Unpredictable. Unfocused. Just like life.

I've mentioned the much higher cell phone costs in Canada versus the United States before. Now others are starting to look at this problem as well.

Michael Geist mentions it:

A study released last week noted that Canadians pay significantly higher wireless fees, particularly for high-end users, as compared to consumers in the United States. Emboldened by limited competition, providers have not hesitated to pad their prices by adding the deceptive "system access fee." Contrary to popular belief, the fee, which adds nearly $100 per year to every wireless phone bill (MTS Mobility in Manitoba just increased its system access fee to $107.40 per year), is not a government-mandated charge but rather a slick method of camouflaging higher prices.

And the National Post has an article about it too:

In the developed world, Canada fares poorly in several key telecommunications measures. It has some of the highest cellphone rates in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, reflected in its poor uptake ranking. Among the 30 OECD nations, only Mexico has fewer mobile subscribers.