REGINA – SaskTel is the first ILEC to announce its intention to take full advantage of deregulated access-independent VOIP with WebCall.
As reported here, access independent VoIP service, such as SaskTel’s WebCall service (which the CRTC has said qualifies), will no longer be regulated by the CRTC in terms of the approval of rates and conditions of service.
Today, days after the two largest cable operators in the province made their own voice over IP launch announcements for Saskatoon and Regina, the provincially-owned telco announced that its WebCall Basic service is now available in Regina, Prince Albert and Saskatoon.
And with a basic rate of just $15.95, that’s substantially lower than Shaw Cable’s introductory rate of $29.95, which ramps to $40 after a few months. However, Shaw’s basic service price includes unlimited North American long distance and 1000 anywhere in the world minutes, for example. WebCall’s basic plan doesn’t include those options. Long distance is 4-cents a minute, for example.
Shaw is offering its Digital Phone in Saskatoon now, but has not announced plans for service in Prince Albert. Regina cable co-op Access Communications has said it will launch VOIP in its areas in the new year.
“SaskTel is very encouraged by this development and we are extremely pleased to now provide WebCall Basic with 306 telephone numbers," said SaskTel president and CEO Robert Watson, "but there will continue to be an unlevel playing field since SaskTel’s local telephone service offerings are not affected by this decision.
"Overturning a CRTC decision is a substantial step on the path to reform of the CRTC, however, the big reform initiatives are still before the federal government and SaskTel remains hopeful they will continue to pursue the detailed recommendations of the Telecom Policy Review Panel," he added.
These initiatives include the local forbearance decision which is currently under appeal to both the courts and the federal cabinet; the need for a new or amended Telecommunications Act; and the general policy direction that the federal cabinet has proposed to give to the CRTC which would direct the CRTC to rely more on market forces than detailed day-to-day regulation, recounts the SaskTel press release.
WebCall, which was initially launched in April 2004, currently has telephone numbers available in Victoria, Vancouver, Abbotsford, Prince George, Kamloops, Kelowna, Calgary, Edmonton, Prince Albert, Regina and Saskatoon.
Every WebCall customer receives unlimited, anytime calling to anyone in these locations and WebCall is available for sale to anyone with a Canadian address and customers do not have to reside in the location where they select service.
– Greg O’Brien
