WARNING: This is a total rant, I don’t know how cell networks actually work. If you know what you are talking about please explain why it makes sense to charge 15 cents per message in the comments.
There are a lot of things that piss me off about Canada’s cellphone providers, and lots of people have touched on them in detail already. What pisses me off the most though is what they charge for SMS messaging.
SMS is low priority data, meaning it gets there when it gets there. It’s almost obscene that they even charge us to send SMS messages at all. Let’s look at this a different way, what if you relied on SMS as your internet connection?
- A packet is 160 bytes plus some overhead, let’s say 256 bytes.
- Lets say on average it takes 4 seconds to go from source to destination: (256 / 4) = 64 bytes per second
- That translates to 512 bps (bits per second)
- 512 bps is about 90 times slower than your average 56k modem (assuming an actual connection speed of 46000 bps) and about 5 times slower then your 2400 baud modem circa 1987.
So your Internet connection would be ridiculously slow and unreliable, but how much would it cost? Well let’s assume Rogers' standard rate of 15 cents per message (or every 256 bytes in our case.) Last month I used 18 GB of download bandwidth and 4 GB of upload bandwidth so it would have cost me $138,412.03… Oh, and it would have taken me 719 years to download.
Gianni A Chiappetta
May 25, 2009 19:59
The state of wireless in Canada is ridiculous; our plans/services are akin to those in 3rd world countries. There is no reason that Rogers, Bell, &c… should charge what they do – other than they can. There is literally no one to stop them. I welcome the day that one of the big American providers expands into Canada looking to destroy these giants.
Joey Caughey
February 03, 2010 07:09
It is ridiculous. The math doesn’t add up. But thats how they make their money. And the real difference would be — what’s the cost comparison of building a satellite and deployment(or multiple over time) compared to running and maintaining fiber optic and internet lines at ground level?
I hate phone companies though (period). Especially you Ma Bell. Bitch.
Joey Caughey
February 03, 2010 07:13
And to possible answer or add to a question to Gianni’s comment. Wind Mobile is an American company that just pushed into Canada right? There prices are a bit better but not much. It’s going to take a while and multiple companies to come in and compete before it’s going to get any better.