Even if we got the iPhone here, what good would it to? Rogers' data plans are so ridiculously laughable it's absurd to the Nth degree. While folks in the US enjoy $20 unlimited data plans, and even folks on the unfortunately CDMA-burdened Bell network get their unlimited plans for $40 or $50, Rogers charges in tiers ranging from $15 for 1.5 megs (yes, that's MEGABYTES) to $210/mo for half a gig. (Or $100 for 200 megs with a voice plan. Yep, less than a quarter gig.) That makes all of the nifty data features of the iPhone all but useless for any but the most ardent jet setters.
I hate Rogers for this reason. And I'm on Rogers! But my only other option is Bell, which would mean I'd have to toss both of my Treos and go with a CDMA phone. Not happening.
I hear you on that. My Tytn's 3G is completely useless, sure Rogers has a 3G network but to use it would mean an $1100 a month phone bill. Honestly I think they're avoiding/delaying the iPhone so they aren't forced to bring their data plans down to reasonable (and global) rates. Obviously if the iPhone was say $50 a month for unlimited data all of the Blackberry users currently paying $100s would shit their pants and their goes all of Rogers HUGE and unreasonable profits. I wish we had a reasonable GSM provider here, Fido was knackered when Rogers bought them and is now next to useless. I wish someone like Tmobile or even (gasp) the deathstar would move up here and light a fire under Rogers. Then we'd have decent rates and more cutting edge phones. After all, Canadian contract phones are horrible.
arrgh, that's my 2 cents.
I apologize if my rant is disjointed and incoherent, Rogers literally makes my blood pressure rise.
The problem, Destroyer, is that the Canadian government only allows around a 40% foreign stake in cellphone companies. AT&T actually owns around the max possible of Rogers, but it obviously isn't doing any good. What the government actually has to do is get their heads out of their asses and realize that Rogers has a monopoly on the GSM market and needs competition, their prices are really unethical.
I'm at the point where I'm giving up on cell phones. I'm canceling my phones and getting a VirginMobile prepaid.
I used to be the biggest cell-phone-geek. I was more than willing to spend $1000 or more for a phone, but the carriers just kept raining on my parade. Now I have no interest in cell phones, because top end phones in Canada are useless without a decent network, and the networks here are WORSE than many developing nations.
Umm, no 'fraid not friend. Rogers wireless is a 100% solely owned subsidiary of Rogers Communications Corporation.
The new Frankenstein version of at&t that has come back from the dead down south does not own a stake in Rogers.
When the original AT&T wireless was alive, THEY owned a stake in Rogers, but sold that stake back to Rogers when the merger with the company formerly known a Cingular took place. Since then, Rogers has been purely Canadian.
The new at&t is desperately seeking a stake in Canada and is looking to reacquire a stake in Rogers to set up an MVNO using their network but nothings a done deal yet.
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Even if we got the iPhone here, what good would it to? Rogers' data plans are so ridiculously laughable it's absurd to the Nth degree. While folks in the US enjoy $20 unlimited data plans, and even folks on the unfortunately CDMA-burdened Bell network get their unlimited plans for $40 or $50, Rogers charges in tiers ranging from $15 for 1.5 megs (yes, that's MEGABYTES) to $210/mo for half a gig. (Or $100 for 200 megs with a voice plan. Yep, less than a quarter gig.) That makes all of the nifty data features of the iPhone all but useless for any but the most ardent jet setters.
I hate Rogers for this reason. And I'm on Rogers! But my only other option is Bell, which would mean I'd have to toss both of my Treos and go with a CDMA phone. Not happening.
I hear you on that. My Tytn's 3G is completely useless, sure Rogers has a 3G network but to use it would mean an $1100 a month phone bill. Honestly I think they're avoiding/delaying the iPhone so they aren't forced to bring their data plans down to reasonable (and global) rates. Obviously if the iPhone was say $50 a month for unlimited data all of the Blackberry users currently paying $100s would shit their pants and their goes all of Rogers HUGE and unreasonable profits. I wish we had a reasonable GSM provider here, Fido was knackered when Rogers bought them and is now next to useless. I wish someone like Tmobile or even (gasp) the deathstar would move up here and light a fire under Rogers. Then we'd have decent rates and more cutting edge phones. After all, Canadian contract phones are horrible.
arrgh, that's my 2 cents.
I apologize if my rant is disjointed and incoherent, Rogers literally makes my blood pressure rise.
The problem, Destroyer, is that the Canadian government only allows around a 40% foreign stake in cellphone companies. AT&T actually owns around the max possible of Rogers, but it obviously isn't doing any good. What the government actually has to do is get their heads out of their asses and realize that Rogers has a monopoly on the GSM market and needs competition, their prices are really unethical.
I'm at the point where I'm giving up on cell phones. I'm canceling my phones and getting a VirginMobile prepaid.
I used to be the biggest cell-phone-geek. I was more than willing to spend $1000 or more for a phone, but the carriers just kept raining on my parade. Now I have no interest in cell phones, because top end phones in Canada are useless without a decent network, and the networks here are WORSE than many developing nations.
That's what an oligopoly will get you.
@blax
Umm, no 'fraid not friend. Rogers wireless is a 100% solely owned subsidiary of Rogers Communications Corporation.
The new Frankenstein version of at&t that has come back from the dead down south does not own a stake in Rogers.
When the original AT&T wireless was alive, THEY owned a stake in Rogers, but sold that stake back to Rogers when the merger with the company formerly known a Cingular took place. Since then, Rogers has been purely Canadian.
The new at&t is desperately seeking a stake in Canada and is looking to reacquire a stake in Rogers to set up an MVNO using their network but nothings a done deal yet.