SMS Alert: Class Action Suit Filed Against Bell, Telus

Bell and Telus announceed earlier this month that each would begin charging customers without a packaged plan for received text messages in addition to sent ones. The decision has now spurred a class-action lawsuit by a man in Quebec who says the change requires a change in the terms of one's contract.

If you're signed up with a locked in agreement with either carrier, and have selected your desired plan option, the Quebec man is arguing that the carrier is not permitted to change the terms of said plan until the contract has ended. Charging per text message received is a new condition to the plan. Customers from both carriers, as well as GSM carrier Rogers Wireless, have always paid to send text messages.

The charges don't apply to people who already have a text messaging bundle, or add one to, their existing plan. For example, Bell customers can get 100 text messages for $5/mo.

At the time both carriers made their decision, Industry Minister Jim Prentice openly expressed his disdain, calling it a "poorly thought-out decision", and asking the President of both companies to meet with him in Ottawa prior to August 8 to discuss the issue.

"While I have no desire to interfere with the day-to-day business decisions of two private companies," Prentice said back in early July, "I do have a duty as Minister of Industry to protect the interests of the consuming public when necessary."

I find it strange that, as e-mail and MMS continue to gain popularity among phone users, undoubtedly resulting in increased revenues for carriers, Bell and Telus would decide to nickel and dime the occassional users. Meanwhile, both conpanies offer unlimited data plans to smartphone users that browse the web and check e-mail, essentially awarding the heavy users. The situation is oddly contradictory to Bell's Internet "traffic shaping" issues, whereby the company allegedly slows down the services of heavy Internet and peer-to-peer users to appease those who don't engage in such activity.

On the one hand, charging for receiving SMS messages might help to encourage those who aren't very interested in anything but voice to partake in features like text messaging more often. But on the other, it might deter people from using the functions altogether, choosing to just stick to voice, and revert to their laptops and home PCs for communicating via text.

Unlimited data or not (the answer being "not"), Rogers certainly has a leg up on the two CDMA carriers when it comes to good, ol' reliable texting.

Bell, Telus Will Charge to Receive Text Messages

According to reports, while the negative rate plan spotlight is currently being shone on Rogers Wireless for its decision not to offer an unlimited data plan for the iPhone, both Bell and Telus are trying to slip a fast one past the media's radar. Both carriers cleverly (and stratetically) announced they would offer an unlimited data plan for smartphones, including two new touch-screen models similar to the iPhone. But less than a week later, each more quietly announced that they would begin charging customers without a text messaging bundle for receiving SMSs.

Currently, it costs $0.15 to send a text message, but it's free to receive them. While $0.15/received message doesn't sound like a lot in the grand scheme of things (after all, heavy finger-happy users will probably already have a bundle plan), it does add up.

I don't consider myself to be a heavy text messager, but I do send a few every now and then when I don't have the time to chat, or in response to a message sent to me. Usually, it will add up to about $2 additonal bucks per month, which I've learned to live with. If this now doubles to $4 every month; or potentially even more counting finger-happy friends that are on the Rogers network (it is still free to send text messages through Rogers), I could be looking at more than I bargained for some months; or be forced to buy a bundle and then pay for something I don't use half the time. What's more, this will just be another nickel-and-dime fee to add with the rest, like "System Access Fee", and even hefty charges for voice mail: somehow mine has increased by $3 in the past few years without my ever being notified about it!)

If this move is in an effort to cover costs associated with heavy text usage, I don't see how it will work. What will likely happen will be that people sign up for these bundles, then start texting more often to justify the extra cost, resulting in even more usage (and more money in the carrier's pocket).

Bell's new text messaging charges will come into effect on August 8 and Telus' on August 24. Both will charge $0.15/received message.

According to the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), Canadians send 43.5 million text messages per day. By my count, that equates to $6.5 million per day. Do carriers really need to charge more?

Text in the New Year

Virgin Mobile predicts that over 50 million text messages will be sent in Canada on New Year's Eve, which is double the number sent last year. On average, Canadians send about 31.5 million text messages per day.

"There's no doubt about it, we're becoming complete text maniacs and we get right into it on big occasions," said Nathan Rosenberg, Chief Marketing Officer at Virgin Mobile. "Whenever we celebrate, people love to express how they feel with a text message. New Year's Eve is the climax of that frenzy."

There are obvious times where text messaging is extremely convenient: if you're in a meeting, for one, or a quiet place where you can't accept phone calls (like a movie theatre or a library). Of course, if you're somewhere that's blaringly loud, as anywhere on New Year's Eve is likely to be, text messaging becomes equally as convenient. Although a quick "Happy New Yr" would likely suffice, Virgin Mobile predicts text messages of a naughtier ilk as well.

With that said, don't be surprised if a Guiness Book of World Records rep is hanging out at your party to log the record for most simultaneous finger-punching. 3, 2, 1, pull out your Blackberry, and text! Oh yeah, and Happy New Year!

Buy Movie Tickets Using Your Phone

Short-code text messaging has been used on mobile phones for everything from getting your daily horoscope, to voting for your favourite TV reality show contestant. Now, Bell Mobility is bringing a more practical application to the short-code arena: ordering movie tickets!

Through a partnership with Cineplex, any Bell Mobility customer with a standard mobile phone with SMS and Internet browsing capability (excluding dedicated PDA/messaging "smart" phones that have full QWERTY keyboards - I'm not sure why) can order movie tickets through his phone. The plus is that no credit card is required, since the tickets are billed directly to the person's Bell Moblity account.

Here's how it works: just send the word "tickets" to the short-code "JUMP" (5867), and you'll receive a link to a web page where the purchase can be made. Once the purchase is completed, a barcoded virtual "ticket" is sent to your phone. Scan this barcode at the Cineplex kiosk, and out comes a paper ticket.

It's important to keep in mind that you will be paying added fees for this convenience. First, there's text messaging fees, unless you have an unlimited usage plan. Second, you'll be dinged mobile web browsing charges once you click that link to select the movie and time, and complete the purchase. And finally, Bell charges a "convenience fee" of $1.50 to complete each transaction.

Such a service is great if you want to purchase tickets in advance while you're on the road (if you're at home, you can just order them online using a PC!) It's especially useful for highly-anticipated new movie releases, where tickets might sell-out before you get a chance to head to the theatre. It also saves time once you've arrived (although, I would argue that purchasing movie tickets through the kiosk and a debit card really isn't that time-consuming a process to begin with).

This is all, of course, assuming that people still actually go to movie theatres! With the increased interest in home theatre, HDTV, and high-definition DVD formats, not to mention the unfortunate existence of bootlegged DVDs, I wouldn't be surprised if the movie theatre industry is suffering a similar blow to the one the traditional CD industry has been feeling over the last few years.