Nova Scotia-based Eastlink (Bragg Communications) invested $25 million in 2008 wireless spectrum auction to acquire 19 licences. After several delays their 4G LTE service will finally go live today in HRM (Halifax Regional Municipality), then a bigger rollout starting tomorrow. The initial coverage map will extend out of the Halifax area and reach as far as Charlottetown – then cover most of PEI and Nova Scotia within 18 months.
The devices you can expect to see are the Sony Xperia T, Samsung Galaxy S III, LG Nexus 4, BlackBerry Bold 9900, BlackBerry Curve 9320 and the entry-level LG F4n.
We’ve received some internal documents and most surprising is that Eastlink will give customers both a no-contract and a ‘contract’ type offering. The no-contract is self explanatory, but new to the mix is something called the “easyTab.” This is similar to Koodo Mobile’s Tab, WIND Mobile’s WINDTab, or Virgin Mobile’s SuperTab where they’ll offer a discounted price on the handset then 10% of the monthly bill goes towards paying off the device. To get the ‘easyTab’ discount one would need to have a minimum of $40/month voice and data plan.
Here’s the complete pricing of the handsets:
– Sony Xperia T: $79 on the ‘easyTab’ and $549 outright
– Samsung Galaxy S III: $99 on the ‘easyTab’ and $599 outright
– LG Nexus 4: $129 on the ‘easyTab’ and $499 outright
– BlackBerry Bold 9900: $49 on the ‘easyTab’ and $599 outright
– BlackBerry Curve 9320: $19 on the ‘easyTab’ and $199 outright
– LG F4n: $9 on the ‘easyTab’
– Huawei e397 Internet Stick: $0 on the ‘easyTab’ and $149 outright
Now for the rate plans. As expected, bundling is a huge play. However, first the monthly talk, text and data rates:
$25/month Talk and Text plan (price falls depending on the bundle option)
– 200 local anytime minutes
– Unlimited Nights and weekends
– Unlimited Text, Picture and Video Messaging
– Unlimited “My Eastlink Calling” – calls between Eastlink customers
– Call Display, Call Waiting and conference calling is included
– 25 minutes of Canada-Wide Travel Pack
$37.50/month Talk and Text plan (price falls depending on the bundle option)
– No activation fee
– Unlimited local anytime minutes
– Unlimited Nights and weekends
– Unlimited Text, Picture and Video Messaging
– Unlimited “My Eastlink Calling” – calls between Eastlink customers
– Call Display, Call Waiting and conference calling is included
– 50 minutes of Canada-Wide Travel Pack
Data Add-ons:
– “Social” data is $10/month and includes Unlimited Facebook/Twitter/BBM
– 1GB data is $20/month (price falls depending on the bundle option)
– 2GB data is $25/month (price falls depending on the bundle option)
– 5GB data is $40/month (price falls depending on the bundle option)
Wireless Internet Stick data rates:
– 3GB data for $35/month
– 5GB data for $45/month
Calling Features:
– Voicemail: $5/month
– Voicemail to email (voicemail required): $3/month
– Unlimited call forwarding: $3/month
– Top 5 local Calling: $5/month
– Top 10 Canada-wide calling: $10/month
– Unlimited Eastlink calling: $10/month
– Unlimited Canada long distance: $10/month
– Unlimited North America: $25/month
– International Text messaging: $5/month
Bundling savings:
– Save 10% when bundled with 1 other Eastlink service (TV, Internet, home phone)
– Save 15% when bundled with 2 other Eastlink service (TV, Internet, home phone)
– Save 20% when bundled with 3 other Eastlink service (TV, Internet, home phone)
As far as roaming, here’s what you can expect:
– Calls to North America:: $0.50 per minute
– Sent text message: $0.50 per message
– Received text message: free
– Sent picture or video message: $0.50 per message (data applicable)
– Received picture or video message: (data applicable)
– Data is $1 per MB
Finally, there’s a “Family sharing” option that gives further discounts – up to 20%. The internal doc we received states that customers can “create a family sharing account for up to 5 family members and watch the savings grow… Only with Eastlink can you get a monthly discount of up to 20% off your monthly wireless plan for each member of your family. Each member can choose their own plan and save money by combining and sharing their minutes and data.”
So there you have it. A solid device lineup and respectable monthly price plans. Certainly worth the wait and will bring more competition to the East Coast.
(Thanks tipster!)
