“Telus will sell iPhone 3G (8GB) for $99.99 [CDN] with a 3-year contract and for $599.99 without any contract. The company has priced iPhone 3GS (16 GB) at $199.99 with a 3-year contract and $699.99 without contract. The 32 GB version of iPhone 3GS will be sold for $299.99 (with contract) and $799.99 (without contract),” Zacks reports.
“To upgrade its CDMA network to high-speed HSPA, Telus has collaborated with its peer Bell Canada, subsidiary of incumbent Canadian telecom carrier BCE Inc. The upcoming 3G HSPA network will deliver peak downlink speeds of up to 21 megabits per second (Mbps), addressing 93% of the Canadian population,” Zacks reports. “Bell Canada, which will also market the iPhone in Canada, is yet to announce a specific launch date.”
Zacks reports, “iPhone represents a major opportunity for Telus to boost the performance of its wireless business as the company is experiencing declines in wireless ARPU (average revenue per user) and new subscriber additions. Service deactivations by customers have increased in the last quarter due to the weak economic conditions. iPhones have a greater contribution to ARPU than regular handsets, which will foster wireless revenue growth. The device will offer a substantial opportunity to Telus to boost its market share through improved customer retention.”
Full article here.
And what kind of a monthly gouge am I looking at?
Hopefully it will break the Rogers monopoly of cell services in Canada and we can start seeing more reasonable pricing.
Telus iPhone service is NOT available in Saskatchewan or Manitoba on launch date. I got an email from Telus telling me this a few days ago.
So Rogers is still the only option in these provinces.
Telus is a bunch of knob-gobblers. They’ve won “awards” for the worst customer service in Canada. But I guess still probably better to have a choice between two consumer-raping companies rather than one.
No name,
Didn’t you read? Three year contracts.
That’s NOT competition. That’s COLLUSION.
Only in Canada you say?
Only in Canada you say?
Pity.
Anybody that expected a significant difference re Rogers vs Telus, has been living in la-la land.
It hasn’t happened anywhere in the world, why would anybody expect differently in Canada?
The prices listed come with the following conditions:
“Pricing available to clients (new and renewal) who activate on a 3 year term with a Smartphone voice and data rate plan of $50 or greater.”
As per their Smartphone voice and data rate plans:
You do get unlimited data for ONE month, afterwhich: “Device usage beyond the 500 MB/month will be charged at $0.05/MB. Data used while roaming in the U.S. is charged at $3/MB. Any usage incurred through a laptop/computer will be charged at $8/MB. Cannot be combined with any other data plan. BlackBerry® Messenger on BlackBerry® smartphones only. Video streaming is available on select handsets only and available in Wireless High Speed 3G and PCS and 1X digital coverage areas. Video streaming is available to select mobile sites; please visit telusmobility.com for a current list of supported sites. Video streaming includes selected TELUS video on demand content only. Premium content will be charged in addition to any monthly subscription. Clients will be notified of these additional charges upon selecting premium content to view.” http://www.telusmobility.com/en/ON/yourchoiceplans/index.shtml?INTCMP=ILCq3plyrchoice
Don’t expect the Data plan re the iPhone will be, if at all, any different.
Are there other countries that also ONLY have three year iPhone contracts?
I would like to meet a person who decides to buy a contract-free iPhone for $800 (Canadian, which is around $720 US). I mean, they are still going to pay the same monthly voice/data plan. So, instead of letting part of that plan subsidise the phone, they will just pay the full price of the phone and give that subsidy money back to the carrier, right? It’s not like you are buying a fully unlocked phone, right? You’re still stuck on the same carrier; you just don’t have to be with them for the next three years (but where else would you go?)
@Jonny Canuck
Last Time I checked, Canada was the ONLY country that required a 3 year contract for the iPhone.
izod,
I refer you to my 1:38pm post.
FYI, with a typical $80/mo pkg — on THREE years — you’ll pay just short of an extra 1000 bucks for an iPhone in Canada.
Rogers;Fido;Telus; Bell, “Why compete? Our customers are Canadians.”
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@ boulderfrog
Thanks for the Red Rose Tea reference.
I’m hoping at some point in the future when all the ‘I gotta be first’, ‘I need a smartphone ‘cuz I can’t STFU’, and all the ‘know-nothing tech’ dildos have got their iPhones, that sales totally level off.
Then, maybe the Canadian Cell Phone Cartel will realize that they are douchebags, and will ‘need to do something’ to promote further iPhone sales.
