CSA Online Cell phone service Canadians pay among the highest prices for cell phone service in the world. It’s hard to save, given that the big carriers are another effective oligopoly and can basically set the price which we all pay. Hard, but not impossible. Look to carriers beyond the big three (Rogers, Bell, Telus). Carriers such as Fido, Virgin Mobile and Koodo are owned by Rogers, Bell and Telus, respectively, but do offer more competitive rates, especially when they’re running a promotion. If you’re worried about keeping your number in the switch, don’t be. You own that number and it’s yours to take to whichever carrier you choose in a process called “porting.” In the U.S., the cell phone service landscape is less grim. A category of cell phone service providers called MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators) use the big networks and therefore offer service nationwide, but at far more competitive rates. Unlimited talk and text + 5 GB of data for $25, as an example. Imagine that in Canada, where MVNOs are blocked by the aforementioned oligopoly at every turn and the CRTC doesn’t seem to want to do anything to change that fact. Cables People like to try to sell premium cables. Gold-plated tips (useless), Kevlar wrapping (not exactly useless, but certainly not necessary for most non-combat applications) and other embellishments try to make the boring and practical attractive. They’re unnecessary. Since pretty much everything behind the entertainment console is digital, it’s all 1s and 0s. Cables either work or they don’t. There’s no signal to boost and no noise or interference to worry about. An HDMI cable from the dollar store works every bit as well as a $60 gold-plated cable in a fancy package. Those are a few things on which you can save a buck this winter... and we didn’t even have time to get into cell phones, computers, TVs and so on. Maybe next time. In closing, I believe that any time COVID-19 is used in the lead, one is duty-bound to say “stay safe and healthy” in the outro, so... please do. CSANews | WINTER 2020 | 49
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