“Rogers Communications Inc. has rolled out ‘unlimited’ data services for cellphones, but critics are saying the company’s plans are anything but,” CBC News reports.
“Toronto-based Rogers, Canada’s largest cellphone provider, quietly announced a plan last week that would allow ‘unlimited’ internet browsing on certain cellphones for $7 a month. The company also introduced a ‘Communicate Value’ pack for $20 that bundles the browsing with text messaging, voice mail and call display features,” CBC News reports.
“Both plans allow customers to browse whatever websites they want on their mobile phones, but prohibit them from using certain applications — such as Google Maps or Skype — that are not approved by Rogers. The plans also do not apply to PDAs or smartphones such as BlackBerry devices and do not cover e-mail, which incurs extra charges. Customers with either of the plans also cannot connect their cellphone to a computer and use it as a modem,” CBC News reports.
“Critics said the plans were Rogers’ latest attempt to confuse customers, this time by misrepresenting the word ‘unlimited,'” CBC News reports. “‘What appears to be a good deal on the surface comes with some serious caveats,’ wrote Marc Lostracco, assistant editor of the Torontoist website. ‘Customers need to remember that a company calling something ‘unlimited’ doesn’t actually make it so.'”
“Internet chat rooms have been agog over the past week with speculation that the new, lower rates are paving the way for the launch of the iPhone by Rogers,” CBC News reports. “The company has in the past declined to comment on when or if it would offer the iPhone. Hamilton reiterated there was nothing new to say about the iPhone.”
CBC News reports, “Critics said the new rates are still a long way from those being offered by iPhone carriers elsewhere. ‘For the company to offer a plan that is palatable to iPhone users — and, by proxy, all customers who use internet-capable devices — they will have to offer true unlimited data access,’ Lostracco said.”
Full article here.
How did you Canucks ever allow this Brawndo Rogers company to get so out of control?
Hopefully, Apple will soon cure the insanity of Canada’s outrageous mobile phone rates.
The disgusting monopoly that is Rogers up here is worse than it looks. It is pretty much impossible to contact Rogers with a complaint or request for refund when service is unnacceptable (often). Even ordering a pay-per-view hockey game is almost impossible, as they’ve automated the process (of course), but not so that a customer can actually get what they want. I guess the money they’ve saved with they’re human-less system brings profits despite customers not getting what they want at least half the time. Want to get 100 % of Canada’s cable market? Easy – set up a company up here that actually serves the needs of the population, then sit back and watch the money roll in.
I am a Rogers customer. I had a call from their customer “service” dept this week. They want me to sign a 3-yr contract with them (I have been month-to-month for 2 yrs now). I said “No, not until you get the iPhone.” The Rogers rep said 2 things: 1. Rogers is in a “dispute” with Apple over the iPhone, 2. Rogers was not getting the iPhone any time soon. Anyway, he said if I really wanted the iPhone, I could get one now and unlock, and then “you could get to use it on the Rogers network!” I told him no way, I wanted the real thing with the same voice/data plan/price that they offer at AT&T;in the US. I also said I didn’t want to consume data on the Rogers network at the current price.
Imagine the nerve, telling me this crap just so I can pay the huge, high data fees they charge! And now this so-called “unlimited” plan which would not be intended for smartphones or unlocked phones not sold by Rogers (why would you want an “unlimited” data plan on a non-smartphone?). So basically if you have a smartphone, or unlocked phone, you are still trapped into the highest-cost data plans they have. So much for unlimited.
Rogers sucks and we need to find a way to hurt them in the pocketbook, even in the absence of another GSM carrier in Canada. I told the Rogers rep that I was not going to reward Rogers by expanding my business with them in any way until they got the iPhone.
Smarten up, Rogers. The writing is on the wall. The minute your customers have a viable competitor, your game is up.
“How did you Canucks ever allow this Brawndo Rogers company to get so out of control?”
By not standing up and fighting when these companies lobbied our government to disallow competition, thereby creating a captive marketplace with no option but to use their hardware and their services at severely inflated prices. They did so by leveraging “morality”, asserting that users having any freedom or options would just lead to rampant piracy. Now they are free to charge $700 for set-top boxes (USB ports disabled) that should retail for less than $300 and then split all the desirable channels across “packages” that force you to pay exorbitant monthly fees just to have the basic channels.
If you folks in the US were paying attention you would be very upset about the recent trend Apple has been taking by artificially limiting the AppleTV to iTunes, removing audio/video output capability from iPods while not including WiFi sharing or iChat, the obvious anti-piracy measures taken with Remote Disc that have been extended beyond commercial media to include “burned CD/DVDs”, and the software limitations on their recent MBAir optical drive (no it’s not a power issue – see Appleinsider http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/02/09/early_adopter_issues_macbook_air_superdrive_remote_disc_and_install.html). Apple is not a white knight fighting for morality, nor the antithesis of Microsoft. Ever since iTunes became such a big hit they have been doing these things to pacify the content providers by creating a hardware based infrastructure that only lets you use media (commercial or not) in any way THEY see fit. Once they have removed your ability to freely access media, they will charge whatever they want because you will have NO OTHER OPTION – just like they do here in Canada.
First Rogers started as a cable monopoly and old habits die hard. To question “What’s wrong with using Google Maps?”, nothing except Rogers cells phones with GPS that they charge an extra $10 month to activate. THEY DO NOT LIKE COMPETITION! In most places this would be illegal in Canada this can be made legal with the right campaign contribution (or 3).
@coolfactor. You just don’t get it. Upper US – say it quickly in an Italian accent.
there is another gsm carrier in Canada. Primus Canada. Their site states they cover 93 per cent of the population. I believe primus is patially owned by AT&T;. Apple has an option in Canada.
Very funny, ron… lemme guess: you got that from your godfather?
Telus is rumoured to be considering changing their entire network over from CDMA to GSM, as a possible play for the iPhone contract with Apple. That will surely give Rogers a well-deserved kick to the head.
here’s some good advice:
never, ever, ever do ANY business with Primus… their company is just a massive phone room filled with $5/hour criminal phone whores.
dirtiest company I’ve ever dealt with –and I’m a Roger’s customer!!!!!
ron,
I hope you weren’t being unpatriotic!
Now that would never do.
We Europeans have got used to and expect U.S. citizens (except those that got out, and live in Europe) to tell us how much they love their country and that God is on their side.
Canadians are lazy, smug, well-fed and uncaring.
They just pretend to be nice people.
They have the unpleasant mix of Scot and Brit upper-class crap.
And they have the stupid queen creature on their money.
They deserve Rogers.
I know, I live here.
@elgruga
your a dick.
regards,
\ln (scottish brit)
@elgruga
I second the motion
Please leave
We need MORE competition in Canada! You USA and European Providers should come into Canada.
@elgruga
I third the motion
Hit the road sunshine…politely of course
The problem with Canada is that it is not cold enough.
Brawdo, its the stuff plants CRAVE!
@\ln,
@elgruga
your a dick. regards, \ln (scottish brit)
You can’t spell. SB – You’re a dick. So there!