“Rogers Communications Inc. is revamping its data rate plans and extending a limited-time offer on the iPhone in order to spur sales of smartphones,” Peter Nowak reports for CBC News.
“The Toronto-based company, Canada’s largest cellphone provider, on Thursday said it will extend the $30-a-month data plan — which lets owners of iPhones, other smartphones and computer laptop aircards download up to six gigabytes a month — until the end of September. Rogers announced the plan, which was to expire on Aug. 31, in July when it launched Apple Inc.’s 3G iPhone,” Nowak reports. “Liz Hamilton, spokesperson for Rogers, said the plan is being extended so that buyers of the BlackBerry Bold, which was released last week, can take advantage of it.”
“Rogers will introduce a $25-a-month data plan for the iPhone and other smartphones on Oct. 1 that will allow 500 megabytes of downloading per month, which will be bundled with a three-month promotion of unlimited usage,” Nowak reports. “Another plan will allow one gigabyte of usage for $30.”
“Hamilton said just over one per cent of iPhone owners used more than one gigabyte of data in their first month, while about 95 per cent of owners used less than 500MB,” Nowak reports. “Unlike other cellphone carriers, Rogers is allowing customers to ‘tether’ their smartphones, or connect them to a computer and use them as a modem.”
More in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Blaine B.” for the heads up.]
tethering will definitely up the amount of data used.
Except, the iPhone doesn’t have built-in tethering support, and you can’t tether via bluetooth. And is the ‘tethering’ third-party app still available from the AppStore?
And if so few people exceed 1 Gb, why lower the limit to 1 Gb? Unless of course it is about gouging for that exact data, particularly since Roger’s doesn’t provide any method of tracking your data usage.
Dave,
I use an iPhone with Rogers.
I go to Settings > General > Usage and it shows me Cellular Network Data, both Sent and Received.
If iti’s true that tethering is permitted with Rogers, why was the app removed from the Canadian App store.
Apple we want it back.
Rogers is almost sane compared to dealing with Fido (which they own)
“voice mail is optional on all our phone plans, except the iPhone plans” To get the 6 gig for 30 u have to drop off the iphone plan and get a regular phone plan and add the data plan, BUT, now u have no voice mail, of any kind. That is extra again. So 60 bucks for a iphone voice and data plan that has voicemail and text and some data.
Or, voice plan plus data plan plus another option that has voice mail of any kind.
so what i pay Rogers $73 for, my daughter pays Fido $85. But she gets visual voice mail instead of regular, (i think i have regular voicemail, let me check with my advisor, Dante, when he gets back from hell!!)
Gouging, indeed. They are not allowing for the growing useage of the phone, but rather roping their customers into plans that will just get more expensive over time as they use their phones more and exceed the limits. Rogers will be able to say “you agreed to these terms”… it’s a joke. I will use way more than a gig when I get an iPhone in October. Rogers, you stink.
My first monthly bill with Rogers was $295.00.
$35.00 for unlimited incoming calls
$30.00 for Data Plan.
$20 for “hidden and system charges.
$50.00 for long distance charges.
The rest is for ROAMING charges. About 3 dozen short calls from the US to home.
Holy Crap. I knew it was going to be high, but Wow!
I’ll have to figure out a plan change for my next trip.
A gig for $30? and 500M for $25?, how about this, 1G=$10 and 500M for $5, hell I`d pay $10 for 500M a month, then again we are talking about Robbers here, ass raping is their speciality.
Just got my bill.
Added 6Gb to our family pak and yesterday Voice Mail which is free for the first month.
Used 42.2 MBs of data. Obviously, I work and use only the iPhone primarily while travelling from client to client. However, most of my data usage has been with a number of GPS and network speed apps,
Surfing really limited and when used most often on Wi-Fi.
Speeds on 3G up to 1750Mkps, no dropped calls and great volume. Best cell phone I ever had since 1985.
Have been tethering with Netshare. Which is covered in my data package. Interesting that it looks that AT&T;will be coming out with a special tethering package for another $30 a month.
Overall, couldn’t be happier.
And if you don’t know how to track data usage, it is obvious that you have no business complaining. In addition, if you want Netshare for Canada, why blame Apple, Call the developer. Or develop it yourself and make some money.