Canadian Phone Company Selling Porn

westcoaster004 writes "Telus, Canada's second-largest telecommunications carrier has started selling pornography to its cellular subscribers. The service allows subscribers with mobile browsers to purchase both photographic and video adult-oriented content from Telus, at an average of CD$4 per download. Telus decided to introduce the service after noticing that there existed a certain 'segment of the population that is interested in that content' from review of the mobile Web browsing habits of their subscribers 'on an aggregate level.' They are the first telecommunications company in Canada to offer such content. A Telus spokesman said: 'We're fairly certain that if our competitors in Canada haven't launched it, they will soon. Same in the US.'"

Re:Telus

[Anonymous Coward]

Telus is anything but progressive.

They charge a $5 per month 'long distance admin fee' on your telephone service. It is just a money grab. If you opt out of their expensive long distance service, then your internet charges go up by...you guessed it...$5 per month.

My internet service will cost over $40 per month for the 1.5/.5 connection when my "price protection plan" ends. I'm locked into their crappy service and they said it will cost me $240 if I choose to bail out early.

Their webmail uses unencrypted web pages, so you can't use it from wireless hot-spots. Or pretty much anywhere you don't trust the intermediate ISP(s). It probably isn't safe to use anywhere but from home, so what's the point?

There are other issues as well so I wouldn't call them progressive in any sense of the word unless you call the ability to view porn on a 120 X 120 pixel screen progressive.

Re:free speech? kiss it goodbye.

[Arivia]

I applaud you for having no idea how the Canadian telecommunications field works. From a Canadian perspective, the idea of porn is a minor issue, and the media issue is a non-issue. It's a completely different game up here, bucko.

Re:Telus

[ceoyoyo]

If only they didn't have to be frequently censured by the CRTC for abysmal customer service, commonly lie to their customers when they do have problems with their services, and have so many problems with their bureaucracy that it takes them a month to actually switch DSL service to a new account.

Re:Telus

[Anonymous Coward]

Telus doesn't shape bittorrent, they outright DISABLE it. I have never been able to use standard bittorrent with my telus ADSL line.

Re:Telus Progressive?

[Anonymous Coward]

Progressive, like blocking [telus.net] inbound tcp ports 21, 80, 443 "to secure your PC from virus and hacker activity"?

Anyone up here who is at all serious about their net connection uses Shaw's services instead.

Re:Telus

[quantaman]

They also blocked access [www.cbc.ca] to one of their unions websites during a strike.

Re:Interesting

[Chris whatever]

It depends where you are in Canada, the west is largely more puritain than the east. But there is always some annoyed people or group even in the most tolerant regions but they have no real power, not like in the U.S.

At least in Quebec ,it has died down to a crawl, religious zealots are mostly the a minoroty of immigrant who for some reason think they have the right to conduct themselves according to their religions's rules and not the civile code of rights. (Big debate in Quebec these past few weeks)