Windmobile launched

[RW99]

Originally Posted by Bertuzzied

Doesn't everyone on Rogers and Fido have the $30 for 6 gig plan?

Heck no. I got it right away. But when I moved from Banff to Calgary in March, I couldn't keep the plan. Funny though, I was forced to keep the 3 year contract that plan came with.

[FurnaceFace]

I spent under $60 in total usage last year so I don't think I'll be changing off good olde 7-11 anytime soon. Nobody beats that.

[CRXguy]

I live in Saddleridge, so I'm gonna check out the Blockbuster over here to see if they're all set up. I'll wait a bit to see what the coverage is like.

For the $15 plan, is the 100mins anytime, or daytime + unlimited evenings/weekends?

Unlimited WIND to WIND calling (Canada wide)
Unlimited incoming text
100 province-wide voice minutes
50 text messages

[fredr123]

Via Boy Genius Report, hardware includes:

• BlackBerry 9700
• Samsung Gravity 2
• HTC Maple
• Huawei U759
• Huawei E181 data stick

Details of Wind plans:

• No contracts on services
• No activation fees
• No charge for incoming long distance
• No penalties for changing or canceling a plan
• Unlimited WIND to WIND calling
• All plans include caller ID, missed call alerts, call waiting, call hold, call forwarding, unlimited conference calling — no extra charge
• No charge for incoming text messages, ever
• No E911 fees

[I_H8_Crawford]

$35/month for unlimited talk is a damn good deal.

[FlamesKickAss]

http://www.windmobile.ca/community/W...ndsets-prices/

[HotHotHeat]

That fair usage clause is genius. Rogers, Telus and Bell should be every bit as worried as they appear to be.

[photon]

Yeah, quite a bit cheaper for what I pay for now with Fido and a lot more included.

[Pastiche]

The 50 texts a month really stinks. Otherwise, I'm tempted by always talk. An extra $10 a month for unlimited texts is a freaking ripoff though. The marginal cost of a sent text message is in the order or hundredths of a penny.

[TheyCallMeBruce]

Coverage is quite good. I saw the calgary coverage map. There's a lot of 2010 expansion which by the end of the year should cover Calgary just as well as the big 3.

[FlamesKickAss]

^^ 10 bucks for unlimited text and voicemail isnt that bad though, not to mention free canada calling from your home area

[FanIn80]

$80 for unlimited, nation-wide talk and data is pretty nice.

I can't give up my iPhone though, and they don't allow unlocked phones on their network.

Question
Do I have to buy a WIND phone at WIND Mobile or can I use my unlocked phone?
Answer
Yes, at this time you must buy a WIND phone to access service at WIND Mobile Canada. That may change in the future though, so stay tuned.

http://www.windmobile.ca/support/faq/#question-7

[fredr123]

Home vs Away Zone?

Many of you are asking what's the difference between a WIND HOME Zone versus a WIND AWAY Zone?
At WIND, when you are in HOME Zone many services are available to you for free.
When you are in a WIND AWAY Zone, some services will cost a bit more:

• Calls to anywhere in Canada or the U.S. (all destinations): 25 cents/minute
• Any calls to you: 25 cents/minute
• Any text messages you receive (from anywhere in the world): free of charge
• To use the Internet on your phone: 10 cents/25 kB

To make sure you don’t accidently rack up a huge bill, we have capped your maximum call length to 120 minutes when you are in an AWAY Zone – we just want you to be sure you know you’re incurring those extra charges. Also, your WIND phone will clearly tell you where you are. When you are in a HOME Zone, your phone will say HOME, when you are in an AWAY Zone, your phone will say AWAY.

Also, they will slow your internet speed if you exceed 5GB transfer in a month, notwithstanding you have an "unlimited" data plan.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by fredr123

Also, they will slow your internet speed if you exceed 5GB transfer in a month, notwithstanding you have an "unlimited" data plan.

