"We heard you": Bell cutting rates on popular consumer US roaming plans by 50%

"We heard you": Bell cutting rates on popular consumer US roaming plans by 50%


Bell committed to reducing the cost of international mobile roaming



MONTREAL, Sept. 16, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell today announced it is
reducing the prices of its most popular consumer rate plans for United
States mobile data, voice and text roaming by 50%, part of the
company's focus on lowering costs for customers who use their mobile
phones while travelling outside Canada.



"During the summer, Canadians told the federal government that they
support wireless competition and strongly believe the wireless rules
should be the same for all carriers, Canadian or international. But
Canadians also told us that they want to use their smartphones a lot
when they travel, and they want the price to come down. We heard you
and today Bell is cutting in half the cost of mobile roaming where
Canadians travel the most: the USA," said Wade Oosterman, President of
Bell Mobility. "We're starting with the most popular destination, and
Bell is committed to working with our global telecom partners to
further reduce international roaming costs for our customers."



Effective tomorrow, these US roaming cost reductions benefit both
existing Bell customers and new customers. You can sign up before you
travel, but Bell also texts customers who take their phones to the US
to let them know they can easily sign up for a low-cost US travel plan
while on the go. When traveling in the US, customers can choose the
plans from Bell self serve on their smartphones or by calling
1-800-667-ROAM (7626). To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/Travel.


$25 US 30-day Travel Bundle

Formerly $50, the all-in-one $25 US Travel Bundle includes 50 Megabytes
(MB) of Internet and other data, 50 anytime minutes for calls within
the US or back to Canada, and unlimited incoming and 200 sent text
messages. Additional data is 50 cents per MB, additional calling 25
cents per minute, and additional sent texts 15 cents per message.


$20 US 30-day Travel Add-ons

US Travel Add-ons give customers the option of taking just 1 or 2 mobile
services and in large quantities. Formerly $40 each, the 3 US Travel
Add-ons offer big buckets of data, voice or texting for just $20 each:
100 MB of data, or 100 minutes of voice calling, or unlimited incoming
and sent texts. Extra usage is 20 cents per MB on the data plan and 20
cents per minute for voice calls.



"Canadians enjoy some of the most advanced mobile networks in the world.
Our domestic pricing is comparable with developed countries worldwide,
and generally lower than major US carriers. As a result, we see
Canadians using smartphones and mobile data like never before," said
Mr. Oosterman. "But it was also very clear that Canadians are unhappy
with how much it costs to use their phones a lot when they travel
abroad. We're grateful that Canadians listened to us this summer, and
we also listened to you: You said cut the cost of roaming and we're
making a big start."



Bell will work to reduce roaming costs further by renegotiating its
agreements with international telecom suppliers, which enable mobile
customers to use their phones to access the Internet, make voice calls
or text in more than 200 countries.


Canada confirmed as a world leader in wireless

Two new studies highlight that Canada's combination of world-leading
mobile networks and competitive pricing is driving exceptional mobile
usage by Canadian consumers - especially when compared to the
once-leading European mobile marketplace.



A report by The School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary
finds that Canada is a global leader in smartphone adoption and data
usage due to significant investments in networks by Canadian carriers
like Bell. "Canada leads its peer group in capital expenditures per
subscriber in 2012 and over the period 2004-2012 capital intensity
(capital expenditures as a share of revenues) was also high by world
standards," said Jeffrey Church, co-author with fellow professor Andrew
Wilkins of Wireless Competition in Canada: An Assessment. "And of course the heavy data usage and investment are related:
Without the investment the heavy data usage would not be possible." The
report is available at www.policyschool.ucalgary.ca/publications.



Chicago's Navigant Economics compared Canadian and US networks with
those in Europe, and found that North America outperforms Europe with
higher levels of investment, network quality and customer usage.
Available at Navigant.com/canada-mobile-report, the study found that Canadian carriers invest 2.3 times more per
customer in networks than European carriers (and 21% more than the US),
and Canadian mobile network speeds are 75% faster than the European
average.



"North American mobile wireless consumers use their devices for both
voice and data services far more intensively than those in the EU, and
also enjoy faster, more capable wireless networks," said the report.
"Canadian consumers use about twice as many voice minutes and twice as
much data as those in the EU, resulting in lower unit prices than those
paid by Europeans,"


About Bell

Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing consumers and
business customers with leading TV, Internet, wireless, home phone and
business communications solutions. Bell Media is Canada's premier
multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio and digital
media. Bell is wholly owned by Montréal's BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE).
For more information, please visit Bell.ca.



The Bell Let's Talk mental health initiative is a national charitable
program that promotes Canadian mental health across Canada with the
Bell Let's Talk Day anti-stigma campaign and significant funding for
community care, research and workplace best practices. To learn more,
please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.




SOURCE Bell Canada

Bell Canada

CONTACT: Media inquiries: Jason Laszlo
Bell Communications
1-855-614-6602
jason.laszlo@Bell.ca
@Bell_News Investor inquiries: Thane Fotopoulos
BCE Investor Relations
(514) 870-4619
thane.fotopoulos@bell.ca


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