FYI : No More CityFido as of 1st of March.
- Thread starter kalok
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From the link,
When Rogers Wireless announced its blockbuster takeover of Microcell Communications late last year, many Fido users in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver feared that the day would come that Rogers would rescind, or significantly change, its popular City Fido flat-rate local calling plan.
As it happens, that day will be March 1, 2005, at which time, Rogers has announced, it will introduce a significantly overhauled version of its City Fido package. The program was initially offered in Vancouver in 2003, offering unlimited local calling for $40, including the somewhat controversial $6.95 system access fee which all Canadian wireless carriers charge. In 2004, the program's price tag was jacked up to $45, and the service was extended from Vancouver to also include Fido subscribers in Toronto and Montreal. The company also announced that it would no longer include the $6.95 system access fee in the $45 monthly rate.
Under the changes to be launched on March 1, there will be two tiers of City Fido service -- one that offers 750 minutes of local airtime for $45, including the system access fee. A heavier access package of 1,500 anytime minutes will be available for $65 per month, SAF included. Other changes include a redefinition of the "city zones" that City Fido will be active in to be "smaller in size and more urban-focused," according to Rogers. Also, users will be charged 50 cent per minute to make calls outside of their city zone, up from 30 cents per minute, while the company will charge 30 cents per minute for any airtime used beyond the limits of the program.
When Rogers finalized its purchase of Microcell, CEO Ted Rogers commented that the company liked the idea of City Fido as a landline replacement package, but would have to re-evaluate the pricing of the package, which had been slammed by Rogers and competitors Bell Mobility and Telus Mobility in the past as "unsustainable."
But the move may backfire and make the program less attractive to customers, according to Brian Sharwood, principal at The SeaBoard Group, an analysis firm that specializes in the telecommunications industry.
"They've made it less appealing by going the way they have," Sharwood said, noting that Rogers has "made a conscious decision that getting the most revenue from current customers is clearly their goal," as opposed to more actively growing the customer base at a lower price point. That decision seems strange, given that Rogers is still actively pushing City Fido as a replacement for a traditional wired home phone. However, Canadians are not used to the idea of having time limits on local phone calls with their landline phone, so instituting the kind of pricing that they are introducing may hurt their ability to lure wireline customers away from Bell Canada and towards their wireless replacement offering.
"Having a successful City Fido offering is really important to what they're trying to do, which is to take customers away from their mortal enemy, Bell," Sharwood said. "It's not just about mobile price plans, it's about the communications options a customer has. Some want both wired and wireless, and some want just one number. If they made City Fido more attractive to customers, they'd be able to nab that customer away from Bell."
Instead, by going the way it has, Rogers has made City Fido both less attractive and less certain for customers, which may hurt subscriber numbers. Many users, Sharwood notes, may not necessarily be super-heavy users of the phone, but like the City Fido concept because it presents them with a bill that is the same every month regardless of local calling usage, much like a standard phone line.
"By tightening up the city area so you're not sure what's in the city area and what's not, it makes it more risky for customers," Sharwood said.
Rogers also risks giving rivals ammunition against it, as Bell and Telus can now contend that the City Fido plan was flawed, and that Rogers made a mistake in purchasing Microcell, particularly if the new pricing options result in City Fido subscribers dropping the package or moving to another carrier.
"At some point, it's about the bragging rights," Sharwood said. "It's in their best interests to make this a success."
On a positive note for City Fido subscribers, the package will now be allowed to access the extended Rogers network, from which it had been excluded since the companies merged their networks in November of last year.
Rogers will also "grandfather" current City Fido subscribers -- guaranteeing them service at the price and options they signed up for for a period of one year, or for the length of their contract with the company if they opt for one of Microcell's "Fido Agreement" two-year contracts.
Rogers completed its crackdown on Fido's popular unlimited-access options by announcing that effective March 1, it will be killing the $70 package which Fido had offered, which included unlimited local airtime anywhere on the Fido network across Canada, as well as 900 minutes of long distance calling to Canada or the United States.
