TELUS Announces “Clear And Simple” Two-Year Wireless Plans
Now, I will admit that the cynic in me says that this partially has something to do with the CRTC’s attempts to make cellular carriers adhere to a wireless code of conduct. But I will put that aside for the moment to focus on this announcement from Telus which really got my attention. Called the SharePlus plan and launching on July 30th, Telus will have new 2 year plans which will feature unlimited nationwide talk and text and the ability to share data with multiple subscribers on the same account. Here’s what Joe Natale, TELUS Chief Commerical Officer had to say on this.
“In another significant step forward on our long-standing journey to put customers first in everything we do, we are introducing our next innovation in how we offer our wireless services. Just as we did with our Clear and Simple plans in 2009, we have listened to our customers and provided them with a choice that offers the best of talk, data and text for Canadians and their families. TELUS’ new model will give customers peace of mind on their monthly bills with unlimited nation-wide talk and text and the ability to share wireless data across multiple devices in the same household,”
Here’s what the plans look like:
| Step 1 – Pick your Device (Voice includes Unlimited Nationwide Talk and Text) |
Step 2 – Pick your Data (All data is sharable on the primary account; 5 cents/MB for overage) |
||
| Smartphone | $55 | $15 | 250 MB |
| Smartphone Lite1 | $45 | $25 | 500MB |
| BYOD/SIM-only2 | $35 | $30 | 1GB |
| Tablet | $20 | $45 | 2GB |
| Tablet (BYOD) | $10 | $60 | 3GB |
| $100 | 6GB | ||
| $150 | 10GB | ||
1 – The Smartphone category includes high-end devices such as the iPhone 5 and BlackBerry Q10, while Smartphone Lite includes lower-tier smartphones such as the iPhone 4 and Samsung GALAXY Ace II X.
2 – Bring your own device or “BYOD” refers to devices purchased at the month-to-month price or any unlocked device compatible with the TELUS network
Businesses aren’t going to be left out of this as Telus will introduce two-year plans for Small Business. Small Business SharePlus suite of plans which are aimed at customers with 15 wireless devices or less per account will offer unlimited nationwide talk and text and shared data across smartphones and tablets. Also there will be plans with U.S. roaming built in as well.
My initial thought is that while it simplifies things, you may not save money which is what Canadians really want. I say that because given the fact that SharePlus is a two year plan, Telus will have to get back it’s subsidy on phones that it sells faster. That means higher prices for you. Still, the ability to share data is a plus if you have a bunch of devices on your account is nice. So perhaps if you’re in that boat, you might come out ahead. The BYOD option is intriguing though as Telus is clearly trying to attract those who want to defect from other carriers with unlocked phones.
What are your thoughts? Game changer? Or nothing to see here? Post your thoughts below and share them with our readers.
July 18, 2013 at 11:16 am
I think the prices are expensive. Not sure about the idea of “introducing” two year plans. I’m almost at the end of a 2 year contract with Telus (with a $0 HTC Status phone). They have offered 2 year contracts prior to this. They show their phones on their site and many of them show the price with a “2 year” contract. Was the case 2 years ago when I got my 2 year contract and has continued. These prices may be “new” and expensive, but the offering of 2 years contracts by them is not.