Freedom Mobile changing policy, phasing out a feature in July
Rogers announced yesterday that it’s shutting down all of the Shaw Wi-Fi hotspots, which now means Freedom customers will also lose access. On top of that, Freedom has changed the wording in its fair-use policy to stop people from buying its plans and exclusively using them while roaming.
Rogers is discontinuing the hardware supporting this Wi-Fi hotspot service acquired from Shaw. Freedom says it will contact customers personally about the change and will provide options for new equipment or service plans at no additional cost.
These hotspots will be fully phased out on July 21. Rogers said usage of these hotspots has decreased dramatically in the past few years. That makes sense since most plans come with enough data to get Canadians through a month comfortably.
The most significant impact of this shutdown will be that it will be harder to get online inside buildings with bad service, where free Wi-Fi is the only option. Some places will still offer this, but it seems like the days of public Wi-Fi networks are numbered.
Earlier this year, 5G infrastructure company Ericsson announced a new device called the Fusion 8828 that is supposed to improve indoor 5G. So, it seems like only a matter of time before these indoor dead zones are remedied by indoor 5G tech. Bell was the first carrier to announce that it’s using it, but more will likely start over the next couple of years.
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On Reddit, Freedom Mobile customers seem mostly okay with the company dropping the Wi-Fi hotspots, especially since Freedom’s plans are so affordable. That said, one key change to the Freedom Mobile plans has some riled up.
The terms of service will be updated in July to clarify that if your billing address isn’t within Freedom’s default “Subscription” zone, the company will have the right to terminate or alter your plan. This prevents people from buying and using a Freedom Mobile plan exclusively to roam on partner networks.
Check out the company’s coverage map on its website to ensure you live in the subscription zone. You might need to look at other options like Fizz or Public Mobile to get a good deal if you don’t.
Source: Freedom, Reddit thread