First and foremost, let's get the biggest question out of the way - now that we've reached ten thousand Founding Members, what benefits do you get for joining today?
We've decided to extend Founding Member status to anyone who creates an account before February 28th, 2021. That's one year after the CRTC concluded the public hearing for the Wireless Industry Review, an auspicious date given how their ruling will shape the industry and our next steps.
Just two subscription plans
Wireless subscriptions at dotmobile are different from the plans offered by traditional carriers. We've designed them to be more flexible with transparent pricing and better controls.
One of the most important distinctions is that the monthly and annual subscription plans do not include data, which is purchased separately by the gigabyte and has infinite rollover.
There are two subscription plans available.
- Full is for the average phone user and includes unlimited talk and text from anywhere in Canada to anywhere in Canada and the US.
- Basic is for Canadians who primarily use over the top services and is a data-only plan with text messaging - voice calls are blocked (except for emergency services).
The service uses a SIM or eSIM
Both subscription plans use a SIM card and a Canadian phone number, which is an important part of your online identity and often used for authentication by SMS.
The way people communicate is continuously evolving, as are the tools for protecting your privacy and making authentication more secure. Designing a data-only plan for smartphones is a recognition of this new reality. Feedback from our members will help us shape the future of these plans, from the included features to the tools to manage them.
Data is sold separately, by the gig
Traditionally, Canadians have had to select a plan based on the maximum amount of data they think they will use in any given month. On the months where they use less, they still pay for the whole plan. Going over the plan limit either has punitive overage fees or slows down your speed and limits access.
We think the best way to solve this problem is to sell it by the gigabyte and let it roll over forever. Once purchased, it never expires - we like to call it "Data On Tap".
Budget-friendly controls instead of data plans
You'll be able to choose if you want to buy more data automatically when your current bucket runs out, as well as set limits to how much you want to spend on data each calendar month.
Data On Tap means only paying for what you use, always know what it will cost and never losing what you’ve already paid for. If it takes three months to use a gigabyte of data, that’s ok. If you use it up in 3 hours the next gigabyte costs exactly the same amount.
Ta-da! Our prices for talk & text subscriptions
Founding MembersJoined before March 1st, 2021 |
|
Wireless Subscription | Price |
Full - Lifetime | $0 |
Regular MembersJoined after March 1, 2021 |
|
Wireless Subscription | Price |
Full - 365 days | $120 |
Basic - 365 days | $60 |
Full - 30 days | $14 |
Basic - 30 days | $7 |
In other news
In case you missed it, Data On Tap Inc. has been approved as Canada’s first Full Mobile Virtual Network Operator (Full MVNO) by The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
A Full MVNO operates essentially the same technology as a mobile network operator, but without owning the radio access network (ie. cell towers). Instead, the core network connects to one or more existing radio access networks, similar to a mobile network operator sharing or roaming on another operator’s network.
This past September, we signed our first wireless network access agreement with Iristel, a regional provider with their own network in the Far North and Northern Quebec. This was the first of several agreements required to provide affordable and awesome service to Canadians, no matter who they are or where they live.
As of today, we're still waiting for the CRTC to rule on the Wireless Industry Review that concluded in early 2020. The outcome of this proceeding will set the rules for how a Full MVNO utilizes national radio access networks and will influence the price of data, just like what's been happening with home internet over the past 10 years.
A word from our CEO
I'll end this post by dropping in a quote from the CEO of Data On Tap which we included in our press release.
"A decade of experience in the wireless industry revealed how many Canadians were underserved by traditional plans. Youth, seniors, students, anyone with moderate or changing needs paid the most for their service, proportionately. They were penalized for not wanting or being able to afford a top tier plan with a free flagship phone attached, A low cost, Costco-like subscription for a full year of wireless service will guarantee uninterrupted talk and text service. How much data to buy or how much to spend each month on it is completely in the hands of our members.” - Algis Akstinas, CEO of Data On Tap Inc.