Update: Be sure to vote in our Wind data plan poll.

I decided to see just how Wind Mobile’s new offerings stacked up against the competition so I spent some time and did a rate comparison. I compared the 4 companies across two metrics: The power user who wants to really use their device, and to see what they offered for a $40 a month plan.

Power User: Talks a lot, uses a lot of data, and wants a high-end phone. The BlackBerry Bold 9700 was the phone of choice here, and all plans were as ‘unlimited’ as I could get them without purposely getting the most expensive options for the sake of it.

The $40 Plan: With so many options available out there, I spent several hours trying to piece together a fair comparison of plans. I found my job became much easier when I decided on a $40 a month budget and saw how far it could get me with an emphasis on talk and text.

To ensure parity across all plans, I opted for the no contract options on the Bell/Rogers/Telus plans. Also, for tax purposes, I ensured all plans were selected to be in Ontario (5% GST, 8% PST).

Power User – BlackBerry Bold 9700 – No Contract

Bell Rogers Telus Wind
Plan Uber 60 Fab 5 + Blackberry Social 30 + call display $45 Personal Voice + 5GB Blackberry Data Smart 100 PDA Always Shout + Infinite Mobile
Minutes 600 400 500 Unlimited
Evenings and Weekends Unlimited 9pm Unlimited 9pm Unlimited 6pm Unlimited
Data 1 GB 5 GB 3 GB Unlimited*
Unlimited Talk 5 national numbers 5 national numbers 5 national numbers All national numbers
Text Messages Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Due now $677.95 $621.49 $734.49 $508.50
Monthly Payment $117.91 $127.58 $129.95 $90.40

Due Today: Wind looks to win out here with the lack of an activation fee and lower handset prices which lets them offer a lower start up cost. Of course you can do better with the competition if you are willing to enter a contract of 3 years; 2 year contracts don’t help very much.

Monthly: Again, Wind is priced significantly lower than the competition and manages to offer unlimited talk time as opposed to “so much it might as well be unlimited”, and unlimited data. Of course you have to stay close to home in order to do this well for now, but if this describes you, then Wind seems to be your choice.

The $40 Plan – No Contract

Bell Rogers Telus Wind
Plan Uber 40 Talk and Text $40 Personal Voice Phone 40 Always Talk + Unlimited Text
Minutes 250 250 250 Unlimited
Evenings and Weekends Unlimited 9pm Unlimited 9pm Unlimited 6pm Unlimited
Unlimited Talk Evenings/Weekends Evenings/Weekends Evenings/Weekends All provincial numbers
Text Messages Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Features Call Waiting | Conference Calling | Call Forwarding Call Waiting | Group Calling | Call Forwarding Voice Mail 3 | Call Waiting | Conference Calling Caller ID | Missed-call Alerts | Call Forward | Call Conferencing | Call Waiting | Call Hold
Monthly Payment $40 + tax + 911 $40 + tax + govt regulatory rec fee + 911 $40 + tax + 911 $40 + tax

Monthly: For $40 you definitely get more with Wind. The competitors all offer pretty much identical service here, with Telus offering a slightly more attractive feature set. Wind gives the most extensive feature set and unlimited talk time. I did not include tax, 911 fees, nor a government regulatory recovery fee (Rogers), as it is not entirely clear on the websites as to what is included. Except Wind of course. No extra fees there, so your Wind bill is likely to be a little bit lower than the others.