Alarm bells are going off amongst internet users as pay per use is being introduced.Canada’s largest Telco, Bell Canada, is to lose its flat fee charging regime – and begin charging by the gigabyte.

The new system kisses goodbye to the conventional ISP charging by the bundle in anything from 2GB to 200 GB, forcing consumers who are prone to video and movie downloads in particular to dig deeper into their pockets.  

The system, to begin from next month, appears like a throwback to the nineties era of internet cafes where users had to pay by the hour to use the net. 

Although there is no word whether such a billing system would be introduced in Australia, it is already apparent that the promises of “unlimited” broadband are not always fulfilled.

Neither Optus nor Telstra were available for comment.

The change comes following a ruling by the Canadian federal regulator there last year which gave Bell the go ahead to change its billing for wholesale customers.

One such secondary provider to be stung, TekSavvy recently notified their users of the 25GB data limit, a major drop from the 200GB allowance and unlimited caps previously on offer, according to the Daily Mail. 

They also warned extensive web browsing, sharing music and video downloading and emailing is likely to push subscribers over their monthly allowance.

Another company, Execulink, who signed with Bell 2007 will have their unlimited packages honoured or ‘grandfathered’ for a period.