Rogers to increase price of some wireless phone plans

Wireless phone plans will be getting more expensive for some Canadians this year. 

Rogers Communications Inc. will increase the cost of some of its plans in the coming weeks, the company confirmed to CBC News on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Bell is reportedly increasing some of its existing wireless phone plan prices in February, according to a report by Canadian tech news outlet MobileSyrup. 

The Rogers price hike will impact some customers' wireless phone plans and internet plans, including customers of its subsidiary Fido, a spokesperson for the telecom giant told CBC News.

While a Rogers spokesperson said many customers will see a price hike under $7, the increases could be as high as $9 per month, depending on the customer's plan or bundle with their carrier. The hikes apply only to customers who are not on contract. 

Customers who have been notified by Rogers will start seeing the new price applied to bills issued after Jan. 17.

"We are committed to delivering mobile and residential services with the highest standard of quality and reliability to bring our customers the best network experience," a Rogers spokesperson said in a statement. 

"This includes increased capacity to ensure reliable and consistent service for our customers, expanding into more communities from coast to coast, and making improvements to our customer service tools."

The spokesperson also pointed to measures the company has recently taken to make its 5G services more affordable. These included introducing a $25 5G plan that is aimed at low-income customers, and providing Rogers 4G wireless customers with 5G network access at no extra cost.

Bell did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.

The increases come following Rogers' merger last year with Shaw Communications. The long-brewing deal, first announced in March 2021, was subject to a number of regulatory hurdles as opponents expressed concerns about decreased competition.

When the deal was made official in April 2023, Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri pledged in an interview that prices would go down for customers. 

"What we want to make sure we get right is all the things for our customers, and in particular, affordability," Staffieri said at the time.

"One of the key pluses of this is that competition is going up, especially in the west, and prices are going to come down."