VANCOUVER — Telus is the latest Canadian wireless provider to offer unlimited amounts of data for a fixed monthly price, another indication that the industry is changing how it does business.
As with similar unlimited data plans, Telus will reduce data transfer speeds if usage is above a certain level specified in the plan, rather than charge the customer more.
The new rate plans are part of a change in pricing strategy that Telus says is its biggest shift since 2015.
Telus will now sell any new phone in its lineup for no up front payment and instead spread the cost of the device over 24 months.
The company is also adjusting its strategy for families, pivoting away from shared pools of data and towards price discounts for when there is more than one unlimited data plan in a family.
The company says the changes will position Telus and its customers for the introduction of fifth-generation services that can carry much higher volumes of data.
Jim Senko, president of Telus Mobility Solutions, says that the three changes taken as a whole provide value to its customers while ensuring the network service levels are maintained.
"It also simplifies things dramatically, both for our customers and for ourselves," Senko says.