Virgin Mobile introduces a prepaid internet stick

[FutureHeartsJunkie]

I stumbled upon visiting the website for Virgin Mobile (Canada) and this has caught my attention:

Virgin Mobile has introduced a prepaid mobile internet stick (aka Broadband2Go). The cost is $149.99CDN (no contracts), but their 1GB plan is $45CDN per month. The downside is - a credit card is required to activate the internet account, but you can top it up on your own terms or take advantage of the automated payments.

What's more, a separate slot is featured so you can insert a microSD card (up to 8GB) and it doubles as a memory key. microSD card not included.

Also, if you are a Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go user, you can access free no-boundaries, no-limit internet access at many 650+ Starbucks locations all across the nation (across Canada, coast-to-coast).

While international roaming is not supported, it seems that this could possibly compete against Rogers' Rocket stick, Fido's own rocket stick, Telus' telepathy product (aka their 3G CDMA or 3G+ HSPA product) and Virgin's mama - ma Bell.

References:

http://www.virginmobile.ca/vmc/en/phones/p...ductId=10-00120

and

http://www.virginmobile.ca/vmc/en/broadband2go/index.html

what's your say about this product? For me, I wouldn't pay $45 per month, but I would prefer to surf the internet with my laptop - in the comfort of my own house, or at campus or maybe at a Starbucks (non-Bell users are allowed up to 2 hours of internet a day, but Bell-users (whether for home internet or mobile phone) are allowed no-boundaries, no-limit access).

What do you think of it?

[pccstreetcar4549]

im glad they have finally rolled this out in canada, virgin mobile usa has had these prepaid internet sticks for awhile. however id get one but my EEE PC has linux and these sticks need windows to work

edit: i guess i shouldve read the site first its windows only

[Prevost1003]

God that's expensive for prepaid? It should only cost $50... not triple that. That's complete rip off. Cheaper to get a 3 year plan with Rogers and you get it free.

[pccstreetcar4549]

God that's expensive for prepaid? It should only cost $50... not triple that. That's complete rip off. Cheaper to get a 3 year plan with Rogers and you get it free.

thats probably what the stick itself costs outright since its prepaid. those sticks you get for nothing or next to nothing are subsidized and you sign up for a contract, usally 3 years. what bugs me though is that you need a credit card to activate? WTF?

[TheAverageJoe]

God that's expensive for prepaid? It should only cost $50... not triple that. That's complete rip off. Cheaper to get a 3 year plan with Rogers and you get it free.

Right now with Telus,Bell and Rogers its $150 if you buy it out right dont sign a 3 year contract

[9924]

Prepaid or not ... no cheaper than any other mobile internet device in Canada.

If you really want to get my attention, offer me unlimited mobile internet useage for one low monthly rate, so I can get rid of my home internet. Why should I have to pay for 2 types of internet when I only need one. I only have one phone (my mobile) because I have no need for a house phone, mind you I'm paying more than double the money for the same service I got in in Germany with a mobile, but I only need one phone and why should I pay extra for something I don't need? Same with the internet, give me truly something I can use to make my life easier.

Think about it, an average home phone line in Canada costs about $25-$60 a month depending on your features. A mobile costs anywhere between $35 - $100 a month depending on your feautures. Home internet costs you anywhere between $20 - $40 a month depending on the features. So the average Canadian pays anywhere between $80 - $200 a month (thats $960 - $2400 a year) for standard telecomunication products and now I'd have to pay another average of $50 a month ($600 a year) for something I already basically have? Thinking the Big 3 in Canada and the CRTC really need to focus on a bit more customer service and start offering Canadians some options.

Offer me a package with unlimited mobile internet, a good mobile phone package and cable TV for $100 and I'll sign up for as long as you want

[TheAverageJoe]

Prepaid or not ... no cheaper than any other mobile internet device in Canada.

If you really want to get my attention, offer me unlimited mobile internet useage for one low monthly rate, so I can get rid of my home internet. Why should I have to pay for 2 types of internet when I only need one. I only have one phone (my mobile) because I have no need for a house phone, mind you I'm paying more than double the money for the same service I got in in Germany with a mobile, but I only need one phone and why should I pay extra for something I don't need? Same with the internet, give me truly something I can use to make my life easier.

