Jagmeet Singh says NDP government plans to cap cell phone and Internet prices

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh promises to cap Internet and cell phone prices in Canada.

On Friday, the federal NDP said that Canadians pay among the highest phone and Internet prices in the world.

“Canadians deserve better than Liberal and Conservative governments that keep making life easier for their corporate friends and harder for everyone else,” Singh said in a statement.

Our plan to reduce monthly costs for cell & internet service will make life more affordable:

🛑Implement a cap on cell phone & internet prices

🔤require companies to offer basic plans

💸require companies to offer affordable, unlimited data plans

We’re in it for you. #elxn2019 pic.twitter.com/eaW4QWt5fr

— Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) September 13, 2019

“I’m ready to fight for everyday people and stand up to rich telecom companies. Our plan to cap prices on cell phone and Internet bills is part of our commitment to make life more affordable.”

A report from the Finnish-based mobile data consulting company, Rewheel, released earlier this year shows just how costly wireless data is for Canadians. According to the study, Canada’s pricing is ranked among the most expensive in the world.

Rewheel studied how many gigabytes of 4G wireless data mobile-users in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and EU-28 countries were able to get for 30 euros (or approximately $45 CAD).

See also:

• Canadian wireless pricing some of the highest in the developed world
• The lazy voter’s guide to Canada’s 2019 federal election

The study showed that for $45 CAD, Canadians are only getting an average of 2 GB of data for their wireless plans. Wireless customers in Denmark, Switzerland, Korea, United Kingdom, Finland, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Slovak Republic, and Lithuania all receive unlimited data plans for the same amount.

And when it comes to country median gigabyte price in EU-28 countries and OECD nations, Canada has some of the highest pricing in the world versus other countries with multiple mobile network operators (MNOs).