Jamaica a leader in cellphone service versus Canada...


Recently when I visited Jamaica I realized how advanced they were in terms of cellphone service. When I compared the price of cellphone service in Canada with Jamaica I was stunned. In Canada for example you have to pay for incoming and outgoing calls. Years ago in Jamaica there was a Company called Cable & Wireless (now Lime) that had the same policy of charging customers for incoming and outgoing calls. At the time this was considered backwardness, this was quickly eliminated over 10 years ago.


Jamaica has taken cellphone service to another level. A typical Blackberry service in Jamaica will cost you approximately CAN$47/month, which includes unlimited internet, calls to US and Canada free and in some instances free text. In Canada you would have to pay around CAN$80 with limited internet [or what they called restricted bandwidth], no free calls outside of Canada and maybe free text dependent on the provider. 


Jamaica had 4G service long before Canada even introduced this high end innovation. The speed in most provinces are well below world standards. When you consider the fact that Blackberry is a brainchild of a Canadian Company [RIM], you have to wonder why Canada is still behind in service.


The fact of the matter is that Canada has adopted the Cable & Wireless of old policy of trying to squeeze the last drop out of its customers. No one is really making a 'big stink' so why change. That was the attitude of Cable & Wireless, which milked the third world countries. In fact, Cable & Wireless UK was bankrupt and if it was not for country's like Jamaica they would be a forgotten memory.


In the end when you compare the cellphone service of Jamaica and Canada you have to shake your head. There is no comparison. If you even look at the type of phones in Jamaica, you don't even see some of the brands in Canada. Jamaica has every brand that is made on the planet. Canada still has brands that are obsolete.


The unfortunate reality is that in Canada you are held by a backward policy which traps you into paying out large phone bills every month and of course a three year contract, to add insult to injury.


It has often been said that Jamaica is third world, but when it comes on to cellphone service, Jamaica is a first world country, possibly in the top 5 on the planet.