MacDailyNews Note: Rogers previously had charged C$100/mo. for a 6GB plan.
In anticipation of iPhone 3G launch on July 11, Rogers Wireless today announced plans to open the doors of select Rogers Plus retail stores across Canada in advance of regular hours. Starting at 8am July 11, Canadians will be able to purchase the new iPhone 3G at special launch day events to be held at six Rogers Plus stores across the country. Be among the first in Canada to get the next generation iPhone 3G and have the choice of a 6GB data plan through a limited time promotional price offer.
“As Canada’s leading wireless carrier, Rogers is excited to bring iPhone 3G to Canadians even sooner, allowing our customers to be amongst the first in the world to experience this amazing mobile innovation,” says John Boynton, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Rogers Wireless. “To celebrate its launch on Canada’s fastest wireless network, we’re rolling out the red carpet with special events at six Rogers Plus stores and a limited time price promotional data offer from coast-to-coast.”
The following Rogers Plus stores in these cities will open their doors at 8am (all times local) on Friday, July 11 for advance purchases of the Apple iPhone 3G:
• Toronto: 112-10 Dundas Street East
• Montreal: 1015 rue St. Catherine Ouest
• Ottawa: 690 Bank Street
• Halifax: Unit 265, 7001 Mumford Road
• Calgary: 5244 Falsbridge Gate, NE
• Vancouver: 2097 West Broadway
Customers attending launch day events at these Rogers Plus stores will be treated to a free early bird breakfast and have a chance to win Rogers Wireless prizes.
Effective July 11, and as a limited time promotional offer for customers who activate by August 31 on a three year contract, a data-only offering of 6GB of data for $30 per month is being made available that can be added to any in-market voice plan. For example, with 6GB of data, iPhone 3G users can visit 35,952 web pages, or send and receive 157,286 emails, or watch 6,292 minutes of YouTube videos each and every month (Based on live trials of iPhone 3G on Rogers HSPA network, July 2008).
New Canadian iPhone 3G customers will also have the choice to select from Rogers Wireless’ existing voice and smartphone data plans and/or additional features to best suit their needs, or from Rogers Wireless’ value bundled plans specifically for iPhone 3G. Existing Rogers Wireless customers can keep their current voice service plan and select a separate data plan to meet their needs or choose from other plans after checking their individual upgradeeligibility.
Starting July 11, iPhone 3G will be available at participating locations across Canada, including select Rogers Plus, Rogers Video, and Rogers Wireless retail locations and at the following specially selected authorized Rogers Wireless dealers: WirelessWave, TBooth and Wireless etc. iPhone 3G can also be purchased online at www.rogers.com and through Rogers’ customer service at 1-888-764-3771. For a complete store listing, visit http://your.rogers.com/mq/mqlocator.asp. Due to anticipated high demand, there is a maximum purchase of two iPhone 3G units per customer.
Source: Rogers Wireless Communications Inc.
“‘We listened to our customers, everybody from those who are very tech savvy to those who just knew they wanted this device and were really enthusiastic and didn’t know how they were going to use the data but knew it was a data device,’ Rogers spokeswoman Liz Hamilton said,” Matt Hartley reports for The Globe and Mail. “‘So this will give them a great opportunity.'”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Trevor” for the heads up.]
@ Frank
Great point. So $8 extra to the $55/$70/$85 plans I suggested making them $63/$78/$93. Still fairly comparable worldwide or better than a lot.
Oh ya get rid of that SAF, after all is said and done, it`ll cost the average subscriber $80-$100 a month
Interesting to see this was predicted back on 19 June in an article from ehMac…. found here on MDN http://www.macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/leaked_rogers_canadian_apple_iphone_3g_rate_plans_purchase_limits_and_more/
It essentially is $30 add on to existing plan for ‘unlimited’ data/iPhone. The distinction of 6GB vs unLimited I believe is a ‘concession’ somewhere within Rogers.
The $30 add on is noted as a consumer option.
Unless there’s some fine print that I’m missing (and I’ve seen nothing so far to indicate this is the case), this is comparable in price and value to AT&T;plans (with the exception of the 1 year longer contract).
This is what it should have been from the beginning, and yet still all people can do is complain. Oh well.
Hey Danno, what kool aid are you drinking? Must be fun in your world. Or maybe you’re an employee just spreading FUD?
If I have to pay the extraneous fees, then they should be included. Everyone knows the system access fee is a total rip off and has no basis in service cost. This promotional plan is just a red herring, loaded with exclusions and conditions. If you are so happy with the plan, then go over to Rogers on the 11th and be one of the few suckers that fall for this.
@ Danno Bonano
not true.
the “iPhone plans” are still up on Rogers and fido sites, the cheapest of which is $60. Even if we ignore the add-ons, taxes, and extra fees like you say (which *aren’t* the same in other countries BTW, so specious argument there), it’s still 60 + 30.
