SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Unlimited data is coming to the NWT. But don't get too excited - it's only for cell phones, and it's for a limited time only.

Ice Wireless has launched an unlimited data plan, for a limited time only. It's the closest thing to unlimited Internet Yellowknife will have in the near future. - Jessica Davey-Quantick/NNSL photo

The plan, announced last week by Ice Wireless, includes unlimited data for $89 a month. But president and CEO Samer Bishay says it's here for a good time, not a long time.

"It's here today and grab it while you can sort of thing," he said. "It's been something that's missing in the Canadian market for a while."

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) agrees. In December, the commission declared broadband access Internet service is a basic telecommunications service that should be available to all Canadians.

Currently, there are no telecoms offering either unlimited cell phone plans or unlimited Internet packages in the Northwest Territories. Bell Mobility offers data plans with a maximum of 20 GB of data for $105 per month, plus $10 for each GB over that cap. Telus offers 10 GB of data for $85 month as part of a plan. For home Internet plans, Northwestel offers up to 400 GB for $189.95, while SSI Micro offers 100 GB for $139.95.

"Data has become a lifeline for Canadians," said Bishay. "Livelihoods rely on data and information, so for us to be able to provide this is crucial for our company."

But while the plan is unlimited, Bishay said there's a limit to the company's magnanimity. Consumers who abuse the service - by, for instance, creating a hotspot with their phone and running their home Internet off the plan, will find their connection throttled.

"If people are going to abuse it, obviously we might throttle," said Bishay. "But we're not going to be checking for anything that's under 25 gigs of usage, which is plenty for the average consumer."

The CRTC also set new speed targets for Internet - 50 megabits per second download, and 10 megabits upload for fixed Internet access services. To get there, the CRTC has created a new fund that will invest up to $750 million over and above existing government programs, in much the same way local land lines were subsidized in the past.

The CRTC reported that in 2015, 82 per cent of Canadians had access to Internet at their target speeds-- but many who didn't were in rural or isolated areas. Currently, there is a subsidy for residential local voice services in rural and remote areas that amounted to approximately $100 million in 2016, according to the CRTC, and Internet and data services might be the next step in communications equality.

"High quality and reliable digital connectivity is essential for the quality of life of Canadians and Canada's economic prosperity," stated Jean-Pierre Blais, chairman and CEO of the CRTC in a December news release. "Whether in a small town in northern Yukon, a rural area of eastern Quebec or in downtown Calgary - everyone needs access to high-quality fixed Internet and mobile services."

Bishay said it wouldn't be a bad thing if the new unlimited plan opened the door for other companies to jump on-board with this type of product.

"We believe in healthy competition. We don't always want to be alone, you know. It's good to have competition," he said.

Bell, the largest cell phone provider in the territory, declined to comment on whether they are planning to launch an unlimited option, stating only in an e-mail to Yellowknifer that Bell "offers customers a wide range of competitive data plans to meet their individual usage needs and budgets."

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