Price increase in April 2025?

JEDI-JF

I received an email from ebox about the price increase in April 2025. It is an increase of $4, which is very unusual since I have been a customer with them. I am wondering if this increase is for all users or only on cable? I am on Vidéotron cable with ebox.

I see that now that for my address I cannot get cable anymore, only dsl but I think I am fine for now since my subscription is grandfathered. So I am wondering if this increase is to try to get rid of cable subscriptions. It is already not that competitive anymore, even before the $4 increase.

I looked at dsl with ebox but my only option is 15 mbps, it is way too slow, it is not an option to go from 120 to 15.

dfortier

JEDI-JF no price increase for me. But the 4$ price increase is exactly the same augmentation Bell is asking per service.

GrumpyCanadian

Was this a separate e-mail message specifically to inform you of an increase, or was it mentioned in an inconspicuous area of your bill? If it was a separate message, my brother (a fibre customer; Montreal area) tells me that he has not received any notice as yet.

Edit: I think his next bill will arrive in a couple of weeks. I'll ask him to look through it closely and report back if there is a notice there.

WalterDnes

GrumpyCanadian

No increase notification for me either. I'm an EBOX fibre customer one block north of the Toronto boundary.

JEDI-JF

It is a separate email I received on Monday with subject "Mise à jour importante : modification des tarifs de votre service Internet."

ToNIX

I think that's an overcharge for using cable, as they want you to switch to fiber or DSL.

Have you checked the internet plans with Fizz? There's also a $25 referral program on Fizz, I have my cellphone plan with them.

JEDI-JF

That is what I figured. I would change for fiber no question asked but it is not available where I live. My only option with ebox now if I switch from my cable plan for ebox is dsl 15 (it is too slow).

I looked at Fizz. My issue is the modem they currently use: CODA-4680. This is an old outed modem/router with the defective Puma 6 chip. On top of that, it is too "fat" to be wall mounted in my cabinet.

I have seen threads from about 6 months ago that they started a beta program with a newer modem (and I think it is a separated router and modem, which I would prefer). It seems to be using a Puma chip unfortunately but not the Puma 6, which was the worst. It has standard depth so I could easily wall mount in my cabinet (I got a bracket even it is not wall mountable directly). But that was 6 months ago and no official news so I am not holding my breath. Fizz is owned by Vidéotron, one of the slowest company I have ever seen. They are always last to update their technology.

ToNIX

JEDI-JF You'll want to bypass the modem in bridge mode anyways, so if you can hide it somewhere, maybe that would work?

chdude3

JEDI-JF My issue is the modem they currently use: CODA-4680. This is an old outed modem/router with the defective Puma 6 chip.

This looks like DOCSIS 3.1 modem with Puma 7? Neither old nor seriously defective.
https://us.hitrontech.com/products/service-providers/coda-4680-cable-modem-router/

JEDI-JF

chdude3
The CODA-4680 is not using the Puma 7 chip, it is using the Puma 6 (which was released 8 years ago, MaxLinear even released the Puma 8 in 2023)
It is in the list of bad modems (found on multiple web sites)
https://approvedmodemlist.com/intel-puma-6-modem-list-chipset-defects/

J-P

No price increase for me.

Edit: on grandfathered 30mbps down/60mbps up FTTH.

WalterDnes

J-P

Edit: on grandfathered 30mbps down/60mbps up FTTH.

I was migrated from 10 mbps cable to the 30 mbps plan which actually gave me 40 down and 60 up. Check the EBOX website for your address. Under the current plans, 60 mbps costs me the exact same as the grandfathered 30 mbps. The transfer is not automatic; you have to ask, either by phone or via your customer zone web page. As I said, in my case the cost is the same after I asked to be transferred to 60 mbps. It rocks. I tested on https://www.speedtest.net/ minutes ago and got 76.63 down and 92.74 up.