Nobody has an unlimited data plan. They all list some way of capping it in their fine print. Most use a hard cap that just shuts your data off, while these guys just use a throttle to slow down your usage.

That's what I like about Rogers' 6GB plan. 6GB is essentially "unlimited" data, but they don't call it that. It's just a simple 6GB plan.

[_Q_]

I am currently with Rogers and was thinking about switching to Bell at the end of this week. This is definitely interesting, but there are a few things that concern me.

1) Their network only includes Calgary and Toronto. So if I go on a trip to Banff or Edmonton, I am paying 25cents/minute for roaming. With Bell or Rogers there's no such thing as roaming inside Canada. Even though they are expanding their network, how long will it be until you get coverage in smaller towns/cities. For example a City like London, Ontario or Kelowna or Saskatoon might not be on their radar in the near future. Also they aren't planning on expanding into Quebec ever. So forget using your phone on your trip to Montreal.

2) Yes it IS nice to not have a contract, but it can also work to your disadvantage. The price that you sign up for now might not be the price you are paying a year from now. I can almost guarantee that these rate plans are only introductory rate plans and the prices will go up in the future. So suddenly your $45/ month bill goes up to $65 or $100/month and you have no control over it. All you can do is cancel your line, but then you are stuck with a phone that you can't use anywhere else. The way I look at it is I will always have a cell phone, so signing up for a 3 year contract is not a big deal. If I am unhappy with the service, I can simply cancel my contract and pay the cancellation fee which usually ends up costing less than buying the phone outright in the first place.

If you are that much against contracts, just go buy a phone outright from one of the big 3 and put it on a month to month contract. This is pretty much what Wind is doing, but with the big 3 you get the benefit of using a much larger network. I personally don't mind paying an extra $20 or so per month to get that benefit.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by _Q_

If you are that much against contracts, just go buy a phone outright from one of the big 3 and put it on a month to month contract. This is pretty much what Wind is doing, but with the big 3 you get the benefit of using a much larger network. I personally don't mind paying an extra $20 or so per month to get that benefit.

I guess that all depends on your usage. Is it better to pay an extra $20 per month for 12 months, or $20 extra in roaming for the 2 months of the year that you might use it?

[_Q_]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I guess that all depends on your usage. Is it better to pay an extra $20 per month for 12 months, or $20 extra in roaming for the 2 months of the year that you might use it?

Good point.

I just find something unsettling about using a brand new network that only covers you in 2 cities.

[TheyCallMeBruce]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

$80 for unlimited, nation-wide talk and data is pretty nice.

I can't give up my iPhone though, and they don't allow unlocked phones on their network.

It really depends on what they mean by this. Are they talking about APN configurations on their devices that are pointing to their network, and users with non-wind devices can't access it unless they know how to configure their APN? Or are their networks only allowing wind IMEI and/or user agents to hit them?

I would say right now, most new carriers will put up restrictions based on IMEI and/or user agent. That makes sense, since all new carrries I worked with in the past did that. That changes pretty quickly once they get going.

[burn_baby_burn]

Those plans only look good if you never leave Calgary and never phone anyone outside of Calgary. If you call long distance a lot in North America and use your phone all over the country this could be the most expensive carrier in Canada.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

Those plans only look good if you never leave Calgary and never phone anyone outside of Calgary. If you call long distance a lot in North America and use your phone all over the country this could be the most expensive carrier in Canada.

Definitely not for everyone, that's for sure. I bet 90-95% of my usage would be within Calgary's city limits though so it might be something I would consider down the road once others have tested the reliability of these guys. Can't bring myself to be an early adopter...

Does anyone know if there is some upper limit as to what Rogers/Telus/Bell can charge for other carriers to roam on their network? Seems to me this is where the Big 3 can really put the screws to Wind. Roam on our network outside of your puny Home Zone? That's fine, but it is going to cost you... $2.50 per minute! Muhahahahahahaha!