Actually, Hugh, you are incorrect.  Your belief is consistent with urban myth, but not with reality.  The technology deployed by the Big 3 in Canada is second to NOBODY.  It is widely recognized as such in benchmark studies vs. carriers in the US and EU.  As for retail prices, independent studies conducted on behalf of the CRTC prove that Canadian mobile rates are generally comparable with those in the US, and in some popular usage categories are LOWER.  Do not forget that a large portion of your monthly mobility fee goes to paying for the "free" handset (worth $500-$800), and to spectrum fees & taxes paid to the federal and provincial governments.  Please do not compare your plan to one available in lower Slovenia, where the airwaves are granted to the mobile companies for zero dollars and you have to buy your handset independently from your monthly plan.