Lebon14

I'm on the grandfathered 1gbps symmetrical FTTH plan with the CAA rebate. No emails on that front.
There's no other good option for cable unless you take the L either with Fizz (shitty modem) or have to buy Vidéoétron's garbage Helix 2-1 modem/routers... Imo, a 4$ increase for the first time since... forever is a much softer L to swallow.

JEDI-JF

Lebon14
I'll keep ebox for now. My fear is that the $4 increase will become an annual thing like it was when I had Vidéotron.

GrumpyCanadian

WalterDnes I don't know if something has changed, or that was just for Quebec, but it was well documented that EBOX sales people would hound you incessantly when fibre became available, until you switched over. It's surprising that you had to ask for it.

J-P

WalterDnes I just checked and it’s 5$ more than what I’m paying but not bad 😊 I also had the hardware rental included at that price. Thanks by the way.

WalterDnes

GrumpyCanadian

GrumpyCanadian it was well documented that EBOX sales people would hound you incessantly when fibre became available, until you switched over. It's surprising that you had to ask for it.

A bit of mis-understanding here. Let me clarify...

EBOX did send me emails about upgrading to fibre. I guess Bell didn't like being a low-margin TPIA on Rogers last-mile. I did not have any service issues that required calling EBOX, so I can't comment on the phone people pushing fibre.
I was migrated from 10/1 cable to allegedly 30/10 fibre. I say "allegedly" because they over-delivered; 40 mbps down and 60 mbps up. The fibre monthly cost was actually a few cents less than the old 10/1 cable cost. I was NOT complaining.
Fast-forward several months: EBOX re-shuffled their internet services. The 30/10 EBOX fibre service was grandfathered, and the low-end offering became the 60/10 plan. Again, they over-delivered. various speed tests show 78 mbps down and 93 mbps up FOR THE EXACT SAME PRICE as the old 30 mbps plan. Again, not complaining.
The switchover from grandfathered EBOX 30 mbps fibre to EBOX 60 mbps fibre was not automatic. I had to ask for it.
.Digging through my email archive, the invoice for Nov 2020 (10/1) cable) was $39.61. The invoice for Jan 2025 (60/10 fibre) was $39.55. Again; not complaining.

JEDI-JF

My understanding is that the CTRC ruled that a company cannot use the infrastructure of another provider if it has its own one in an area. So ebox (Bell) cannot use cable anymore (ex: Vidéotron) because it provides DSL in my area. Same applies for other small ISPs that were bought by the big players.

I am guessing that I am OK on my current cable plan because I got it before that CRTC decision but I assume I cannot change that plan to another ebox cable plan and that maybe, eventually I will be forced to go on dbox DSL (or use another provider).

Lebon14

JEDI-JF nd that maybe, eventually I will be forced to go on dbox DSL

No. You are grandfathered in as long as you are a sub.

WalterDnes

Lebon14

Lebon14 No. You are grandfathered in as long as you are a sub.

What happens when the cableco deprecates your current modem because it has too few channels? Or migrates from Docsis 3.0 to Docsis 3.1 or Docsis 4.0 https://www.thefastmode.com/technology-solutions/37433-rogers-rolls-out-docsis-4-0-powered-by-comcast-technology

J-P

Lebon14 is it true if we move addresses? I’m selling my condo and moving to a house where FTTH is available.

Lebon14

WalterDnes What happens when the cableco deprecates your current modem because it has too few channels? Or migrates from Docsis 3.0 to Docsis 3.1 or Docsis 4.0

Besides analog cable TV, have we even seen a case where people were forced to change their internet package? I mean, we still have Illico boxes here that still work even tough Vidéotron has long stopped new subs and they still allow people to keep it. I wouldn't be surprised if some people still have the old Illico 1.0 boxes still working.

In other words, I wouldn't worry about that. Just cross that bridge when you'll have to cross it. Rogers rolling out DOCSIS 4.0 does not mean anything in term of the reliability of your internet plan. Also Rogers and Vidéotron act very, very differently...