Link : http://www.integratedmar.com/connectit/stories/1557.cfm
kalok~
From the link,
When Rogers Wireless announced its blockbuster takeover of Microcell Communications late last year, many Fido users in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver feared that the day would come that Rogers would rescind, or significantly change, its popular City Fido flat-rate local calling plan.
As it happens, that day will be March 1, 2005, at which time, Rogers has announced, it will introduce a significantly overhauled version of its City Fido package. The program was initially offered in Vancouver in 2003, offering unlimited local calling for $40, including the somewhat controversial $6.95 system access fee which all Canadian wireless carriers charge. In 2004, the program's price tag was jacked up to $45, and the service was extended from Vancouver to also include Fido subscribers in Toronto and Montreal. The company also announced that it would no longer include the $6.95 system access fee in the $45 monthly rate.
Under the changes to be launched on March 1, there will be two tiers of City Fido service -- one that offers 750 minutes of local airtime for $45, including the system access fee. A heavier access package of 1,500 anytime minutes will be available for $65 per month, SAF included. Other changes include a redefinition of the "city zones" that City Fido will be active in to be "smaller in size and more urban-focused," according to Rogers. Also, users will be charged 50 cent per minute to make calls outside of their city zone, up from 30 cents per minute, while the company will charge 30 cents per minute for any airtime used beyond the limits of the program.
When Rogers finalized its purchase of Microcell, CEO Ted Rogers commented that the company liked the idea of City Fido as a landline replacement package, but would have to re-evaluate the pricing of the package, which had been slammed by Rogers and competitors Bell Mobility and Telus Mobility in the past as "unsustainable."
But the move may backfire and make the program less attractive to customers, according to Brian Sharwood, principal at The SeaBoard Group, an analysis firm that specializes in the telecommunications industry.
"They've made it less appealing by going the way they have," Sharwood said, noting that Rogers has "made a conscious decision that getting the most revenue from current customers is clearly their goal," as opposed to more actively growing the customer base at a lower price point. That decision seems strange, given that Rogers is still actively pushing City Fido as a replacement for a traditional wired home phone. However, Canadians are not used to the idea of having time limits on local phone calls with their landline phone, so instituting the kind of pricing that they are introducing may hurt their ability to lure wireline customers away from Bell Canada and towards their wireless replacement offering.
"Having a successful City Fido offering is really important to what they're trying to do, which is to take customers away from their mortal enemy, Bell," Sharwood said. "It's not just about mobile price plans, it's about the communications options a customer has. Some want both wired and wireless, and some want just one number. If they made City Fido more attractive to customers, they'd be able to nab that customer away from Bell."
Instead, by going the way it has, Rogers has made City Fido both less attractive and less certain for customers, which may hurt subscriber numbers. Many users, Sharwood notes, may not necessarily be super-heavy users of the phone, but like the City Fido concept because it presents them with a bill that is the same every month regardless of local calling usage, much like a standard phone line.
"By tightening up the city area so you're not sure what's in the city area and what's not, it makes it more risky for customers," Sharwood said.
Rogers also risks giving rivals ammunition against it, as Bell and Telus can now contend that the City Fido plan was flawed, and that Rogers made a mistake in purchasing Microcell, particularly if the new pricing options result in City Fido subscribers dropping the package or moving to another carrier.
"At some point, it's about the bragging rights," Sharwood said. "It's in their best interests to make this a success."
On a positive note for City Fido subscribers, the package will now be allowed to access the extended Rogers network, from which it had been excluded since the companies merged their networks in November of last year.
Rogers will also "grandfather" current City Fido subscribers -- guaranteeing them service at the price and options they signed up for for a period of one year, or for the length of their contract with the company if they opt for one of Microcell's "Fido Agreement" two-year contracts.
