eligible for the Deferral Account rates. It will be interesting to see how Bell will handle this.
Further to my comment above. Can you clarify where you got the information about 40 DSL Deferral Account sites. As far as I am aware, there are only three DSL sites; all the rest are HSPA+ based.
DeleteThank you
Hermes,
ReplyDeleteI live on 6h Street in Hilton Beach about 100 meters from the new Bell tower. I managed to get Bell to buy me out of a pre-existing two year contract for a Flex 60 plan and hub when I order two new Bell Wireless Internet 5 hubs both with the biggest 40 Gb per hub data plans. I used a quite persistent manner and all the patience that I could muster to get the supervisor on the phone to put himself in my shoes and consider how Bell is behaving towards it's customers. Plus I might just have got lucky. It's a long story but I am happy to share if it would help keep you informed. I can be reached at paul.terence.gregory@gmail.com