So who thinks eastlink is costlier than big 3

[xtachx]

In the sense their plans are like big 3 but subsidy is like wind ?

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[jattdesi]

I agree the plans are not that good other then there Roaming Rates in Canada

[dajs]

These price plans are disappointing. Can't compete with Koodo or Virgin by far, not even if you do not travel outside the Eastlink coverage area and already are a "quadruple play" Eastlink customer so you get all those discounts.

I hope that this is just a "soft start" pricing to have a trickle of customers instead of a substantial number of them, but somehow I get the feeling that this is what thay want to compete with. They'd be basically hoping that current Eastlnk wireline customers who use mobile services with the big 3 main brands and do not travel regularly will switch over when their current contract eventually expires and that those people are not lured back by retention offers or a family member who is still under contract. Oh, at the same time these people have to be valualbe customers with a decent credit rating.

I wonder why Eastlink bought from Ericsson and not something cheaper like Huawei and ZTE.

[xtachx]

I wonder why Eastlink bought from Ericsson and not something cheaper like Huawei and ZTE.

Mobilicity's network is also built by Ericsson. I think the price difference is not significant in the enterprise level. But no customer is stupid enough to port to eastlink when the big 3's offers are better than them! (Not to mention koodo / virgin).

[dajs]

Well, if you are an Eastlink wireline-customer, you can get up to 20% discount. That would make them probably comparable to be Big 3, but not to their subbrands.

[kbg1]

ok so here is my 2 cents worth.
i have eastlink phone/cable and internet so eligible for the 20% discount.
had 3 phones that were off contract last year with telus.
i signed them up for virgin mobile $56 unlimited promo cross canada plan(m2m) with 2gb of data.
even with the discount, eastlink is $30 for plan +$20 for 2gb data +$5 voicemail so $55 plus tax
wohoo i can save a dollar.
crappy roaming,no canadian ld this has to be the suckiest launch ever in canada
plus i dont think my 2 telus s3's(i747)are even compatible with their network
arghhhhhhhhhh

[LABcrab]

Oh, please.

Not everyone needs the unlimited talk when it's unlimited text and plenty of mobile Internet access that they prefer. 200 daytime minutes, plus unlimited nights, weekends, and calling to lines on the same account is more than enough for many. That's $25/month. Afterwards, there is $35/month for 3 GB or $45/month for 5 GB of mobile Internet, sharable between the phone and a mobile broadband modem. Even with only 3 GB, the grand total is steep at $60/month, but can be lowered to a modest $48/month with a "Watch, Surf & Talk" EastLink bundle. For the sake of the argument, let's assume someone needs that anyway, for a similar $45/month per service.

The closest Big 3 regular plan that comes to this is the standard $25/month plan with a $20/month add-on for only 1 GB, from Virgin/Fido/Koodo. This includes as much as 150 less daytime minutes and a third of the Internet usage. The LTE coverage is also much smaller in Atlantic Canada compared to EastLink. And sure, the Big 3 have their promotional plans. The best known are the $50 Thunder Bay plan, the $56 Christmas plans and the $60 Super plans. Not only are these more expensive, they are also promotional plans that are only available for a limited time. The best comparison is regular to regular, because like Vidéotron, EastLink will have special deals too.

It's pricey to pay around $180 for four telecom services, but many Canadians do not have much issue with this. There are ways they can find lower prices such as independent ISPs, cutting some or all TV channels, or using only one phone instead of two. But overall, it's great to see EastLink offering competitive wireless plans. It's great for talk and text, and the LTE Internet is modestly priced.

[dajs]

If you want to compare like with like, you have to add the Long Distance add-on to Eastlink's price, because the Koodo and Virgin priceplans are all "zone free", so there are no long-distance charges. Likewise, you'd have to add the Eastlink add-on for sending texts to other countries. This is already included with Koodo.

As for the Data: It can be 0 to 3 GByte with Koodo, not just 1 GByte as you have mentioned. And the price is flexible. Furthermore, Koodo includes Call Display, Voicemail, Call Waiting and Conference Calling. Again, extra charges with Eastlink. (I haven't checked the newest Virgin offers.)

Of course, not everybody needs all of these features, but the same can be said for 3 Gbyte of data.

Why you'd think that $45 for 5 GB is "modestly priced" is incomprehensible to me. You must be one of the "many Canadians" that do not have "much issue" with exorbitant prices. Nice to meet you, I haven't met many of your kind yet.

Maybe you could enlighten me in regards to which "independent ISPs" I could use in Halifax, apart from ChebuctoNet's dial-up.

[kbg1]

If you want to compare like with like, you have to add the Long Distance add-on to Eastlink's price, because the Koodo and Virgin priceplans are all "zone free", so there are no long-distance charges. Likewise, you'd have to add the Eastlink add-on for sending texts to other countries. This is already included with Koodo.

