Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 13/01) - Don't be surprised if your relatives down south stop phoning as much.

If they are Sprint Canada customers, calls to the North now cost them at least twice as much.

Sprint Canada has dropped the NWT, Nunavut, and the Yukon from its long distance flat-rate discount plans to the rest of Canada. It now costs Sprint customers 20 to 24 cents a minute to call the North. The rate increase came into effect July 16.

According to Sprint, it can no longer afford NorthwesTel's carrier costs.

"We've always lost money using NorthwesTel," said Tracie Wagman, Sprint Canada's director of marketing. "We're saying, we've got to start making some money."

Wagman added that while northbound rates have increased, Sprint has decreased its rates to 30 other countries.

Still, this doesn't help already isolated Northerners and their loved ones in the south keep in touch.

"I know," said Wagman. "We regret doing this, but we have to stay competitive."

Wagman added that there are approximately nine thousand Sprint patrons who call the North regularly.

Anne Grainger, a spokesperson for NorthwesTel says she can't disclose details of its contract with Sprint. However, she did say that outside long-distance carriers who strike deals similar to Sprint's service to the North will be charged less -- seven cents a minute.

As for Northerners calling south, NorthwesTel has a plan which charges residential customers 10 cents a minute between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. weekdays and on weekends with a 600-minute cap for $25. After 600 minutes, customers are charged an additional 10 cents per minute with no cap.

The long tradition of Northerners having their southern friends and relatives call them back may now be reversed for NWT, Yukon and Nunavut residents talking to Sprint customers in the rest of Canada.