We’re living in a time when it feels like everything is more expensive than at any point we can remember.
And in many ways, we’re right. It was reported recently that Canada’s annual inflation rate has soared to a 30-year high, with its effects being felt everywhere from the gas pump (prices are up more than 32% compared to a year ago), to the grocery checkout and the rent bill (both up around 7%).
But there’s one regular expense where consumers now have the opportunity to start saving money – and that’s home internet. The reason is Babbl.
Babbl is Western Canada’s newest home internet provider. Its mission isn’t just to make internet access more affordable than ever, but easier too. With no contracts, a no-hassle cancellation policy and an easy set-up experience, Babbl seeks to simplify home internet in every way.
How is Babbl able to offer a premium internet experience for a substantially lower price than the competition? Babbl founder and president Jason Speers explains that it all comes down to Babbl being a “born digital” company.
“The big guys” – Western Canada’s large telecom firms, from which most consumers in the region get their internet – are carrying the costs of being decades-old companies that do business the old way: with call centres, fleets of vehicles, retail stores, and technicians who come into your home to activate your internet service.
These large firms also tend to point out the cost of having built the cross-country network that provides Canadians with their internet. Canada is big, they say, with its population spread out over a disproportionately vast area.
As a result, Canadians have historically paid the second-highest prices for internet of any of the G7 countries.
But Speers, who previously worked at one of the big telecoms for nearly 20 years, says this is “yesterday’s argument.”
“The network is built,” he points out. “So why are prices still so high? It’s more to do with lack of competition, so companies may feel there doesn’t need to be a cost adjustment.”
But because Babbl was “born digital” – without the overheads of the competition – it doesn’t have to bear any of these costs. And it passes on those savings to the customer. “The market benefits because we can do things more cost-efficiently,” says Speers, “and then we don’t have to spike our prices.”
But a lower price doesn’t mean you’ll experience a lower standard of internet with Babbl. In fact, Babbl internet comes to you through the same network as the big guys.
You see, Babbl is what’s known as a third-party internet service provider (ISP). Some time ago, the telecom companies that own the networks were mandated to sell access to third-party ISPs at regulated wholesale prices, thus allowing smaller companies to enter the market, create more competition and provide consumers with more choice.
While third-party ISPs have been fairly common in Eastern Canada for years, they’ve been comparatively scarce in Western Canada. Babbl is among the few third-party ISPs in this region, accessing existing infrastructure to offer an internet experience of comparable quality for a more affordable cost.
You’ll notice the Babbl difference as soon as you sign up. Rather than having to make an appointment for a technician who then comes into your home and spends time activating your modem, your modem is simply couriered to you. Thanks to state-of-the-art “plug and play” technology, you’ll be online within minutes of its arrival.
And should you ever decide to cancel your Babbl service, that takes just minutes too. No questions asked – because you won’t even have to speak to a representative. Just a few clicks is all it takes.
“Life is more expensive than ever,” says Speers. “While everything else continues to rise, we’re here to provide some relief by providing a premium internet service at an affordable price. And we’re also here to prove internet doesn’t have to be complicated.”
Stay up to date with what’s happening at Babbl Communications by following along on Instagram & Facebook. To try Babbl home internet with no risk, sign up at heybabbl.ca.