Nothing. Nothing, would make me happier than to see Apple deny ALL future Gen iPhones to ANY carrier that have three year iPhone contracts.
Now, that these jackholes have got a taste of the iPhone sales. Let’s see them fscking squirm.
Trust me. They’ll blink before Steve does.
Steve already blinked. We are the only country with the 3-year only deal. If Steve had wanted it otherwise, it would have been done.
So, don’t expect the 3-year deal to change. It has been here for ages on all of the higher end phones and we like it or leave it.
It sucks, but it is what it is.
Steve can’t possibly dictate everything. On the other hand, would anyone have predicted Telus and Bell rebuilding their networks for the iPhone? Crazy!
So. When the other carriers around the world see what’s going on in Canada. They won’t go, “hey wait a minute” then enact three year only deals?
Yeah. Can anything make corporations control their greed?
Competition helps. A little.
Pray that the Canadian Cell Phone Cartel collusion isn’t contagious, friends.
MW: business. [No, sh!ti]
Why would Bell and Telus get together to spend a Billion dollars to rebuild their network only to offer EXACTLY what Fido/Rogers already offer.
Where’s the differentiation?
Jeez, a ‘BigKing’ and a ‘BigMac’ each sell for $3.69. But, one is ‘flame-broiled’, and the other is fried. It’s not much. But, it is different.
My kid figured that out. Yet the brain trust at Bell/Telus can’t.
@Jonny Canuck, I don’t think it’s about differentiation. At this point I think it’s about survival.
Please get a dictionary before posting… and don’t be such a rube.
collusion |kəˈloō zh ən|
noun
secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy, esp. in order to cheat or deceive others : the armed forces were working in collusion with drug traffickers | collusion between media owners and political leaders.
• Law such cooperation or conspiracy, esp. between ostensible opponents in a lawsuit.
SAME PRICING – DOES NOT = COLLUSION. Either in cellphones or gas prices.
This is called COMPETITION not collusion.
How about all the retailers of electronics and such that promise a best price/price matching guarantee. This is exactly the same effect as what the cellphone and gas retailers do. Is BESTBUY in collusion with CompUSA? Is LOWES in collusion with HOME DEPOT?
The general ignorance and lack of critical-thinking ability in this country is appalling.
@morons a plenty here today (Gee, your title works well for you, doesn’t it?)
COMPETITION, as you put it, is when ONE GUY LOWERS HIS PRICES TO ATTRACT THE OTHER GUY’S CUSTOMERS. When two companies keep their prices high, and nobody budges, *THAT’S* collusion. (see gas companies, where independent gas retailers have admitted to being threatened if they try and sell under a certain price)
The free market only works when the contenders fight for their spot — not when they sit back and say, “eh, what will they do?” (a la Microsoft)
Well, if they’re smart they’ll do what I’ve done, which is to take a cheap no-contract rate plan with a clunky little phone and wait for prices to lower. If enough people did that, the competition would get off its fat ass and start trying to win people like me over.
How, you say? In one of two ways: Get rid of the ridiculous 3-year plans (considering Apple comes out with a new iPhone each year) and/or reduce the pricing of the rates to try to win customers over. (Of course, there’s always option 3 where they keep the rates the same but offer up lots of “candy” prizes for free instead of trying to nickel and dime us to death.)
Dear @,
It seems that you don’t understand the very meaning of your post. That’s irony. Look it up.
Do you know what else is ironical? Someone that is willing to get locked into a three year iPhone contract — when two year iPhone contracts are available at EVERY other cell carrier on the planet, rudely calling someone a rube.
Dear mapht,
You would be correct in that ‘same pricing’ doesn’t ‘necessarily’ mean collusion. But, it doesn’t preclude it either. FWIW, this is Canada that we’re talking about. So, draw the only reasonable conclusion.
WRT, what ‘DB’ said about independant gas co’s. Ask Arco why they left Canada. They wanted to compete.
–
Competition is, as our ‘db’ puts it: The free market only works when the contenders FIGHT for their spot — not when they sit back and say, “eh, what will they do?”
–
BTW, name-calling is the debating technique of the mentally bankrupt.
@db,
“When two companies keep their prices high, and nobody budges, *THAT’S* collusion”
Jeezus. That is just plain wrong.
Collusion is when people secretly discuss and agree not to compete. Having the same price doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve colluded.