Keaton Keller, founder of YouTube channel TechSmartt, visited Canada for the first time recently and got to experience our wireless networks firsthand.
Upon landing, Keller says he “got his ass kicked by Canada” as his AT&T roaming charges wanted $1/minute for phone calls while roaming on the Rogers network. Pre-paid options on Rogers, according to Keller, would have cost him $90 for 1GB, most likely referring to the Talk, Text and Internet 65 plan plus the cost of a SIM card (with $0.05/MB data overages).
Eventually, Keller opted for WIND Mobile to use in Toronto, which according to him was a less than stellar experience:
Welcome to Canada, Keaton.
For Americans that visit Canada frequently and use their smartphones here—what’s your advice for Keller for his next visit? He probably should have jumped on T-Mobile’s unlimited data roaming option, which includes Canada (EDGE, but you can pay extra for 3G/LTE).
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“Ragers”
Lol. “Robbers”.
Welcome to Canada.
He knows technology but did not do the research first. Something is not quite right. He blames networks in Canada, when it’s AT&T that is charging outrageous prices for roaming that it gets for pennies.
I could talk about going to the states this summer and connecting to either EDGE or HSPA networks with full signal and getting speedtest to register 0.01 Mbps.
HSPA+ is not enough for him? What does he do?
And what’s wrong with Kingston?
yeah he doesnt seem to be well versed in hspa+ thats for sure
He could use Fido or something like myself. (I know it is part of the Big 3 but it is cheaper) He could have LTE all the way. Wind just suck on reception and speed. So I won’t recommend to newcomer at all. I don’t want them to feel Canada is a third world country after they try Wind.
Exactly, I don’t think he even looked around for cheaper LTE. If he had, he would have seen not just Fido, but Koodo and Virgin. The fact that the Wind employees weren’t even using Wind should have set off red flags and alarms.
Well it’s actually Rogers charging AT&T and AT&T charging the end customer. The Big Three make it really expensive for US customers very deliberately. First, it a cash grab. Second, part of it has to do with making it more difficult for people to get cheaper unlimited roaming plans with a U.S. company and use them here. Those and I’m sure there other reasons.
My friend just came back from the US during Black Friday. He was using Rogers new feature “ROAM HOME”. He had been charged only $10 using talk, text, and online for two days. He told me he was using AT&T network down there.
So I don’t know where you get your fact. I don’t think AT&T would allow Rogers customers to roam that cheap in the US if that’s the case.
Dude. This is about crossing the boarder this direction not the other way around. What American would come here and subscribe to our services and use them in the U.S. When they get more for less there. The article is also about an American who came here and found our cellular providers limiting and inadequate. My point was that the big three deliberately keep roaming expensive here for people coming from the US to prevent you and I from going and buying a phone and services from a US company and using it here. Does that make better sense.
When I travel to the Excited States of America, I am quoted $1.50 / min for calls, and $5 / MB for data. He got off cheap! He reminds me of those American travellers who expect speeds to be posted in Miles per hour, and change to be provided in US bills & coins. Seems to me like a rant of an uniformed, entitled brat.
Statements like he couldn’t call home (then states he didn’t want to pay ATT fees)
the anti americanism is strong with this one
Nope.
cool
your comment has a tone that contradicts your nope
just saying
why doesnt at$t reciprocate roam like home?
Oh come on it’s “thousands and thousands of Loonies eh”.
I Guess that 32GB of data he went over the month before wasn’t used to research his trip and what carrier to use. And he didn’t even bother asking his “friends” here.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, he looks pretty young and is TRYING to be a reporter.
I visited Austrailia pretty recently. 3GB of what was then just before LTE speeds, for $35. The SIM was free! If all this guy wanted was data, he should’ve gotten a tablet plan from any carrier and used it in his phone. Use Skype or VOIP to call out.
Wow, most of you clearly miss the point of Keller’s rant. No wonder the carriers are happy to have folks like you as their customers and to gouge the heck out of us.