Bell’s residential service rates are increasing

Shortly after Telus announced that it was cutting bundle savings due to infrastructure costs, Bell has stated it is increasing residential services rates effective February 1st, 2017, in order to support infrastructure development.

“Bell is leading Canada’s broadband communications revolution with investments of more than $3.5 billion CAD each year in network infrastructure. That’s more than any other communications company in Canada. These investments enable us to keep providing exceptional new features, even faster and more reliable Internet and world-class entertainment, ” Bell states in a dedicated page on its site.

“In order to support these enhancements as well as the exponential growth in use of communications services — last year alone our network traffic grew by nearly 40 percent — we’ll be adjusting some of our monthly rates as of February 1st, 2017.”

The company added that it “[works] really hard to limit our rate adjustments.”

All provinces will receive a $3 price increase to Satellite TV service (excluding the Starter package), but the bulk of the changes will hit Quebec and Ontario. Both provinces will receive a $3 bump to Fibe TV services (excluding the ‘Starter’ package) and $5.00 increase for internet access (excluding dial-up and the High Speed LD bundle). Neither province will receive in residential home phone pricing, specifies Bell, since the rates were adjusted in August 2016.

Additionally, Ontario is set to see $2.51 increase in home phone packages, while Quebec’s home phone package increase is set at $2.45.

The nearness of this announcement to Telus’ similar price bump announcement is perhaps unsurprising, considering that Bell and Telus are known to have an infrastructure-sharing agreement, with Bell focusing on infrastructure investments in the east and Telus in the west.

Telus is cutting the monthly savings rate for home services bundles from $5 to $3 per product on March 1st.

[source]Bell[/source]