Convergence, One Bill, Multiple Services, Many Points of Access Nationally

I believe that for Canadian entrepreneurs and SMEs to truly thrive, we required access to leading edge converged services at globally competitive rates.

High speed internet services can deliver many advantages including access for downloading and uploading content, VOIP, GPS, Social Media, cloud computing application delivery etc.

Listed below are the current challenges & disadvantages for my business in utilizing the available data bandwidth & spectrum services in my region . Each in most cases require incurring separate contracts & fees;

1. Local wired internet high speed service: Not competitive in fees globally
2. VOIP Service: Poor Quality and limited choice and fee structure. I wonder why Skype as an example is not a player in Canada offering local exchange telephone numbers. Could this be related to monopolistic practices by our telcos for access to telephony switches nationally?
3. Mobile Voice Cellular Service: Not competitive globally with wide disparities of coverage by carriers. Endless nickel and dime fees/taxes in addition to basic service delivery.
4. Mobile High Speed Data Services: See the same note for Cellular Voice

There is not, as far as I can determine a lack of available bandwidth or the switching equipment to deliver such services. The marketplace is populated by fragmented suppliers each slow to adapt to consumer demands while hanging on for dear life to their market share and customer demographic. Stated simply a huge gap of innovation and competition is still the national and regional reality in Canada for telecommunications services. Ironic that this is the situation given that our country was once a leader in this area.

My suggestions as I envision a possible future scenario whereby my business can leverage the digital infrastructure that is already here in place, in this country.

One supplier (perhaps a rebiller of bundled suppliers) issuing one bill with competitive and affordable SME rates for high speed internet service connection (wired or wireless), VOIP, Mobile Data and Voice.

This bundle of services utilizing one set competitive fees should be transparently accessible regardless of my actual physical location in my region or nationally. This same service should also be available internationally at competitive rates of quality and service should I need to travel outside the country.

If one looks at the current trends for mobile digital access to the internet and converging services, this scenario is inevitable and is already being delivered in countries around the world. The questions for me at least are; Are we ready for prime time here in Canada? Or will continue (as past experience demonstrates) to wait years after such services are accessible and used widely by internationally competitive businesses in other jurisdictions globally?