So *mimimum* $90 a month before fees and taxes, which comes to more than the $110 or so I quoted anyway.
It’s possible that Rogers will let you use any voice plan with the iPhone in combination with this 6GB for $30 “promotion,” but in fact they haven’t said that yet. Even if they do allow this, then you are missing some of the basic features of the “iPhone plans” like visual voicemail etc. If you add those back in with “value-packs” (and you *know* your getting screwed when the seller starts using terms like “value pack”), you end up paying even more than the $90.
Worse, you aren’t allowed to get an iPhone without a data package. So you can’t for instance just use whatever cheapo fido voice package you are already on, because it has no data and the iPhone is not available as voice only. You will have to use the 6GB “promotion” as your best deal.
Bottom line is just as I said.
– Over a hundred an ten or so a month to use the iPhone in a similar fashion to the AT&T;plan in the US.
– Get away with up to (aprox.) 25 dollars less, by eliminating things like visual voicemail, call waiting, call back, caller ID whatever.
Not a good deal either way.
Final Comment?
The supposed promotion clearly states that you can add a data package of 6GB for iphone on to any of Rogers current market minute plans. This makes the whole package potential cheaper. And, regardless of all this. It would seem to me the main problem is the air time for calls cost not the data. I have two crackberries with Telus. I use a total of 600-800 minutes/month with my wife’s and my phones. With all the fees and charges added up my bills are always between $180 and $200 month. I am allowed 4mb of data on my Crackberry. I think the main issue is too many people are trying to relate a data plan device with there LG chocolate for free with unlimited incoming and so on. The sad fact is while Apple would like to have created a very desirable consumer oriented device it is still priced plan wise as a business tool. If you get right down to it Even in the US $60-$70 is still ridiculous for an individual cellular phone bill. People are loosing their houses left right and center but they can afford close to a thousand dollars/year to talk and surf on their cell phone. As a business tool the amount is explainable. As a personal expression it is just ludicrous.
@ Jeremy
“It’s possible that Rogers will let you use any voice plan with the iPhone in combination with this 6GB for $30 “promotion,” but in fact they haven’t said that yet.”
YES they have said that.
MW: said !
Visual Voicemail is available as an $8 add-on, if you don’t get one of the earlier announced (ie crappy value) iPhone plans which included it. but it’s not included in today’s new $30/6GB plan
free Hotspot access is also NOT part of this new 6GB plan. but IMO it becomes a non-issue (was more required if you had that old 400MB plan)
This is still a scam…they give with one hand, and take with the other…There is no free WiFi hotspots and no visual voicemail with this 6GB offer…caveat emptor!
p.s. re: Hotspot access
I just noticed (see rogers.com/hotspots) that without a hotspot plan, if you have a Rogers wireless number you can log into any Hotspot brand location and pay by the minute 15cent/minute. I don’t use txt msgs and don’t have txt msg plan, but in a pinch, I can still send a TXT at 15cents each – so in a way the hotspot is like that, pay per use if no plan.
still, yeah it sucks that you lose the unlimited hotspot if you go with the new $30/6GB plan. anyhow lots of other free wifi around, plus home and at work.
as for scam – all the add-ons (aka “wireless essentials” as Rogers calls them) are extra cost, even when they bundle several together in one of their “Value Packs”. if they were so “essential, wouldn’t you think they’d include them with basic service? like Caller ID? but oh no, it’s just an opportunity to tack on some extra charges. this is nothing new, same as before with any other phone.
I think the airlines are learning from the cellphone industry, now charging for “extras”, like, say, baggage, pillows, and meals.
anyhow the new $30/6GB plan is WAY more reasonable than the original offerings, especially if all you want is a basic (e.g. 100min) voice plan and add data on top.
p.s.
I said “Value Packs” – that’s what Rogers calls them. but I think they’re really just “Profit Packs” – more profit for Rogers, so that’s what they should be called
now maybe somebody could do the same for Ireland with o2 crazy prices here. Locally known as the “paddy tax”
I was just talking to the the sales guys at the Rogers Plus store nearest me. This is a rather large store in Kanata.
I am told that they will have only 14 iPhones when the store opens on Friday at 10.
A search on the Rogers web site for stores within 50 km that will have iPhones on Friday only reveals 10 stores!
Maybe the Bank Street store in Ottawa will get a bigger allocation… But I am ready to wager that Rogers will be out of stock within just a few minutes of the stores opening.
As for the rumours of iPhones being diverted to Europe.. I call Bull Excrement. That wouldn’t happen due to the fact that chargers are in the box. Something about the plugs would make that real stoopid.
It’s still a hell of way to start off a relatesonship with your soon-to-be #1 vendor, i.e say around 2PM on Friday, when Apple starts to break Rogers “all time sales records”!
is it just me or is Rogers a shit name for a telco company?
Buck Rogers Telecommunications however….now thats more like it.
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