Remember the feeding frenzy over the $60/10GB plan offered by Rogers, Telus and Bell (and their flanker brands Fido, Koodo and Virgin), during the holidays in December?
Well now that the Big 3 have announced their fourth quarter earnings, Bell has emerged as the victor over its rivals, nabbing more subscribers than Telus and Rogers, according to the Financial Post:
Bell added 175,204 wireless subscribers on contract in the three months ended Dec. 31, up 56 per cent from the same period in 2016, the company said Thursday. Telus Corp. said it added 121,000 wireless customers in the same period, up 39 per cent for its strongest results in five years. Rogers Communications Inc. added only 72,000 customers.
Bell had the best wireless gains in 15 years, while Telus in five, while gains by Rogers were minimal, due to what the company blamed on a ‘computer glitch’ during the promo.
Some analysts questioned how this low-cost pricing strategy would affect customers and what they expect pricing to be in the future. There are concerns matching low prices of Shaw’s Freedom Mobile could impact future revenue growth of the ‘Big 3’.
“Why would incumbent wireless providers re-price their products to a level that makes it more clear to more people that they’re overpriced compared to new entrant,” said Desjardins analyst Maher Yaghi, speaking to Telus executives on a conference call.
It’s true—after seeing the $60/10GB promo plan, any other wireless ‘promo’ offered by Rogers, Telus and Bell doesn’t compare. Will we ever see the $60/10GB plan return? It still remains in the systems of the Big 3, so there’s a chance it may emerge sometime again in the future.
