OTTAWA – A new telecom report recently published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) says that mobile phone customers in Canada enjoy some of the most competitive wireless prices around, the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association said today in a press release.
"According to the OECD’s recently published biennial Communications Outlook 2007, Canadian customers fare significantly better than their neighbours in the US and Mexico in almost all usage categories," reads the release from the wireless industry’s lobby group.
"This report, as well as other recent studies, offers even further evidence that true competition in the wireless industry is providing Canadian customers with excellent value compared to customers in other countries," said CWTA president and CEO Peter Barnes, in the release.
"The new OECD data should also put to rest the distorted information about the true state of wireless pricing in Canada put forth by companies seeking entry into the wireless marketplace through taxpayer-subsidies and other uncompetitive measures."
The CWTA also notes the OECD report shows that wireless prices in Canada compare very favourably with many of the European countries included in the study. Customers in Canada continue to enjoy prices that are below or close to the average wireless prices across the 30 countries studied.
"The OECD study is the third report in recent weeks that confirms the affordability of wireless prices in Canada," reads the press release. "The Q1/07 Global Wireless Matrix from Merrill Lynch (which some companies used in their submissions to Industry Canada on the advanced wireless services spectrum auction) once again positions Canada as the country with the second lowest wireless revenue per minute among the G7 nations.
As well, a recent inter-country comparison of mobile wireless prices by Analysys Consulting done for Rogers Wireless found Canadian wireless subscribers fare significantly better than their U.S. counterparts for all except the high usage basket. The study found that when looking at low usage, medium usage and family-plan baskets – representing the majority of Canadians – Canadians do far better than Americans, reports the CWTA.
"Canadian customers have always benefited from the intensely competitive nature of this country’s wireless industry," Barnes said. "It is that spirit of competition and entrepreneurship that is responsible for the 43% drop in wireless prices over the last five years."
