Why Are Canadian Cell Phone Plans Expensive?

Why exactly are Canadians paying such high prices for cell service? Carriers price their plans high simply because they can. Here are key takeaways about the state of the telecommunications industry in Canada:

There is a lack of competition in Canada for carriers to lower their prices

Bell, Rogers and Telus networks cover over 97% of Canadians. New carriers would have to build a nationwide network of cell towers to compete

Provinces that do have a strong fourth carrier (i.e. Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec) all enjoy lower rates; even from the national carriers

Freedom Mobile is the 4th largest carrier, but has only been able to roll out limited coverage to parts of Ontario, BC and Alberta

Deep-pocketed foreign investors are prohibited by Canadian laws

Canadian telecom companies are among the most profitable in the world, so there's little incentive to change pricing competitiveness

Canadians are still subject to data overage charges while US plans typically include unlimited data

We demand lower data rates for all Canadians and to end the greed from telecom companies!!