CRTC: Canada’s Cellphone Rates Rank Among Highest in G7

According to a new study commissioned by the CRTC, Canadians continue to pay some of the highest rates for wireless phone service among all G7 countries.

The study, which was carried out by Nordicity Group for the telecom regulator, found that Canadians looking for 150 minutes of monthly mobile service paid more than consumers in every other G7 country and Australia. The average entry-level plan in Canada costs $41.08 a month.

In comparison, the cheapest plan in all of the G7 countries costs $17.15 per month in Germany.

When Canadians need more service (450 minutes of wireless service and 300 text messages) they fared a bit better than some other countries. Canadians paid an average of $48.77 per month for that level of service, while U.S. customers paid an average of $51.64 per month. In this case, French wireless customers paid the least with an average cost of $24.17 per month.

At each of four other levels of higher-service options, topping out at unlimited talk and text and 10GB of data, Canadians were paying the second-highest price among the eight countries looked at by the study.

[via The Financial Post]