Shaw Reviews and Plans

Shaw is today the largest Cable company in Canada. Shaw started operations in 1966 as Capital Cable Television, in Edmonton Alberta. It was in 1983 was renamed to Shaw Cablesystems and it has been growing ever since. In 1995 Shaw moved headquarters to Calgary, where they still are today. 

It was in 2005 Shaw Home Phone started servicing markets in Edmonton, Calgary, and Winnipeg. Eleven years later, in 2016, Shaw acquired Wind Mobile (now known as Freedom Mobile). In the history of Shaw, it is clear the thirst for expansion; organic or through strategic acquisitions.

Let us focus now our review on Shaw Home Phone or Shaw's landline service. To begin with, Shaw's Home Phone uses fixed VoIP (Voice over IP) which is the typical technology used by cable operators; Rogers Home Phone, for example, uses the very same. 

Shaw Home Phone comes in two very distinct plans;

• Personal Home Phone at $40/month (includes)
  • Local Phone Service
  • Shaw to Shaw long-distance calling
  • Call Display
  • Call Forward
  • 3-Way Calling
  • Complimentary Directory Assistance
  • Enhanced 911
  • Busy Redial
  • Anonymous Call Blocking
  • Selective Call Blocking
  • Do Not Disturb
  • Call Return
  • Simultaneous Ring
  • Operator Assistance
  • IP Relay
  • 711 Message Relay 

As we can see Shaw Home Phone plan is rather expensive when compared to, for example, VoIP Much which at $9.45/month with over 30 features and Canada/US long-distance makes Shaw's Home Phone monthly price at $30 more of a head-scratcher than anything else. 

With that said, in terms of features, Shaw Home Phone does offer some good ones. For example, the IP Relay allows using a computer or smartphone App to make phone calls with the same Home Phone number. Rather confusing the name Shaw choose. Also have to consider in the most basic Shaw Home Phone plan, at a rate of $40/month there is no voicemail available and only local calling included.

For Long Distance, Shaw Home Phone offers five international calling plans:

• North America Long Distance 250 Minutes: $5 per month
• North America Long Distance 500 Minutes: $10 per month
• 1000 Minutes International Long Distance: $5 per month (only for Subscribers of Shaw's Home Phone + Features plan) 
• Asia Unlimited: $6 per month
• India Unlimited: $8 per month

If you are not using a pre-packaged Long Distance plan; the international Long Distance rates for Shaw's Home Phone are relatively good. For example to call India either landline or mobile is $0.05.

All in all, if you are looking for reliable service and maybe bundle up then Shaw may have something for you with their Home Phone service. Otherwise, there are a lot of other options to save money; and perhaps, be as reliable. 

Features

Call Blocking
Conference Calling
BYOD:
Smartphone App:
Call Forwarding
Call Hold
Caller ID Name:
Enhanced VoiceMail:

Call Blocking
Conference Calling
Fax Capabilities
Fax to Email
Call Forwarding
Call Hold
Call Transfer
Music Hold
Caller ID Name:
Call Waiting:
Web Management:
Do Not Disturb:
Multiple Users:
Area Code Selection:
Extra Number:
Toll Free Numbers:
BYOD:
Desktop App:
Smartphone App:
Enhanced VoiceMail:
VoiceMail to Email:

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