“And such a move, they add, will fuel greater interest in wireless services – an area of telecommunications projected to grow rapidly in Canada over the next several years.
On the other hand, stiffer competition and increased labour costs is expected to temper revenue and profitability for the Canadian telecom sector as a whole,” Jackson reports.
“AT&T was required by Apple to package the iPhone with an unlimited data plan when they released it in the U.S., notes Lawrence Surtees, vice-president at Toronto-based analyst firm IDC Canada . “That’s going to happen with Rogers,” Jackson reports.
Jackson reports, “And when Rogers does introduces that, Surtees predicts ‘it will shake things up in the wireless data market.'”
Full article here.Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Patrice” for the heads up.]
Translation: Apple will soon force Rogers to stop screwing their customers. Leave it to Apple to cure the insanity of Canada’s outrageous mobile rates.
I am optimistic that this is true…
I am also currently Rogers free (no cable or cell phone), but will gladly dive back into the fold if Rogers does live up to this hype and finally provide Canadians with reasonable rates for the iPhone.
Fingers crossed!!
I really, really hope this is true (even though it will leave me with egg on my face since I often insist it won’t), but I am still skeptical until I hear the official announcement, no matter what some analyst says.
MDN MW: “Wish”. How appropriate.
I hope that the iPhone continues to shake things up here in the US too!
I plan to get one with an OtterBox Case!
I really hope it will, Rogers and Bell are crooks and are stagnating the entire market. Their wireless data plans have been an absolute ripoff for years. I’m hoping Apple really forces Rogers to have a FULLY unlimited data plan and not the joke of an “unlimited” plan they have now (“It’s unlimited, but you can only use it on these handsets and can only browse using WAP with our specific browser”)
what’s with MDN‘s obsession with Canada’s mobile market? This is like the 3rd story in the last couple of weeks on this.
Data plans in Canada are indeed ridiculous. That being said, the cost of living in Canada is higher on a national average than it is in the US. Some would argue that this is related to the quality of life being better there. Wireless rates will probably never be as cheap in Canada as in the US, even with currency parity.
Wireless rates will probably never be as cheap in Canada as in the US, even with currency parity.
–
You know, its a pretty damn small market, how many different phone companies do you expect to serve 30 million people? This has nothing to do with the actual currency, and everything to do with the deals the phone companies make w the govt to keep competitiors OUT.
Three stories in a couple weeks hardly counts as an “obsession”. They are merely covering an issue of concern to many of their readers. They also cover rumours about the UK and various Asian and European countries, but I’m guessing a fair bit of their readership is form Canada. Plus, Canada is one of the few western countries for which no definite iPhone plans have yet been announced.
And theres an advert for the iTouch in French on this page! How utterly Canadian.
(The fact is everybody speaks english, except for a few in Quebec who mangle the french language and have serious low self-esteem problems, but whatever…)
Rogers are thieves, the government in canada is corrupt, so are the cops, the..well, its a small corrupt banana republic, big land mass, everyone llives within 25 miles of the US border. Weird.
But if you play the game and keep your head down, the place is free and easy. Low crime, nothing much happens, the populace are a bit dumb, but they are sort of friendly.
A good place to disappear or hide.
Its a backwater that hopefully will remain secret – nothing happens here, which is good.
As for Rogers and the iPhone – be prepared to pay a lot of cash to get it and use it.
‘Shake up the industry’ – that means they will cut 0.20c off the rates.
@ WFT is Canada?
Your post reeks of ignorance. Go play outside. The sunshine and fresh air might do you some good.
iPhone, I can’t wait to hold you in my hand… oh, the pleasure that will be.
/coolfactor/ in Beautiful BC.
7,546,131 people in Quebec might be considered a ‘few’ I guess, if you’re maybe looking at the overall population of the world perhaps. That’s still a pretty significant number of people in my opinion, who don’t have self esteem issues at all. They’re a highly confident group intent on preserving their language sometimes it seems at any cost. It’s been highly controversial over the years here, but I see why they want to keep what they have.
Anyway, I too am in beautiful BC and will have to pay Telus out on the year and a half I have remaining on my contract. Too bad as I did have a pretty good plan. But it doesn’t matter. I too can’t wait to get my iPhone.
I see one of the local Rogers stores here has secured one of their ‘windows’ for something, it’s been all cleaned out and is waiting. As are the rest of us….
The final and definitive news announcement about Rogers bringing the iPhone to Canada comes within eight days. At that time you will be able to go to any Rogers Mobility store and its affiliates nationwide, and see and buy your iPhone. And the data plan rates will drop your jaw. In a nice way.
You heard it here first!
@ WTF Canada
…….STFU!
There’s nothing wrong with Canada; all they need is scale. I propose they make a hostile bid for the USA once the latter’s debts come home to roost. US taxes will increase a bit for the average Joe and jump for the superwealthy but Canadian taxes will drop by 50%. Americans get to learn a second language in school (French in the East; Mandarin in the West), global-warming meltwater piped into the interior, free education and healthcare. Schools will give a free MacBook to every student. Fair trade?
Canada? Isn’t that, that cold place up north?
People live there?
http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/American
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Ignorant+american
People who write “You heard it here first” annoy me.
You heard it here first.
See… it’s annoying.
How about this. Bell just launched unlimited Blackberry for $30 as well as unlimited Windows plans for $30. The Blackberry cannot go through BES but there is a good reason for that, RIM takes a piece of every data plan. But the Windows plan is for Exchange support too. So, why doesn’t that get any press eh? The only condition is you have to be on a $30 voice plan minimum.
@dan the man,
The trusty beavers at Bell need no additional press. When country wide calling is the same price as a local call, that would get press.
Dan your drinking the koolaid.
Maybe Bell plans to compete and they thought they had to bring out a plan in advance of rogers being forced by Apple to bring out a plan. Nice to see something motivate the monopolistic parasites that suck extreme premiums for basic items in a developed country. Sympathy for Bell…I think its called sympatico…and it works with MSFT only. As Conan’s dog says: Bell sucks. Telus sucks, Rogers Sucks. They haven’t shown innovation in anything other than gouging in over 20 years.
What about voice rates country wide same as local. 1000 free minutes,data, email, web browsing…for $59. We are a long way from kissing Bell anytime soon…International calls at land line rates, penny international texting, reasonable roaming rates so you don’t need a separate cell phone and plan for your ski hills or cabins…I could go on…
Better then a unlimited data plan would be a modem function for the iphone, but this will only happen, if the providers may offer limited data packages. But with 3g those packages are usually so big, e.g in Austria you can choose between 500MB, 3GB and 15GB, that they are like a unlimited plan compared to the first generation edgebased iphone.
Miraculously my email and a tonne of Mac users email is now working on the rogers network, Rogers has been blaming Apple all along saying that they need to upgrade their Mail app. and now the iPhone is about to be released… surprise everything is working. Rogers is a Microsoft lackey, thanks for putting the screws to them Steve. You rock they suck.
I hope so. The entire world knows Canadians are being screwed