Northwestel permanently increased monthly data allowances on selected residential and business internet packages effective July 1, 2020, without raising the corresponding retail rates. The change was automatic for the listed plans. Those figures describe a historical plan change, not necessarily the packages or allowances available today.
What Northwestel changed in July 2020
In an announcement dated June 23, 2020, Northwestel said selected plans would receive higher monthly usage allowances starting July 1. The company said customers did not need to contact it: the new amounts would be applied automatically. The announcement covered selected packages, not every Northwestel plan. Northwestel’s announcement listed the following new monthly allowances and increases.
| Network or customer type | Plan named in 2020 | Increase shown | New monthly allowance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential cable and fibre | Internet 5 | 5 GB | 25 GB |
| Residential cable and fibre | Internet 10 | 10 GB | 90 GB |
| Residential cable and fibre | Internet 20 | 10 GB | 160 GB |
| Residential cable and fibre | Internet 50 | 100 GB | 300 GB |
| Residential cable and fibre | Internet 100 | 150 GB | 450 GB |
| Residential cable and fibre | Internet 125 | 200 GB | 600 GB |
| Residential cable and fibre | Internet 250 | 250 (unit not displayed in the announcement’s increase column) | 750 GB |
| Nunavut | Katittuq 5 | 20 GB | 65 GB |
| Nunavut | Katittuq 10 | 35 GB | 110 GB |
| Nunavut | Katittuq 15 | 50 GB | 150 GB |
| Satellite internet | Sat. DSL Internet 5 | 15 GB | 60 GB |
| Terrestrial DSL | DSL Internet 2 | 40 GB | 80 GB |
| Terrestrial DSL | DSL Internet 5 | 75 GB | 200 GB |
| Terrestrial DSL | DSL Internet 15 | 100 GB | 300 GB |
| Business terrestrial DSL | DSL Business Internet 5 | 50 GB | 250 GB |
| Business terrestrial DSL | DSL Business Internet 15 | 75 GB | 325 GB |
| Business cable and fibre | Business Internet 80 | 75 GB | 375 GB |
| Business cable and fibre | Business Internet 100 | 100 GB | 500 GB |
| Business cable and fibre | Business Internet 150 | 125 GB | 635 GB |
| Business cable and fibre | Business Internet 300 | 150 GB | 750 GB |
These are the figures in Northwestel’s 2020 announcement. Its increase column displays “+250” for Internet 250 without the GB unit; the new allowance is shown as 750 GB.
How the permanent increases differed from COVID-19 relief
The permanent increases were separate from temporary COVID-19 measures that Northwestel had introduced in March 2020. Those temporary measures were due to expire June 30. In its later decision, the CRTC described the promotion as including waived or reduced usage charges for residential cable and fibre-to-the-premises customers and an extra 100 GB for DSL customers.
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On November 9, 2020, the CRTC approved Northwestel’s application on a final basis to increase allowances on certain residential and business cable, DSL, and fibre-to-the-premises packages. Northwestel’s filing proposed increases ranging from 7% to 100% without corresponding retail rate increases. The CRTC also recorded 48 interventions from individual subscribers, raising subjects including internet’s importance in the North, affordability and unlimited options, and service quality or billing. These were views expressed in the regulatory record, not evidence that all customers held the same position. Read Telecom Order CRTC 2020-370.
What happened to some plans later
Plan names and allowances did not stay frozen at their 2020 levels. In a January 27, 2022 announcement, Northwestel said its home Internet 125 and Internet 250 plans would move from their then-listed 600 GB and 750 GB allowances to unlimited at no additional cost. The announcement also named communities where those unlimited plans were then available. That announcement and its community list are dated, so they do not establish current availability. See Northwestel’s January 2022 announcement.
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How to check your current plan and manage usage
Check availability for your community
Northwestel says unlimited options are available in some communities, and that upgrade eligibility depends on the highest tier available in a customer’s area. Check the current plans for your community rather than relying on an old plan name or allowance. Northwestel’s plan-change guidance says customers can upgrade or downgrade, there is no one-time charge to change plans, and the higher allowance applies for the entire current month when changing plans. It lists 1-888-423-2333 for customers who want to call.
Track activity on a fixed-allowance plan
Northwestel recommends using its Usage report tool and signing up for email alerts as usage approaches the monthly limit. Its usage-management guidance also suggests checking background updates, peer-to-peer upload activity, automatic cloud backups and video resolution. Northwestel says both uploads and downloads count toward usage, and higher streaming quality generally uses more data; it does not provide a quantified estimate for these activities on that support page.
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Compare current offers on like-for-like terms
When comparing plans, check the service available at your address and compare network type, speed tier, monthly allowance or unlimited status, monthly rate and any usage-related charges. The 2020 figures above do not establish today’s rates or offers in any community.
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- Powerful Pass-Through Charging: Supports up to 85W pass-through charging so you can power up your laptop while you use the hub. Note: Pass-through charging requires a charger (not included). Note: To achieve full power for iPad, we recommend using a 45W wall charger.
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