Exciting News: 8Gbps Internet Speeds on the Horizon
Your local internet service provider (ISP) might soon roll out astonishingly fast 8Gbps fibre internet, thanks to Bell's recent initiatives. Earlier this year,the Montreal-based telecom giant introduced its own 8Gbps fibre plans. Following this launch, Bell submitted a request to the Canadian radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for approval to offer an 8Gbps speed tier for wholesale services. The CRTC has now granted this submission on a temporary basis.
The Role of CRTC in Internet Services
To give you some context, the CRTC requires major ISPs like Bell, Telus, and Rogers to provide smaller ISPs with access to their networks. This allows these smaller companies to resell internet services and promote competition in the market. Additionally, the Commission sets pricing guidelines that govern how much ISPs pay for wholesale access.
At present, interim rates have been approved by the CRTC for wholesale access up to 3Gbps thru bell’s network. However, according to a recent order from the Commission, Bell intends to charge similar rates for its new faster 8Gbps service.
It’s vital to note that these new interim rates are still under review as part of an ongoing assessment of high-speed wholesale access frameworks; thus changes could occur down the line.
What Will Customers Pay for 8Gbps Internet?
The current interim pricing is divided into two categories: gateway access service (GAS) and disaggregated broadband service (DBS). While these distinctions mainly affect ISPs using wholesale frameworks, they also influence what customers ultimately pay. For GAS users, there is a site visit fee of $244.13 along with a monthly rate of $78.03; DBS users face slightly higher charges at $247.90 upfront and $121.79 monthly.
Estimating customer costs based solely on these wholesale rates can be tricky but comparing them with existing market prices gives us some insight into potential costs. For instance, Bell's current rate for fibre plans up to 1.5Gbps stands at approximately $68.94 in Ontario and Quebec regions.
- Bell: $110/month on a two-year contract or $135/month without any term or discounts.
- Telus: $79/month on a two-year contract or $130/month without any term or promotional offers.
- TekSavvy: Offers it at $89.95/month initially but reverts back up to regular pricing of about $119.95 after one year.
1.5Gbps fibre internet plans from various providers including Bell (top left), Telus (top right), and TekSavvy (bottom).
A Few Critically important Notes About Pricing
A couple of things should be kept in mind regarding these figures: first off—prices can differ based on location; I’m referencing Hamilton in Ontario here while other areas may see different numbers altogether! Also worth mentioning is whether TekSavvy utilizes Bell’s infrastructure as Rogers doesn’t provide wireline services where I live—so it truly seems likely they do use it given that context! As far as Telus goes? We certainly know they rely on Bells’ infrastructure when operating within Ontario too!
The Future Looks Luminous for High-Speed Internet
If we take all factors into account—it appears customers might expect monthly fees ranging between roughly ten dollars more than those initial wholesales during promotional periods—which means if any ISP launches an offering using Bells’ rate structure—they could charge somewhere around eighty-eight dollars up until ninety-eight dollars per month! That would certainly beat out Bells’ current price tag sitting at one hundred sixty dollars per month!
This leads us back again though—to whether anyone else will actually offer such high-speed options? While we’ve established that eight gigabits per second was set similarly priced against three gigabits—the absence so far from other providers makes me wonder if we’ll see anything materialize anytime soon!
No matter what happens next—the groundwork has been laid down allowing more ISPs opportunities towards providing those blazing-fast eight-gigabit speeds! Fingers crossed we’ll witness exciting developments shortly!
Source: CRTC
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