Imagine that: Bell offers video calling on the cheap
By Chris Ziegler 
posted Nov 4th 2009 9:44PM
posted Nov 4th 2009 9:44PM
As expected, Bell lit up its shiny new HSPA network today, officially marking a magical transition from CDMA to 3G GSM over a year in the making as it prepares for an LTE upgrade in the coming years, and with it, a few cool phones launched -- most notably the iPhone 3GS and the Samsung Omnia II (you listening, Verizon?). That's not what really caught our eye, though: like Rogers, Bell's now offering video calling, a feature standardized with UMTS and arbitrarily disabled both by T-Mobile and AT&T in the States (though the latter offers the far less useful one-way Video Share service at $4.99 a month for just 25 minutes of usage). Granted, video calling hasn't exactly caught on like wildfire in Europe where it's widely deployed -- but when you consider that they're charging CAD $5 (about $4.70) a month for unlimited use, it seems like a worthwhile add-on even if you only use it for a few minutes now and then. It also makes AT&T Video Share -- and its pricing structure -- look even more ridiculous than it already did, doesn't it?
Did anyone take a look at Bell's HSPA+ coverage maps? Pretty impressive, especially when compared with Rogers. Pretty much all of Southern Ontario. http://bit.ly/bhwhb
Not quite the 93% they promised yesterday, but definitely impressive, and definitely better than rogers. I never would have thought they'd get it built up so well.
We have on-network video calling in Jamaica for about 7 US cents a minute - the same cost as a voice call. When will AT&T and T-mobile learn? SMH
When real competition comes to the US cell service industry: likely never.
How many of the most sought after smartphones have a frontal camera though...
HTC has a few. I know carriers have them yanked in the US.
Bell also has the Bold 9700. Looks like Rogers will have to fight for ANY exclusive phones now. GSM phones were always exclusive to Rogers by default, not anymore :)
The reason AT&T doesn't offer video-calling in the US is that Apple hasn't invented it yet. As soon as Apple invents a second, front-facing camera and a video-chat-app, then AT&T will launch it ;)
"Granted, video calling hasn't exactly caught on like wildfire in Europe where it's widely deployed"
video callin is somethin u use once for fun and its over...trust. i had it on 6 or so different phones over the yrs in Japan, i think i used it like 2wice tops? cool feature to have at hand, hardly ever used. just sayin.
as a canadian, syked about Bell/Telus gettin in the 3G GSM game!