Thursday, November 23, 2006

Cell phone value

I was reading this article today in the Globe and Mail. Apparently we pay more for our cell phone service than those people down in the US. My sister constantly astounds me with stories of how cheap cell phone plans in the US are compared to Canada.

Granted, the US has 10 times the population, and thus, 10 times the market, so they can afford to be more competitive.

One line in the article did interest me:
“In Canada, wireless has been seen as a luxury,[...] In the U.S., it's been seen as a necessity.”
The perspectives are interesting. This would maybe explain why a lot of people that I know don't use their cell phone, and in fact, want to get rid of it. This sort of thinking however, really keeps Canada in the dark ages when it comes to tech-savviness, and also explains why Canada never really get the cool phones till later, if at all. Boooo.

It would be interesting to see how the landscape will change once the cell phone number portability regulation comes into effect next March...

2 comments:

DC said...

I would argue that you're presupposing your conclusion in your argument. Are Cell-phone really related to "tech-savviness"?

It could be further argued that Canadians value their quality of life to a greater degree than do Americans and that's why there are greater numbers who want to get rid of their phones, as they feel it impacts their quality of life.

Just a different perspective :D

Irene said...

"Cell-phone really related to "tech-savviness"?"

I think so. We not behind with just the US, but with Europe and Asia as well. I feel that there tends to be more of a tech-phobia within Canada, which I've always wished that it were different. Quality of life is also dependent on how you define it. Some people may not agree with your definition.