The New Normal? Bell Raises Connection Fee to $40

[acurrie]

Mobile Syrup reports this week that the cost of entry for mobile service from Bell Canada will soon be $40. We can almost certainly expect Rogers and Telus to follow their lead. It's worth noting that this fee has almost tripled in the past two years:

July 6th, 2017 - Bell raises their connection fee from $15 to $25
April 19th, 2018 - Bell raises fee from $25 to $30
October 3rd, 2018 - Bell raises fee from $30 to $35
July 4th, 2019 - Bell raises fee from $35 to $40

But hey, free SIM card!

According to the source the fee is "a one-time cost associated with adding a new phone number to Bell’s network." But the cynic in me thinks that it's a deliberate move to discourage hopping back and forth between providers and BYOD promos like the ones happening now.

Source: Mobile Syrup

[turbogeek]

The 'cost of adding a new phone number' is the cost of acquiring a customer. It is appalling that these companies are so settled in their oligopoly that they think we should PAY them for the privilege of becoming a customer. It's a cost of doing business, take it out of your world leading profits you grotesquely greedy <omitted>. </RANT>

[Ipse]

Not only Videotron charges 15$, but they wave it every time...as a thank you for becoming or remaining a customer.
Screw Bhell.

[Mr.Peppermint]

July 6th, 2017 - Bell raises their connection fee from $15 to $25
April 19th, 2018 - Bell raises fee from $25 to $30
October 3rd, 2018 - Bell raises fee from $30 to $35
July 4th, 2019 - Bell raises fee from $35 to $40

Something wrong with this timeline; connection fee was $35 way before 2017 (like from 2008? up to the introduction of wireless code)
The only diff was in old days they offered to waive it fairly often

[emann56]

Unlike Telus and Rogers with Bell, you can't get the connection fee waived if you set it up online.

[@Class]

So what do the carriers think are going to happen... No doubt here will come another regulation - they do it to themselves by offering insane packages with insane fees and pricing.