Should Canada have cheaper Internet Service?

YoungJoonKim

Electoral Member
Aug 19, 2007
690
5
18
For three years in my ever-multicultural school which invites more and more International Students each year, one of their most irritating complaint was slow Internet speed.
"You see...we don't really NEED fast Internet service" I always say.
But I've witnessed a stupidest truth I've ever seen in my life.
South Korea-My origin-has an economy that is relatively similar to that of Canada.
My dad always used to say...Canada is poor....fair enough, I thought. For heaven sake, he was my DAD. So I didn't ARGUE about it though I doubted his comment...seriously.
In terms of how my family lived in South Korea and here, I would say that living in Canada was accommodating but...not as much as South Korea...because this place just lacked that infrastructure we always used to enjoy.
Now, let's get to the point.
As you can see, I have a few Korean friends and my relatives that live with us throughout the year except during summer break [because they live in South Korea are they-too-are I.N. Students], they would tell me epic stories about how fast Internet was in South Korea...
I said to them how uninterested I was and just swept them away because OUR Internet was the top-notch Internet also [we pay $45 for that old Ultra High Speed Internet connection. Bell has changed its Internet service name and LOWERED its quality of service...and rose their price. You can find a thread about my complaint somewhere here]
So..I got Interested today. I went to an Korean searching-engine and explored some prices and services which Korean company offered.

Get this.

100mbps [download speed, 10 megabytes per second]
100mbps [upload speed, 10 megabytes per second]
[Best bell offers its customer is 16 mbps...what..1.3 megabytes per second?]

FOR HOW MUCH?
[By the way, this is called "
Megapass Ntopia" , best service from them I believe]

No Contract: 3600 WAN = approximately $30~36 dollar Canadian [NO TAX]
1 Year Contract: 34200 WAN = approxi. $30~34 dollar
2 Year Contract: 32400 WAN = approxi..you get it
3 Year Contract: 30600 WAN = approxi. $25~30 Dollar

[I'm still looking through, my aunt here says that it may cost about $45 per month, thus, making those numbers inaccurate]

Yes, I understand the difference.
I've read through and saw that addition of one more ISP [one more computer] using the service, it requires $14 rise in price.


But still, I laugh at this.
that best connection which Bell offers is $97.95 + TAX and best they can offer is a fraction of...some newly developed country.

....any explanation especially when South Korea's economy does not fall short compared to Canada? [Employee fee + inflation]
 

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
27,780
285
83
bliss
you can't compare price based on download speeds and such.

To properly compare price, you need to compare cost of infrastructure vs # of customers.

Canada comes out more expensive in lots of areas (long distance, cell phone rates) because we don't have the same customer base to draw on to pay for the infrastructure required to span this country.
 

YoungJoonKim

Electoral Member
Aug 19, 2007
690
5
18
But how does it impact the services we might receive?
Does this mean that Canada simply has less developed infrastructure to support a city of just a few million? [Toronto]

Canada has been having a such a increase in use of Internet [people] and should this not be that # of customers?
Instead, I've been witnessing increase in price, not that I complain but wants to know "why"

But it is true that South Korea has more people and less landscape to cover up the infrastructure.
Then is the population the problem?
 

MsMiller604

New Member
Aug 6, 2009
2
0
1
Novus Vs Shaw - Predatory Pricing Campaign

[FONT=&quot]Everyone pretty much relies on their internet, so we are always looking for the best deal; I wanted to pass on information about some recent predatory pricing tactics being used by Shaw Communications in Vancouver against a small downtown provider, Novus Entertainment. Shaw is currently offering only Novus clients a completely under-cut deal for a year of internet, digital cable and high speed internet, just to steal a few of our customers to put us out of business. We would love to hear your thoughts and comments on this topic … check out http://www.10buckstoo.com, sign the petition and vote and check out Search Names: i hate shaw | Facebook . Consumers need to be made aware of what is going on, if we allow for large companies to take over, this will take away a consumers rights for choice.[/FONT]
 

TenPenny

Hall of Fame Member
Jun 9, 2004
17,466
138
63
Location, Location
Canada has horrible internet service providers, compared with much of the rest of the world.

That said, I get fiber-to-the-home by mid next year.
 

taxslave

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 25, 2008
36,362
4,337
113
Vancouver Island
Our internet providers have a more or less captive market, especially when you get to smaller communities where Shaw owns the cable lines & Telus owns the phone lines.
 

DurkaDurka

Internet Lawyer
Mar 15, 2006
10,385
129
63
Toronto
It's Aliant (BellAliant)...they announced that Saint John and Fredericton will be 100% FTTH by late 2010.

I can't wait.

Nice!

I can't wait for some FTTH here in Toronto... I'm still plugging along on my 10mb connection here. Apparentlty Rogers is launching a 40mb/2mb next month for $150.00/m, what a joke.
 

eh1eh

Blah Blah Blah
Aug 31, 2006
10,749
103
48
Under a Lone Palm
Canada has horrible internet service providers, compared with much of the rest of the world.

That said, I get fiber-to-the-home by mid next year.


Hey. Just be glad we don't have AOL in Canada. Oh wait, I guess we do. Who the hell uses it though? Anyone who doesn't want the full internet I guess.