Think about it, an average home phone line in Canada costs about $25-$60 a month depending on your features. A mobile costs anywhere between $35 - $100 a month depending on your feautures. Home internet costs you anywhere between $20 - $40 a month depending on the features. So the average Canadian pays anywhere between $80 - $200 a month (thats $960 - $2400 a year) for standard telecomunication products and now I'd have to pay another average of $50 a month ($600 a year) for something I already basically have? Thinking the Big 3 in Canada and the CRTC really need to focus on a bit more customer service and start offering Canadians some options.

Offer me a package with unlimited mobile internet, a good mobile phone package and cable TV for $100 and I'll sign up for as long as you want

Just get a mobile internet stick and use it for your laptop and desktop if you wanna save money. Also just have a cell phone and no land line like more and more people are doing. You will never get all that for $100

[9924]

Just get a mobile internet stick and use it for your laptop and desktop if you wanna save money. Also just have a cell phone and no land line like more and more people are doing. You will never get all that for $100

If I get a mobile stick and use it as my only internet device, that alone will cost me more than $100 for the ridiculous data/transfer fees they charge, not to mention the reliability issues of the wireless network.

I don't have a land line, only a mobile because its all I need. I don't want all that for $100 ... all I want is 3 basic things, cable TV, a mobile phone with a reasonable usage plan and reliable high speed unlimited internet that I can use anywhere. It will come, unfortunatly Canada is just a bit slower in these things compared to other countries.

BTW, so if I buy the stick for $150, what does that give me? The webpage is not very transparent when it comes to data transfer fees. I mean, if I have to buy the "prepaid" stick for $150 and still pay $45 a month for the plan, what's prepaid? Their is no way in hell that that little piece of technology is worth $150 so in orther words, you're just subsidizing the companies profits buy paying twice for the same thing.

[Enzo Aquarius]

Also note that this is for 1 GB of bandwidth. If you download a lot and watch movies on sites like YouTube, you're going to easily max your limit. Once you go over that 1 GB of bandwidth, they'll charge your card another $45 for the next gigabyte.

[Prevost1003]

Still I would rather just get a iPhone...

[A. Wong]

I could have used this months ago instead of putting up with Rogers' BS.

If anyone wants a 3G Rocket Stick (which is now obsolete probably because it isn't HSPA+), let me know.

[pccstreetcar4549]

If I get a mobile stick and use it as my only internet device, that alone will cost me more than $100 for the ridiculous data/transfer fees they charge, not to mention the reliability issues of the wireless network.

I don't have a land line, only a mobile because its all I need. I don't want all that for $100 ... all I want is 3 basic things, cable TV, a mobile phone with a reasonable usage plan and reliable high speed unlimited internet that I can use anywhere. It will come, unfortunatly Canada is just a bit slower in these things compared to other countries.

BTW, so if I buy the stick for $150, what does that give me? The webpage is not very transparent when it comes to data transfer fees. I mean, if I have to buy the "prepaid" stick for $150 and still pay $45 a month for the plan, what's prepaid? Their is no way in hell that that little piece of technology is worth $150 so in orther words, you're just subsidizing the companies profits buy paying twice for the same thing.

good point, but either way we get screwed anyway you slice it, the upside is you arent locked in three years and dont have to pay an ETF. but of course you still cant take it to another carrier even if you buy outright it is locked in their network. it really is sad how much we get screwed over by all these guys and i dont think the new ones will be any better infact their long term goal (5-10 years) is to be bought out by the big three! WTF?

[9924]

good point, but either way we get screwed anyway you slice it, the upside is you arent locked in three years and dont have to pay an ETF. but of course you still cant take it to another carrier even if you buy outright it is locked in their network. it really is sad how much we get screwed over by all these guys and i dont think the new ones will be any better infact their long term goal (5-10 years) is to be bought out by the big three! WTF?

Welcome to Canada! Home of some of the most ridiculously expenisve and restrictive mobile telecommunications systems in the world. When Virgin first came into Canada, then Koodo and now Fido, I had real hope, but having tried Fido recently and Virgin years ago, they're still just as expensive, restricitive and customer unfriendly as the Big 3.

[pccstreetcar4549]

Welcome to Canada! Home of some of the most ridiculously expenisve and restrictive mobile telecommunications systems in the world. When Virgin first came into Canada, then Koodo and now Fido, I had real hope, but having tried Fido recently and Virgin years ago, they're still just as expensive, restricitive and customer unfriendly as the Big 3.

fido used to be good in the day (Pre rogers), i had a prepaid phone with them, the handset was crappy though it couldnt even hold a charge after awhile (Mitsubishi makes good cars but their handsets sucked). i also had a telus on prepaid it was ok, but my sister needed a phone so i gave it to her. right now im on rogers on a fair share plan, it does have rogers to rogers (which you cant even get anymore) so its not too bad

[A. Wong]

I didn't have a problem with Virgin Mobile's customer service, but you are right about them not being any cheaper!

