Why the larger Mobile Service Providers in Canada Should Have an Inexpensive Data Plan.

I will get straight to the usage reasons.

1: Play online multi-player games on my Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition devices, Smartphone or JAVA enabled mobile phone.
2: Listen to online radio stations not available via a regular radio like
Magic Radio.
3: Utilize Google Maps with a GPS.
4: Purchase or update my selection of mobility software
5: Watch IPTV if available with my service provider
IPTV from SaskTel
IPTV from MTS
No IPTV from a provider in Ontario, Canada
6: Watch digital TV using Sling Media
7: Upload photos regularly using Pocket Phojo
8: Spent time updating my websites while outside
9: Write this blog away from home
10 Monitor my home regularly by accessing a home security system with an IP Camera

I recently came back from a trip to San Fransisco. I noticed that there were no ABM's (Automated Banking Machines) that I could spot easily. There were very few ATMs (Automated Teller Machines) around.
In Canada, we have bank machines all over and are even more popular than Starbucks coffee houses that seems to be on every major Toronto street corner.

In Canada, we can buy groceries, go drinking and buy all sorts of products and services using our bank or debit cards. We are certainly ahead of the US in this area it seems to me and the debit card convenience is something we take for granted.

As far as the mobile data service goes, the story is not the same. We take data usage seriously but not for granted since we pay too much for mobile data. We do not have an inexpensive data plan or an "All You Can Eat" mobile data plan in Canada like many providers have in the States. We are still in the stone ages as far as mobile Internet use and data on our phones go. The technology exists where we could be using our mobile phones to make purchases and keep track of our expenses directly on our Pocket PC Phone Edition devices or Smartphones. Since many Canadians enjoy using our debit cards instead of cash, it makes sense for mobile service providers to extend this spending to mobile phones and PDAs. If I could use my ABM or ATM card directly from my PDA, I could easily track the expense on my pda also.

Right now, I still have a piece of paper either from the automated bank machine or the store that I need to record later. Seems like we are not applying what we have learned and gained as a society with the use of the debit cards to its full potential yet.

If mobile service providers just looked at the bigger picture, they would see that many current subscribers do not have data with their voice plan. There are probably a larger number of home wired phone users like myself that do not have a mobile plan.

Just like AT&T offers an "ALL You Can Eat Data" plus voice plan for $100/month and others with even a lower data plan cost, we should have something similar in Canada too. When will Internet access truly become a mobile norm here in Canada? We are still tied to our homes or offices to access the Internet. Email is popular on mobile phones but could be even more so with an inexpensive mobile data plan.

Imagine how many seasonal and mobile businesses would benefit from the use of a wireless credit card or debit card authorization machine? Since Canadian banks already do a huge business through automated banking machines, Imagine all the trade shows and outdoor street events that could benefit from a cashless transaction.

I hope the powers at be within these Canadian mobile service providers take a good hard look at the millions of potential revenue they are missing out on by not offering an inexpensive mobile data service. If a low cost mobile data plan is not available in Canada soon from the major service providers, something may just happen to take the mobile data business away from them altogether.

Added Note:

In Canada:

Bell Mobility
Rogers Wireless

In the US:

AT&T
Verizon

Read PART 2