Spring 2016

Differentiation Between Carriers

The Search for better Connection

Sean Lee

Do you love listening to music of all types, on demand, and uninterrupted by advertisements? Are you a huge hockey fan and do you want to stay up to date on the Leafs’ Stanley Cup conquest (or maybe just their quest for a decent draft pick)? Or, maybe you like splurging on shopping deals after class? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, and you own or are looking to purchase a new smartphone, you may be able to take advantage of some exclusive deals!

Unbeknownst to some, you can reap more benefits from your cellphone carrier beyond their standard wireless services. If all carriers offered the same standard voice/text/data plans, the competitive market we have today would not exist. Major carriers now offer extra services on top of their existing wireless packages. For example, Virgin Mobile retains numerous partnerships with third party vendors to offer exclusive member benefits to their customers: this includes offering deals associated with Cineplex, H&M, even Travelocity [i]! And if going out is not your thing and you are a Bell mobile customer, feel free to stay at home and catch up on your favorite shows using Bell’s free Mobile TV subscription service.

But with all “free” things, there is always a catch. For example, Bell does not go out of their way to promote that their Mobile TV service will affect your data usage whether or not you are on a mobile or Wi-Fi network [ii]. Watching Bell’s Mobile TV service on your smartphone will affect your data usage no matter what (granted, they do offer 5 hours of free Wi-Fi viewing to mitigate this extreme inconvenience) [iii]. Rogers, on the other hand, allows you to use the NHL GameCentre Live service over Wi-Fi on an unlimited basis. For either of these offers, consumers must subscribe to a specific plan: Share Everything Plan (for Rogers) or a Plus/Lite plan (for Bell).

On the other end of the spectrum, should you choose Fido as your mobile provider, you will be the recipient of a premium two year subscription to Spotify. However, if you read the specific terms and conditions, this service is only available with Fido Pulse plans [iv]. So if you are a prepaid customer, be prepared to shell out a few more dollars monthly when you migrate to a Pulse plan if you would like to receive this ‘exclusive’ offer. And be forewarned: Spotify, despite being a free service, will still incur data charges when you are on a mobile network [v].

Given that Fido is a subsidiary of Rogers, Rogers also offers Spotify to Fido customers, in addition to Shomi (TV streaming service, similar to Netflix and Hulu) and Texture by Next Issue (digital magazine) [v]. These can only be claimed if you have a Share Everything + plan (family plan), and only one of the three offers can be chosen. Additionally, the selection will be the same for all members in the family plan, so choose wisely. If you do not always want to share the same account to take advantage of these services, Rogers does enable up to 3 different lines to sign up for Spotify Premium, and up to 6 profiles for Shomi. This is also on top of your free NHL GameCentre Live subscription so you can enjoy both services [vi].

Overall, most of the major carriers do offer exclusive benefits on top of the wireless services they provide as part of your cell phone contract. Depending on which of these services match your interests, you can narrow down the choices and decide which company you want to bind yourself to in a two year contract.

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