[TheAverageJoe]

If I get a mobile stick and use it as my only internet device, that alone will cost me more than $100 for the ridiculous data/transfer fees they charge, not to mention the reliability issues of the wireless network.

I don't have a land line, only a mobile because its all I need. I don't want all that for $100 ... all I want is 3 basic things, cable TV, a mobile phone with a reasonable usage plan and reliable high speed unlimited internet that I can use anywhere. It will come, unfortunatly Canada is just a bit slower in these things compared to other countries.

BTW, so if I buy the stick for $150, what does that give me? The webpage is not very transparent when it comes to data transfer fees. I mean, if I have to buy the "prepaid" stick for $150 and still pay $45 a month for the plan, what's prepaid? Their is no way in hell that that little piece of technology is worth $150 so in orther words, you're just subsidizing the companies profits buy paying twice for the same thing.

The company's dont keep the profits they got to shareholders in payouts silly, if you want a peice then go buy some stock

Welcome to Canada! Home of some of the most ridiculously expenisve and restrictive mobile telecommunications systems in the world. When Virgin first came into Canada, then Koodo and now Fido, I had real hope, but having tried Fido recently and Virgin years ago, they're still just as expensive, restricitive and customer unfriendly as the Big 3.

1st of all Fido is part of Rogers, Koodo is part of Telus and Virgin is part of Bell

[FutureHeartsJunkie]

this just in: Virgin Mobile dropped the price of the stick to $99.99CDN, but the plan is still expensive.

[9924]

The company's dont keep the profits they got to shareholders in payouts silly, if you want a peice then go buy some stock

Profits are profits silly, once money goes to shareholders, CEOs or Mrs Johnson down the hall, the rest is considered economic profit which they then base their next forecasts on. If a company artificially bumps up a price on a serivce or product higher than actual market value (very common in real estate as an example) just to increase a companys profits they are subsidizing their profits plain and simple.

I don't want a piece of their profits, I want a decent product/service at a competitive price. If the free market dictates a certain price, fine I have no problem paying that, but if a company dictates a certain price based on a certain profit margin they need to maintain, then I (and most consumers) have a serious problem with that.

1st of all Fido is part of Rogers, Koodo is part of Telus and Virgin is part of Bell

I never said any different, however in the case of Virgin, they were their own resprective brand and only used the Bell network as their carrier provider when they first entered the Canadian market until Bell bought the Virgin name outright in May of this year.

Fido was owned/funded by Microcell Telecomunications and T-Mobile until they were purchased by Rogers in 2004.

Koodo was created by Telus and simply has different billing options than their parent company, but aren't any more competitive.

[TheAverageJoe]

Profits are profits silly, once money goes to shareholders, CEOs or Mrs Johnson down the hall, the rest is considered economic profit which they then base their next forecasts on. If a company artificially bumps up a price on a serivce or product higher than actual market value (very common in real estate as an example) just to increase a companys profits they are subsidizing their profits plain and simple.

I don't want a piece of their profits, I want a decent product/service at a competitive price. If the free market dictates a certain price, fine I have no problem paying that, but if a company dictates a certain price based on a certain profit margin they need to maintain, then I (and most consumers) have a serious problem with that.

I never said any different, however in the case of Virgin, they were their own resprective brand and only used the Bell network as their carrier provider when they first entered the Canadian market until Bell bought the Virgin name outright in May of this year.

Fido was owned/funded by Microcell Telecomunications and T-Mobile until they were purchased by Rogers in 2004.

Koodo was created by Telus and simply has different billing options than their parent company, but aren't any more competitive.

Before Virgin was a joint venture with Bell and Virgin UK before Virgin Uk sold the rest of the joint venture to Bell

[9924]

Before Virgin was a joint venture with Bell and Virgin UK before Virgin Uk sold the rest of the joint venture to Bell

Virgin was Virgin, Bell owned a 50% stake of Virgin to get them up and running until Bell made the offer to buy the other 50% and accquired the Virgin brand. Which is not the same as Bell creating Virgin (as they did with Solo as an example). Virgin entered the Canadian market as a competitor against the big 3 and not as an alternative provided by the big 3.