TELUS is bucking the trend and rewarding its customers by cutting exorbitant roaming rates by up to 60 per cent. Canadians have long suffered stiff penalties for using their wireless devices across borders and in a show of good faith, TELUS is the first to try and rectify this situation. Hopefully other companies will follow suit.
Summer is right around the corner and TELUS is celebrating with Canadians who travel abroad by lowering its roaming voice and data rates by up to 60 per cent.
With the launch of TELUS' new clear and simple international travel pricing, all customers get the same low roaming rates when they're traveling. Separate bundles and passes are no longer required to take advantage of the lowest rate, making it easy and hassle-free for customers to use TELUS wireless services when overseas.
"After the launch of our new HSPA+ wireless network in late 2009, TELUS was able to offer our customers a true international roaming capability for the first time, ending Rogers' monopoly in international roaming for Canadians. We quickly started working with carriers around the world to negotiate reduced roaming rates for our customers and we now want to make it as simple and affordable as possible for our customers to use their smartphones wherever they go, without coming home to a surprise on their bill," said David Fuller, TELUS Chief Marketing Officer. "We understand what our customers want and we've been working hard over the last few years to give them exactly what they are asking for - clear and simple rate plans without system access and 911 carrier fees, a device unlocking service, a free SMS data notification service so they know how much data they have used, and easier access to affordable long distance rates through our recently-announced Skype partnership. Today, we are adding clear, simple and affordable international roaming rates for all of our customers."
The combination of TELUS' device unlocking service, which allows TELUS customers to use local SIM cards overseas; the easy experience of using Skype for affordable long distance calling; and now greatly reduced international roaming rates add up to great news for Canadians planning to travel overseas this summer.
TELUS' new clear and simple international roaming rates will be available to all TELUS customers - business and consumer - in over 200 countries, starting June 27:
| Region | Voice rate per minute |
Savings | Data rate per MB | Savings |
| Western Europe, Mexico, Oceania |
$1.50 | 25-50% | $10 | 60% |
| Middle East, Caribbean and Latin America, China, India, Africa |
$2.50 | 17-38% | $10 | 60% |
For more information about traveling with your TELUS device, please visit www.telusmobility.com/.