After jumping the gun last year in announcing a deal with Apple for the iPhone, Rogers is once again letting customers know it has struck a deal with the company.

Rogers issued press release about a year ago claiming it would be the exclusive provider for the iPhone in Canada -- not surprising since it is the sole major GSM provider in the country -- but later, the statement was retracted.

Since then, the company has maintained it did not have definitive plans to carry the device, probably at the behest of Apple.

"We're thrilled to announce that we have a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Canada later this year," president and CEO Ted Rogers said. "We can't tell you any more about it right now, but stay tuned."

Analysts said it would be a safe bet to expect the phone before the holiday shopping season, possibly as early as the back-to-school rush which occurs during the third quarter of the year.

Price of the phone is not known either, although its likely that the device will not retail for much more than it does in the US considering the relative parity of the two currencies.