As for the Data: It can be 0 to 3 GByte with Koodo, not just 1 GByte as you have mentioned. And the price is flexible. Furthermore, Koodo includes Call Display, Voicemail, Call Waiting and Conference Calling. Again, extra charges with Eastlink. (I haven't checked the newest Virgin offers.)

Of course, not everybody needs all of these features, but the same can be said for 3 Gbyte of data.

Why you'd think that $45 for 5 GB is "modestly priced" is incomprehensible to me. You must be one of the "many Canadians" that do not have "much issue" with exorbitant prices. Nice to meet you, I haven't met many of your kind yet.

Maybe you could enlighten me in regards to which "independent ISPs" I could use in Halifax, apart from ChebuctoNet's dial-up.

i agree whole heartldly with your post

[ljcougar11]

Hi all,
Have the same Virgin plan with 2 Gig of data but also the 10% discount for BYOD since my phone is paid for and unlocked so all in it is $50/month with no roaming fees for voice or data. Eastlink is not able to meet this even close!
Think the only person that will benefit from Eastlink (other then Eastlink) is the person that has very limited LOCAL use. My 2cents.

ok so here is my 2 cents worth.
i have eastlink phone/cable and internet so eligible for the 20% discount.
had 3 phones that were off contract last year with telus.
i signed them up for virgin mobile $56 unlimited promo cross canada plan(m2m) with 2gb of data.
even with the discount, eastlink is $30 for plan +$20 for 2gb data +$5 voicemail so $55 plus tax
wohoo i can save a dollar.
crappy roaming,no canadian ld this has to be the suckiest launch ever in canada
plus i dont think my 2 telus s3's(i747)are even compatible with their network
arghhhhhhhhhh

[LABcrab]

Alright, let me clear up a few things:

• The EastLink plan example i gave was for two lines, one with the cell phone and another with mobile broadband. Why? Because using the SIM on a mobile broadband modem or tablet is more convenient than tethering on a smartphone. Should you wish to remove this convenience, the regular price (no bundle discounts) for EastLink's plan falls back to the same $50 that the Big 3 flanker brands charge. It's up to you if the extra $10 for an extra GB plus a shared mobile broadband line is worth it.
• EastLink does include call display, call waiting and conference calling. They only omit voicemail.
• Now, regarding the Big 3 flankers' advantages, they are: voice mail, nationwide long distance/coverage, global texting, flexible Internet options (although fixed typically offer more generous allowances) and arguably more device selection.
• As for EastLink, their advantages are: more talk time, greater LTE coverage, bundle discounts, and easy-to-share plans. As an example in the latter case, one grandmother could get the LG F4n and use it only for talking, while her granddaughter could get the Sony Xperia T and use it only for texting and LTE Internet. This way, grandma gets more talk time while Mademoiselle Student gets a larger surfing allowance.

It's unfortunate if there are no high-speed independent ISPs in your region. The best that can be done is to negotiate rates with the incumbents. Overall, i still welcome EastLink's competition, even though it may not be as drastic as the Small 3.

[ljcougar11]

Compare my current $50.00 plan to what it would cost for the same features on Eastlink, there would also be extra charges for roaming on data as well as no international text & picture messaging on the Eastlink system. I have included 15% discount since I am a Eastlink customer.
Eastlink also promotes the fact that they do not have contracts, can be booth good and bad since they would be free to increase rates at any time. If you are on a month-to-month plan with the other at least you would know what the cost would be.?



Plan: Unlimited $31.88

Data: 2 GB $21.25

Add-ons
Voicemail $5.00
Unlimited Canada $10.00
Monthly Charge$68.13
Hardware Total$0.00

[kbg1]

Hi all,
Have the same Virgin plan with 2 Gig of data but also the 10% discount for BYOD since my phone is paid for and unlocked so all in it is $50/month with no roaming fees for voice or data. Eastlink is not able to meet this even close!
Think the only person that will benefit from Eastlink (other then Eastlink) is the person that has very limited LOCAL use. My 2cents.

hi
how did you get the 10% byop discount?
they told me it could be applied to my tab(i dont have a tab)but not deducted monthly from my plan.
i brought my on galaxy s3.
thanks

[ljcougar11]

You might have something different then me but my wife also have the 10% of on her plan (Gold 60) but she only have 1Gig data but everything else the same.

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[Gruru]

Eastlink plans are priced well IF and only if you have eastlink home phone, internet and tv as well. Otherwise they are near the same price as the Big 3 but with a smaller footprint and roaming charges if you leave Atlantic Canada. Honestly not worth it I don't think, unless you have a particular affinity for supporting underdogs.