RSSRogers, Fido detail iPhone 3G plans for Canada
By Ed Oswald | Published June 27, 2008, 1:52 PM
Both Rogers and its smaller wholly-owned subsidiary Fido announced plans for the iPhone 3G -- along with the longest mandated contract length so far of any iPhone carrier: three years.
Rogers is Canada's largest wireless provider, serving some 7.1 million subscribers. Fido is the fourth largest, serving 1.3 million subscribers, and has been a subsidiary of Rogers since November 2004.
While Rogers has a customer base that spans much of the country, Fido focuses on the urban demographic through a focus on entertainment and data services.
Plans start at CDN$60 ($59 USD) for 150 minutes of talk time, with unlimited nights and weekends, 400 MB of data, unlimited incoming texts, and 75 outgoing texts; with the top plan being CDN$115 ($114 USD) for 800 minutes, 2 GB of data, and 300 text messages.
Compared with US and UK plans, they are better with some and worse in others. For example, in the UK, O2's £30 plan (equal to CDN$60) only includes 75 minutes, but 125 text messages and unlimited data.
The cheapest plan here in the US, which would come in at $69, would give users 450 minutes, 5000 night and weekend minutes, as well as unlimited mobile-to-mobile and data. No text messaging is included.
As for the device itself, the pricing would be the same for the devices as it is in the US -- and essentially the same given the currency parity -- $199 for the 8 GB, and $299 for the 16 GB model.
I thought that U.S. plans were bad until I saw this. I'm guessing that iPhones will only be sold to the most fanatical of Apple fanatics in Canada.
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|Personaly, I won't be buying an iPhone, but I do know a lot of people who were thinking about it....
Thanks to Roger's bonehead plans, a lot of them are reconsidering. So dumb. No reason for it be that expensive.
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|I don't think it is that simple. So far, I haven't seen anyone offering a cheap contract for iPhone. My suspicion is that Apple is charging arms and legs for the new gadget. (considering last generation 16gb ipod touch is $400, my gut feeling 3g iphone is $600+). So the telco can only passon the cost using some 'creative' ways.
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|Quite frankly the iPhone is a pile of crap, which through clever marketing by Apple, is selling a product of miniute consequence. But here is the kicker, the North American cell phone carriers are charging mega bucks, totally unjustified, in order for the consumer to use these devices. In Canada, Rogers Communications is without doubt the Prince of 'Mega Profits'. Their plans are base loaded on the premise that one will always use the included features. Most do not. The other kicker is that Canadian Carriers enforce the 'locked' down technology for any phone you purchase. One can not just go over to ABC carrier and make the thing work. NO WAY, one must pay hundreds of dollars to have the phone unlocked. This is stupid.
No problem though, on a visit to SE ASIA I purchased my family phones for a quarter of the price in North America, unlocked, and simply went on the Monthly plan. Rogers at first refused to give me the sim cards as I was a Canadian Citizen. No problem, threatened court action and they backed off.
The cell phone carriers across North America are bilking the public and it seems we do need new regulations to to control their abuse and massive profit making.
iPhones, oh yeah what a dismal little machine that is certainly not worth it.
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|this is a g** d*** joke.
2GB of data as the max plan. rogers again you seem to miss the entire concept of something. WHAT the hell are people going to do with 2GB of data? There will be alot of returns for the iphone after the first bill as rogers expects people to pay 5 cents a kb. this is bulls*** that apple lets go of some of its constraints on the device and rogers cut a vital part of it, unlimited data. i guess apple is fine with not one canadian mobile me customer as continuously synchronizing will cause overages in less than 2 weeks. god i wish there was another gsm provider here that wouldn't get bought up like Fido.
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|I cant wait to get the iPhone and then dress it up with a cool wallpaper from http://www.mobilejacz.com
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|Once again Canada is effed up the proverbial butt.
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