Canadians Pay More For Cell Phones

It is not uncommon for the Synergy Merchant Services Blog to discuss various ways in which business owners can put their money to good use. Naturally, there should be a good balance between spending money wisely and saving necessary funds. Spending frivolously on unnecessary expenditures, of course, doesn’t help one’s budget for more important things.

For just about everyone in modern society, a cell phone is not an unnecessary expense. In contrast, cell phones are practically mandatory tools for everyone to get by each and every day. However, as Stefania Morretti of QMI Agency reports today, cell phones are expenses that are costing Canadian citizens more money than anyone else in the world!

Revealing the findings of The New America Foundation’s Open Technology Initiative, Moretti reports that out of 11 countries studied, Canada is home to the most expensive price plans for cell phone users. Beating out such nations as the United States, Japan, India and Sweden, Canada’s hefty cell phone bills average approximately $67.50 US.

Writes Moretti: “The U.S. comes in a distant second at $59.99. In Sweden that same level of service will cost just $34.05 while residents of India pay only $12.90. In most countries, customers are only charged for outgoing calls but that’s not the case in Canada and the U.S. where users can be charged for both incoming and outgoing calls.”

Perhaps as a result, Canada is becoming the home to more cell phone service providers than ever before. Moretti notes that new companies such as Public Mobile, Mobilicity and Quebecor’s Videotron have popped up in the Canadian marketplace that is currently dominated by Bell, Rogers and Telus.

The competition, apparently, is getting fierce. Unfortunately, as independent technology analyst Carmi Levy points out, Canadians have yet to see any significant price drops. “We are trying to unwind a generation’s worth of legacy high pricing,” said Levy, noting that it will take more national carriers and not just regional competitors to create noticeable changes in pricing and service levels.

So there you have it Canada. Even though cell phones are used regularly and are items that most people will claim they cannot do without, Canadians are paying more for them than anyone else. As with all other expenditures, it is important to budget for your cell phone use.

Call your service provider to discover ways that you may be able to save money based on the type of usage you get out of the phone. For example, some people do a lot more texting than they do calling. Others require data plans for internet surfing. Some plans also offer free incoming calls. Hopefully, you’ll find a plan that will help you save money.