Rogers completed its crackdown on Fido's popular unlimited-access options by announcing that effective March 1, it will be killing the $70 package which Fido had offered, which included unlimited local airtime anywhere on the Fido network across Canada, as well as 900 minutes of long distance calling to Canada or the United States.
Link : http://www.integratedmar.com/connectit/stories/1557.cfm
kalok~
RE: No More CityFido as o
I know some of you guys will think or already thought that Rogers is Evil.. bla bla bla...
Put in mind, no matter who bought Fido, the results will be the same. To keep the company running healthy, they have to make more profit, and CityFido is really not the case. If Telus won the bid on Fido, I'm sure Telus will as well take off the City Fido plan.
Anyways,
my $0.02
kalok~
I know some of you guys will think or already thought that Rogers is Evil.. bla bla bla...
Put in mind, no matter who bought Fido, the results will be the same. To keep the company running healthy, they have to make more profit, and CityFido is really not the case. If Telus won the bid on Fido, I'm sure Telus will as well take off the City Fido plan.
Anyways,
my $0.02
kalok~
RE: No More CityFido as o
I know some of you guys will think or already thought that Rogers is Evil.. bla bla bla...
Put in mind, no matter who bought Fido, the results will be the same. To keep the company running healthy, they have to make more profit, and CityFido is really not the case. If Telus won the bid on Fido, I'm sure Telus will as well take off the City Fido plan.
Anyways,
my $0.02
kalok~
I know some of you guys will think or already thought that Rogers is Evil.. bla bla bla...
Put in mind, no matter who bought Fido, the results will be the same. To keep the company running healthy, they have to make more profit, and CityFido is really not the case. If Telus won the bid on Fido, I'm sure Telus will as well take off the City Fido plan.
Anyways,
my $0.02
kalok~
RE: No More CityFido as o
I know some of you guys will think or already thought that Rogers is Evil.. bla bla bla...
Put in mind, no matter who bought Fido, the results will be the same. To keep the company running healthy, they have to make more profit, and CityFido is really not the case. If Telus won the bid on Fido, I'm sure Telus will as well take off the City Fido plan.
Anyways,
my $0.02
kalok~
I know some of you guys will think or already thought that Rogers is Evil.. bla bla bla...
Put in mind, no matter who bought Fido, the results will be the same. To keep the company running healthy, they have to make more profit, and CityFido is really not the case. If Telus won the bid on Fido, I'm sure Telus will as well take off the City Fido plan.
Anyways,
my $0.02
kalok~
Your right. Less competition is not good. Even though I was not a big Fido fan here in Vancouver due to their poor coverage outside of Lower mainland Fido with their city fido plan did help in keeping rates down.
Your right. Less competition is not good. Even though I was not a big Fido fan here in Vancouver due to their poor coverage outside of Lower mainland Fido with their city fido plan did help in keeping rates down.
Your right. Less competition is not good. Even though I was not a big Fido fan here in Vancouver due to their poor coverage outside of Lower mainland Fido with their city fido plan did help in keeping rates down.
RE: FYI : No More CityFid
The problem is.. they increase the number of customers but they didn't increase the channels of each tower. So it ends up with network congestion because there isn't enough places for all the customers.
kalok~
The problem is.. they increase the number of customers but they didn't increase the channels of each tower. So it ends up with network congestion because there isn't enough places for all the customers.
kalok~
RE: FYI : No More CityFid
The problem is.. they increase the number of customers but they didn't increase the channels of each tower. So it ends up with network congestion because there isn't enough places for all the customers.
kalok~
The problem is.. they increase the number of customers but they didn't increase the channels of each tower. So it ends up with network congestion because there isn't enough places for all the customers.
kalok~
RE: FYI : No More CityFid
The problem is.. they increase the number of customers but they didn't increase the channels of each tower. So it ends up with network congestion because there isn't enough places for all the customers.
kalok~
The problem is.. they increase the number of customers but they didn't increase the channels of each tower. So it ends up with network congestion because there isn't enough places for all the customers.
kalok~