Is anyone still on Unlimited GPRS and have you been able to get a subsidized phone this year?

**jag604** · 10-15-2020, 07:28 PM

I'm looking to buy a Note 20 Ultra 5G but a retentions agent told me that if I want a phone through Fido, I need to change my plan or buy full price.

Has anyone had any luck?

**Fritz Z24** · 10-15-2020, 07:31 PM

Originally Posted by jag604

I'm looking to buy a Note 20 Ultra 5G but a retentions agent told me that if I want a phone through Fido, I need to change my plan or buy full price.

Has anyone had any luck?

What your current Price Plan / Data Bundle?

**jag604** · 10-15-2020, 07:45 PM

$50 umlimited GPRS
$45 Standary Loyalty - unlimited CW minutes, Unlimited Txt,MMS to Can/US/International
$7 value pack

**Fritz Z24** · 10-15-2020, 07:56 PM

Originally Posted by jag604

$50 umlimited GPRS
$45 Standary Loyalty - unlimited CW minutes, Unlimited Txt,MMS to Can/US/International
$7 value pack

If you want to keep your current package, your only option is to purchase the new phone at full price. The Fido Payment Program is available only for the Price Plan launched since February 2020.

**Serial Port** · 10-15-2020, 07:56 PM

Just curious, what data speeds do you get with that ? I thought GPRS is a lot like the old dial-up internet and by today's standards, pitifully slow.

**trek.** · 10-16-2020, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by jag604

$50 umlimited GPRS
$45 Standary Loyalty - unlimited CW minutes, Unlimited Txt,MMS to Can/US/International
$7 value pack

Do you get 3G or LTE access with it? I'm just questioning whether its still worth keeping $102/mo for that vs. something like a Rogers Infinite plan...

**SmackDaddy** · 10-25-2020, 10:51 AM

Originally Posted by trek.

Do you get 3G or LTE access with it? I'm just questioning whether its still worth keeping $102/mo for that vs. something like a Rogers Infinite plan...

I have had GPUNL since the plan launched with the initial GPRS network - probably in about 2001? I remember being at a GPRS soft launch event at Microcell HQ in Montreal, and all attendees were given access to the plan. I added this option to my Fido line originally activated in 1996.

The plan has been fantastic for me, and has evolved over the years.

Here's the milestones that I remember:
2001/2002 - Unlimited GPRS Access at network launch
2005/2006 - Unlimited EDGE Access at network enhancement
2008 - Unlimited 3G Access at network launch
2012 - LTE launched, but GPUNL was not allowed access to this network initially.
2015 - LTE access was finally allowed for GPUNL holders using a VoLTE device

We are approaching a similar horizon again with 5G. It will be interesting to see how they handle 5G access for GPUNL.

For me, this plan has offered incredible value compared to something like Rogers Infinite. No caps, no speeds dropping to 512 Kbps. I will hang onto this for as long as I possibly can.

Cheers,
SD.

**lmcjipo** · 11-06-2020, 07:02 PM

Originally Posted by jag604

I'm looking to buy a Note 20 Ultra 5G but a retentions agent told me that if I want a phone through Fido, I need to change my plan or buy full price.

Has anyone had any luck?

I still have the unlimited data option with Fido.

According to Fido's website, I'm not eligible for a phone/device upgrade unless I change plans which I have no intention of doing since I use the SIM card in a mobile hotspot 100% of the time and I use it as my ISP (I don't have a fixed line (DSL/cable) internet). It has been like that for the longest of times.

I've been purchasing my devices/phones unsubsidized for years so Fido not giving me a subsidized phone price doesn't bother me.

In fact, after having purchased a mobile hotspot from them at full price, I'm not using their mobile ZTE hotspot anymore because I decided to purchase a better mobile hotspot and their mobile ZTE hotspot started experiencing an issue shortly after the 1 year warranty ran out.

**Fritz Z24** · 11-06-2020, 07:09 PM

Originally Posted by lmcjipo

I still have the unlimited data option with Fido.

According to Fido's website, I'm not eligible for a phone/device upgrade unless I change plans which I have no intention of doing since I use the SIM card in a mobile hotspot 100% of the time and I use it as my ISP (I don't have a fixed line (DSL/cable) internet). It has been like that for the longest of times.

