Telus wants the CRTC to scrap Canada's $100 data roaming cap, arguing the consumer protection is no longer necessary as more Canadians switch to travel plans with predictable roaming charges. While the carrier submitted its intervention to the CRTC back in mid-August, a closer look at the filing by iPhone in Canada reveals more about
I don’t even understand why roaming or global long distance is a thing. I can go to a website in Australia and it doesn’t cost extra, I could also access a home network in Canada from a computer in Australia… Weird isn’t it?
There’s a lot to blame for why pure IP hasn’t killed off calling and texting plans, but the biggest two I’d mention is Apple and Google, in that order.
They have hugely profitable incentives and business motives to “keep phone numbers” relevant, especially for calls. Each could turn their native dialing app into a front end for FaceTime/Google Meet calling, and over time phase out numbers. But alas, instead they invest in stuff (like on device voicemail, hold assist, etc) to keep crappy telephone calling an important part of the tech stack.
Plus their Apple and Pixel cell watches literally require a talk+text plan just to get data, essentially a reversal of the direction carrier plans were going (towards data only).
I think it kinda makes sense that they’d push to keep phone numbers alive. There’s definitely a relationship between them and the carriers. But I don’t see why we can’t keep phone numbers but have free global calling and texting. Is it not all just running on the same infrastructure as the internet, anyway? This isn’t the early 1900s where we had switchboard operators and copper running from house to house