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Landline telephone service


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#1 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 17 December 2009 - 02:05 PM

I thought we'd start this thread, it could be pretty quiet around here, with what I'm sure is a real dwindling of landlines. I haven't had one for about 3 or 4 years.

But I see Port Renfrew has had their Telus knocked out since yesterday morning, they might not get it back until tomorrow. Telus uses radio transmitters to get the regular landline service in, but a repeater tower is down, and they have not been able to get a helicopter in due to winds.

When it went down once before, Telus brought in a huge portable cell-tower and handed out loaner phones.

Tonight the Fire Dept. will distrribute some radios through the community.

#2 phx

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Posted 17 December 2009 - 02:48 PM

I cut the cord 5 years ago and have no regrets.

#3 Mike K.

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Posted 17 December 2009 - 03:02 PM

Perhaps cheaper cell phone plans like the ones Wind Mobile is introducing nationwide as we speak will lead to even more landline cancellations.

I found it odd that Shaw entered the market so late in the game, but when I was up at UVic taking technology courses we learned that the television companies (Shaw, Rogers, etc) would be getting into the phone business and phone companies (Telus) would be getting into the television business. We laughed in disbelief at the time, and now it's actually happening.

Anyhow, Shaw is in a much better expansion position than Telus given Shaw's much larger cables. You can squeeze a lot more stuff into a thick television cable than a phone cable.

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#4 Bernard

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Posted 17 December 2009 - 03:24 PM

We still have a landline, but it is through Shaw. We love the fact all of North America is a local call.

#5 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 17 December 2009 - 03:27 PM

Does anyone place any value on Telus lines, on the fact that IP phones won't work during a power failure (unless you have some type of battery back-up)?

#6 victorian fan

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Posted 17 December 2009 - 04:22 PM

Yes. still have a landline. If anything needs immediate attention, the answering machine message gives the cell phone number.
The cell phone is only a $10 per month pay-as-you-go.

#7 piltdownman

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Posted 17 December 2009 - 05:57 PM

I have a vonage line as well as my mobile. I have it set up so if anyone calls it, my mobile rings as well. I have a Victoria number and a Vancouver number which is really handy. The long distance is dirt cheap. Although the sound quality leaves something to be desired. It has deteriorated substantially since Shaw started pushing their own Voip option. I have a theory that is intentional, but maybe it is just a coincidence.

#8 mat

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Posted 17 December 2009 - 06:27 PM

I think we will be dumping the Telus landline in the New Year. Either Vonage or Shaw have decent service and quality, and it is certainly much cheaper, especially for long distance.

#9 gumgum

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Posted 17 December 2009 - 07:10 PM

Use shaw and I am happy with it.

#10 G-Man

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Posted 17 December 2009 - 08:10 PM

Yup use shaw and it is fine.

#11 pseudotsuga

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Posted 17 December 2009 - 08:51 PM

mobile phone + skype

#12 Caramia

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Posted 17 December 2009 - 10:32 PM

I use vonage too and I love it, although I agree about the sound, and if you have a bug in your network then it can effect your phone.

I have the super cheap plan and I love that I don't have to pay extra for long distance in a whole list of countries around the world, as well as free call forwarding, call display, conference calls and all those other goodies. I used to have a couple of area codes too, and that was awesome when my boyfriend was in Georgia and a kid I mentored was in Florida. They could both call me from any phone where they lived and have it be a local call.
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#13 Bingo

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Posted 17 December 2009 - 10:41 PM

Does anyone place any value on Telus lines, on the fact that IP phones won't work during a power failure (unless you have some type of battery back-up)?


I love my landline, and would like them to bring back the old circlular dial phones, it added a little suspense to the call, especially when your party line listened in.

#14 http

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Posted 17 December 2009 - 11:06 PM

I love my landline, and would like them to bring back the old circlular dial phones, it added a little suspense to the call, especially when your party line listened in.


I actually saw one of those this year. Mounted right into the wall, with the original BCTel disc in the center. I was not privileged enough to hear it ring, though.
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#15 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 18 December 2009 - 08:07 AM

CFAX says that Telus relay that is affecting Renfrew is located on Salt Spring. :confused:

Crazy technology, eh?

http://www.timescolo...5596/story.html

TC says it's on Mt. Demur, but for the life of me I can't find any reference to Mt. Demur, on SSI or near Renfrew.

#16 Rob Randall

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Posted 18 December 2009 - 09:23 AM

^My dad likes to tell the story about when Sprint outbid BC Tel for the right to operate the communication linkups for the Lower Mainland's air traffic control. A relay on top of a mountain went offline so they called Sprint and told them to go fix it. Sprint said they'd get a technician up there next week. The Nav Canada manager said, "No, when we say fix it, we mean now."

#17 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 16 May 2013 - 07:07 AM

Telus is bidding to buy Mobilicity.

$380M for 250,000 subscribers. $1520 each.

http://www.thestar.c...llion_deal.html

I hope this gets turned down, we need more cell companies, not less. But if Mobilicity is losing money, and we have no bigger companies that can buy it, then... I don't know.

The deal for Mobilicity came amid speculation that all of the new wireless companies launched after the last spectrum auction may be sold.

Dutch owner VimpelCom has put Wind Mobile up for sale, opening up the possibility that a bigger company could swoop in and pick it up and it has been reported that Public Mobile has hired an investment banker to find a buyer.


I thought Wind was Egyptian...
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#18 jonny

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Posted 16 May 2013 - 07:31 AM

^ So, all of this stuff about selling bandwidth and opening up the cell phone market to more competition has been a complete and total failure then.

#19 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 16 May 2013 - 07:39 AM

^ So, all of this stuff about selling bandwidth and opening up the cell phone market to more competition has been a complete and total failure then.


So far. But I think it's the foreign-ownership rules that's the problem from the start. Let Verizon or Vodafone buy Mobilicity and see how it goes.
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#20 jonny

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Posted 16 May 2013 - 07:49 AM

So far. But I think it's the foreign-ownership rules that's the problem from the start. Let Verizon or Vodafone buy Mobilicity and see how it goes.


You are probably right. The same could be said for airlines. I'd have no problem paying Verizon for my cell phone and flying on Alaska Airlines to Calgary.

This stuff infuriates me. We're supposed to have a "conservative" federal government that is for free markets, but they're actually just as if not more protectionist than the governments before then.

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