In the wake of the Rogers-Shaw merger, Canadians have been left with many questions, like “how the hell could a government that keeps talking about telecom affordability let this merger happen?” But Shaw customers might have more questions than most about the merger and what it means for their services.
According to Rogers and Shaw, the answer to that is “nothing for now,” or some variation of that. A series of frequently asked questions (FAQ) pages (1, 2, 3 total) published by Shaw run through a ton of questions about what customers need to know following the merger, ranging from what customers need to do to whether equipment or billing practices will change. Almost every answer listed includes some variation of things “are not changing at this time” or “there is nothing you need to do.”
Either that or the answers are about how the merger is great for everyone (it isn’t), will deliver more choice (it won’t) and other vague platitudes.
On the one hand, that might prove comforting for some Shaw customers worried they’d suddenly find themselves living in a Rogers world. On the other, it makes for boring news. Except, not every answer is just “nothing is happening yet” or “this merger is really good, please believe us!”
Shaw Mobile customers can move to Rogers, keep rates
Shaw Mobile customers can migrate to Rogers.
Perhaps the most interesting tidbit is that starting April 4th, 2023, “all current Shaw Mobile customers will have the opportunity to move their wireless service over to the Rogers Wireless 4G LTE network while maintaining the same rates they currently enjoy with a five-year price commitment.”
Shaw Mobile, as a quick refresher, is the lesser-known Shaw wireless endeavour that only really existed out west and relied heavily on Shaw’s internet infrastructure to provide service. It had some decent plan prices (assuming you subscribed to Shaw internet). Ultimately, it might even be a win for customers if they keep their low plan price but can now use Rogers 4G LTE rather than a hodgepodge of Shaw internet, Wi-Fi hotspots and Shaw’s 4G LTE.
Shaw says Rogers will reach out to customers when their plan is ready for migration but until then — you guessed it — nothing will change.
Details on the Shaw migration
In fact, there’s an entire other FAQ specifically about the death of Shaw Mobile, which also notes that Shaw Mobile customers will eventually get “exclusive” 5G offers from Rogers too. As of April 4th, Shaw will no longer accept Shaw Mobile sign-ups.
Digging deeper, this FAQ also warns that the Rogers Mobile migration offer will be bring-your-own-phone (BYOP) only and won’t include features like Roam Like Home or 5G access. It also won’t be eligible for device financing. Another part of the FAQ notes that the special 4G LTE plans are “only available in Rogers retail locations.”
Elsewhere, the FAQ notes customers will be able to keep their lines and phone numbers, though another spot warns that only six Shaw Mobiel lines can migrate to the special 4G LTE plan.