I've been purchasing my devices/phones unsubsidized for years so Fido not giving me a subsidized phone price doesn't bother me.

In fact, after having purchased a mobile hotspot from them at full price, I'm not using their mobile ZTE hotspot anymore because I decided to purchase a better mobile hotspot and their mobile ZTE hotspot started experiencing an issue shortly after the 1 year warranty ran out.

That’s great, you maximize the capability of your package without getting a device Finance by Fido...

**lmcjipo** · 11-09-2020, 09:00 PM

Originally Posted by Serial Port

Just curious, what data speeds do you get with that ? I thought GPRS is a lot like the old dial-up internet and by today's standards, pitifully slow.

GPRS was just the name of the data option when it was introduced. When Fido's data network upgraded to EDGE, people who had this unlimited data option automatically received EDGE speeds. Once it went up to 3G, those people got 3G speeds.

The speed I get now with my mobile hotspot is what some carriers would mistakenly call 4G-Non LTE. Even though my mobile hotspot is LTE capable, Fido restricts me from getting LTE with my plan.

For me, it is fast enough for me to stream HD YouTube, Netflix, etc. without any stuttering of the video/audio which is fine for me but if you use your internet to download files, you will probably consider the speed to be slow. I also use it to remotely access my work computers/servers via RDP and I don't have any issues with it (it is a bit sluggish but still usable). I generally schedule my download of files to happen in the evening when I'm asleep so it doesn't bother me if a large file takes me 1 minute to download or a few minutes to download.

**lmcjipo** · 11-09-2020, 09:06 PM

Originally Posted by SmackDaddy

I have had GPUNL since the plan launched with the initial GPRS network - probably in about 2001? I remember being at a GPRS soft launch event at Microcell HQ in Montreal, and all attendees were given access to the plan. I added this option to my Fido line originally activated in 1996.

The plan has been fantastic for me, and has evolved over the years.

Here's the milestones that I remember:
2001/2002 - Unlimited GPRS Access at network launch
2005/2006 - Unlimited EDGE Access at network enhancement
2008 - Unlimited 3G Access at network launch
2012 - LTE launched, but GPUNL was not allowed access to this network initially.
2015 - LTE access was finally allowed for GPUNL holders using a VoLTE device

We are approaching a similar horizon again with 5G. It will be interesting to see how they handle 5G access for GPUNL.

For me, this plan has offered incredible value compared to something like Rogers Infinite. No caps, no speeds dropping to 512 Kbps. I will hang onto this for as long as I possibly can.

Cheers,
SD.

I don't see Fido allowing users with this plan on 5G similar to how they are restricting people from getting LTE with this plan on all devices.

I also find this option/plan to be an incredible value. I've used it as my home internet connection in my mobile hotspot and cancelled my hard wired (DSL/cable) internet a few years ago. My general usage has been ~200 GB per month with my largest usage has been over 1 TB. Even with 200 GB of usage in the month, this is more than some of my co-workers do with their hard wired (DSL/cable) internet in their house.

Regardless of my usage, I get the same speed on the last day of my billing cycle as I do on the first day of my billing cycle.

**SmackDaddy** · 11-17-2020, 08:16 AM

Originally Posted by lmcjipo

I don't see Fido allowing users with this plan on 5G similar to how they are restricting people from getting LTE with this plan on all devices.

I suspect it will go the same way it always does. They won't allow the plan on 5G. Attempts will be made to get users to change their plan in order to obtain 5G access. As usual we will be baited with horrible plans that aren't even as good as most in market plans. Which is sad for users who have consistently been the highest ARPU users that Fido had over the past 20ish years. Most of us maintained a data plan for years when most users didn't even know what a data plan was yet.

At some point there will be the need to take heavy users and move them to the more spectrally efficient network. This is what happened with 3G vs LTE. Getting power users off 3G and forcing them to use VoLTE was a spectrum capacity win for them. At some point the same might be true when they are trying to re-farm as much LTE spectrum to 5G as they can. But it will obviously be several years before this happens.

I suppose it also comes down to how many people are even left on the plan. I remember the last time this blew up around the LTE rollout, they estimated 300-400 people were left on the plan. I'm sure most have kept the plan. But I'm sure some didn't. Would be interesting to know how many of us still exist.

Cheers,
SD.