Telus, Bell will raise roaming rates starting next week

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Two of Canada’s largest telecommunication providers are set to charge their customers higher roaming rates when travelling outside the country.

Starting March 8, customers using Telus Corp.‘s roaming plans, as well as its subsidiary brand Koodo, will need to pay a daily rate of $14 in the United States (up from $12) and $16 (up from $15) in over 200 international destinations to access their plan’s data, with unlimited calls and texts.

For BCE Inc.‘s Bell customers, rates will increase from $12 to $13 a day when roaming in the U.S. and from $15 to $16 a day when roaming internationally, effective March 9. The increases will also apply to its subsidiaries including Virgin Mobile.

Rogers Communications Inc. has not announced similar plans to raise roaming rates. Its customers, including those with brands Chatr and Fido, currently pay a daily rate of $12 to roam in the U.S. and $15 internationally.

Customers that use neither of the providers’ plans are charged pay-per-use rates on top of their regular monthly plan when they text, call or use data while travelling.

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