Wireless wars heat up with 'battle' over data-heavy plans

Wireless wars are heating up again with numeroustelcos offering smartphone plans topped up with what many Canadians crave:extra data.

The latest standout deals are in Manitoba, where Rogers began the battle thisweek bydoublingthe data at no extra costfor its 10 GB and 15 GB familyphone plans. Until July 3, Rogers customers in the provincecan get unlimited Canada-wide calling and 20 GB of data for $70 a month, or 30 GB of data for $80 a month.

Bell and Telusquickly followed suit, launchingsimilar deals in Manitoba including a 20 GB familyplan with a bonus20 GB for $95 a month.

"It's amazing," said industry watcher,Rose Behar about the offers. "I'm genuinely very surprised."

Across the rest of Canada, customers are also seeing bonus data deals although most pale in comparison to the Manitoba offers.

Bell, Rogers and Telus, their discount brands, Virgin, Fido and Koodo respectively, Shaw's Freedom Mobile and regional players Videotron and Eastlink, are all typically adding oneto three GB of bonus data per month to select phoneplans.

The deals are for a limited time and many including Bell's offers in Manitoba arerestricted to customers activating new accounts or upgrading their phone.

"The market is in the midst of a data battle," said Behar,senior reporter for the tech siteMobileSyrup.

She has been tracking the bonus deals and believes they were sparked by increased competition and Canadians' yearning for more dataespecially when other countries such as the U.S. now offer unlimited data deals.

"Certainly plans in the U.S. and plans elsewhere are so much lower priced and offer so much more data," she said."That it is something that Canadians notice and are then responding to with some anger."

Most of the carriers told CBC Newsthat they routinely offer new wireless deals.

"We regularly have a variety of great regional and promotional offers so our customers can stay connected," Rogers spokespersonMichelle Kelly said in an email toCBCNews.

Videotron declined to comment "for competitive reasons."

What about other provinces?

CBC News compared current bonus deals for plans in Ontario, Alberta and B.C. that normally offer five GB of data and unlimited talk minutes.

For $50 a monthwith Freedom Mobile, and $75 with Virgin, Fido and Koodo, new customers get three bonus GB for a total of eightGB a month. Freedom and Koodo limit the deal to two years.

With Bell, Rogers and Telus's main brands, a family-share plan costing $105 a monthcomes with two extra GB totalling seven GB monthly.

Bell, Rogers and Telus's offers are still a far cry from the 10 GB for $60 a month phone plans they briefly offered in Ontario, Alberta and B.C. in December to compete with upstart, Freedom Mobile. Freedom continues to offer the deal now with an extra three GB a month for two years. That's 13 GB for $60 monthly.

Behar says Freedom's introduction of large data deals at lower prices was a wake-up call for competitors.

"It makes sense in today's competitive market. You've got to offer big data plans at a reasonable price."

Burning up the data

According to a 2017 CRTC report, more than half of mobile wireless customers subscribed to a cellular plan with two GB or more of data per month in 2016.

Techanalyst Daniel Bader says while the currentwireless deals may appeal to some customers, on average, Canadians still pay a lot for their data.

"There is increased competition, but we have to put this in perspective," said Bader, a managing editor with tech siteMobile Nations. "The cost per gigabyte is still very very high compared to other countries."

According to a 2017 price-comparison report commissioned by the federal government, Canadians pay some of the highest prices in the industrialized world for cellular plans with data.

But the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), argues the report doesn't give the full picture because it only looks at major providersand doesn't factor in discount brands, special deals or the superior quality of Canada's networks.

"There is no doubt that Canadianwireless users receive tremendous value,"said CWTA spokespersonSophie Paluck in an email to CBCNews.

However, some Canadians receive better value than others, such as Manitobans at the moment.

Bader says Manitoba tends to have cheaper plans compared to manyother provinces because of past competition from regional player, Manitoba Telecom Services. Last year, Bell bought MTS, but, so far, prices haven't shot up.

"There are still deals because there is a legacy of competition in Manitoba," says Bader.

The same can be said for Quebec where Virgin, Fido and Koodo offer a phone plan with sixGB plustwo bonus GB for just $49 a month $26 less per month than the same plan the three brands are offering in Ontario.

Bader says Quebecers tend to get better offers because of strong competition from Videotron, an established telecomwhich is offering its own data-bonus deals.

"It's incredible," he says about the $49 Quebec phone plans. "It's just that it's only available in one province."