well - i can't say i'm surprised. just disappointed.
after ten years without a cell phone i was ready to consider getting tethered to the net full time again - i guess my boycott of canadian cellphone rates will continue... good thing the iPod Touch does most of what i want and open hot spots are plentyful even in the small village of Tofino at the end of the road...
there is NO WAY i would sign up for a plan that cost more than 100 loonies a month for THREE years. i've been burned before and i swore that would never happen again. i can't say i have much faith in the emerging competition either - and don't even get me started on the CRTC.
What a surprise, there's no unlimited data plan AT ALL, and it's a god damn rip off just to get basic voice service on this thing.
I'm not content to just blame Rogers any more. Every big asshole corporate will screw you if there are no laws and regulations stopping them. Canada is still living in the stone age of cell phone service, and our pathetic government doesn't do a damn thing about it.
Although I feel very badly for our Canadian brethren, I do have to say that you guys had me LMAO-ing most of the way through this thread! I am very impressed by your sense of humor and grace even whilst getting totally violated.
Don't forget about the $8/month "system access fee" (= Ted Rogers 'bet I fooled you to think this was a gov't surcharge' Stupidity tax)
And the $0.50 911 access fee's...
So the basic plan with Caller ID (who doesn't want/deserve caller ID?!?) is:
$60 Base Fee
$15 Caller ID (and other less know/unused features)
$8 Ted Roger's Stupidity Tax
$0.50 911 Fee
======
$83.50 /mo
+ 5% GST
+ 7% PST (depends on province)
======
$93.52/mo
x 3years
======
$3,366.72
Old Teddy will be very happy.
Thanks for the calculation and the pun (Government Stupidity Tax). I didn't realize that the cost was going to be that bad.
In Quebec, Montreal based Fido is still big. I believe that it was bought first by ATT Canada, and then ATT Canada was bought by Rogers to launch its cellphone service. That's why Fido is a partner to Rogers and shares the same rates.
Doing a quick test using Facebook as the sample site... at 1.24MB, the 400MB data plan equals 333 webpages a month. NO WHERE NEAR 3000 sites... maybe if you were surfing text-based sites google.ca or the wiki homepage. But anything with an image on the page is going blow those estimates all to hell.
I've used an iPhone since last June on the 1 GB / $65 plan. I use my iPhone *a lot* but I frankly never cracked 180 MB in a month. That includes facebook, livejournal, blog browsing, news sites, youtube, etc.
The fault for this nonsense lies squarely with the CRTC (Canada's incompetent version of the FCC.)
By letting Rogers purchase Fido, they gave Canada a GSM monopoly and Apple had little leverage in negotiating carriage.
My Treo 650 will now take me into 2009. Hopefully things will get better when the new GSM provider gets up and running.
This has nothing to do with the CRTC. Telus was going to buy Fido, and Rogers outbid them. That's basically it. They *became* competitive with Bell and Telus through that move -- Rogers wasn't close to its position back then.
The only hope you have for another GSM provider is if Telus decides to switch networks. That's a huge multi-billion dollar investment that may or may not happen. There was a rumour about it last year -- nothing since to my knowledge. Bell Mobility likely wouldn't make such a move due to the capital costs.
What Rogers is doing isn't anti-competitive, or price gouging. They've *dropped* their data rates to levels that would have been unfathomable in Canada only 2 years ago. They're charging what the market will bear -- and yes I agree they would be better off if they dropped the prices even further (3G has been in the Toronto area for 2+ years -- does anyone use it??) but I think they're taking a wait and see approach.
Let's not forget that $60 is the same cost as the basic iPhone U.S. plan and for most purposes is similar. Canadian plans are *always* more expensive minute-per-minute on any carrier. And you'd have to be on your iPhone a shit ton -- more than your home computer! -- to crack 400 MB. Not that some business people won't , especially those with large email attachments, but businesses pay for that. Does it suck it's more than the U.S.? Sure! The only way it will get better is if the carriers start a price war. You're not likely going to get the government to force them to triple your minutes ;-)
All Telcos suck in their own ways , do you honestly think this would be better with Bell or Telus? It's fun to bitch about it but what else can ya do....
The fault for this nonsense lies squarely with the CRTC (Canada's incompetent version of the FCC.)
By letting Rogers purchase Fido, they gave Canada a GSM monopoly and Apple had little leverage in negotiating carriage.
My Treo 650 will now take me into 2009. Hopefully things will get better when the new GSM provider gets up and running.
Dead on. Rogers almost never operates in a field where they are not a monopoly. The family just is not smart enough to compete with others.
While the have to compete with other cellular providers, the CRTC decision meant they by buying Fido, they did not have to compete within the GSM market. Now that 3G is really differentiating the GSM network from Bell and Telus, they are using the single most desired phone on the market to profiteer on their monopoly.
Thanks for the calculation and the pun (Government Stupidity Tax). I didn't realize that the cost was going to be that bad.
In Quebec, Montreal based Fido is still big. I believe that it was bought first by ATT Canada, and then ATT Canada was bought by Rogers to launch its cellphone service. That's why Fido is a partner to Rogers and shares the same rates.
Thanks for the calculation.
\\\
No, Rogers bought ATT Canada and launch the Rogers network before buying Fido. Rogers couldn't get customers and Fido had a more advanced network, so buying Fido got them a million or so new customers and a better network...and a GSM monopoly.
This has nothing to do with the CRTC. Telus was going to buy Fido, and Rogers outbid them. That's basically it. They *became* competitive with Bell and Telus through that move -- Rogers wasn't close to its position back then.
Rogers wasn't close because the were incompetent.
And it was the CRTC that allowed the purchse, which a)immediately reduced competition in the overall cell market (resulting in an immediate doubling of overage and LD charges for Fido customers) b) immediately created a GSM monopoly. For either and both of these reasons, the CRTC should have done their job and rejected the purchase. Imaging Rogers having to compete in a market. Their monopoly in cable gives them a huge warchest to move into new businesses, but unless the are a monopoly in that market, do they ever succeed?
i can't say i have much faith in the emerging competition either - and don't even get me started on the CRTC.
EPIC FAIL is right!
I do not understand why the CRTC has allowed the Big Three to Bid on the soon to be release 700 MHz because the already have a network. The CRTC only kept 40% of the frequency to newcomers. They should have given all to new company.
I know the 700 MHZ has some advantage over higher frequency but I really doubt that Bell or Rogers are going to deploy all brand new equipment on the 700 MHz anytime soon.
I am missing something?
I really wish Google or AT&T would have bid in Canada. :-(
I have a bandwidth limit on my home internet and let me tell you, it is a major bitch. I get 500 MB per 24 hour period and when I go over my limit, it get's deathly slow. And it's very easy to go over 500 MBs of bandwidth in one day. Even when I don't download anything, the average bandwidth per day is around 130 MB just for internet use. I know the bandwidth is a lot less on a phone, but it adds up quickly, especially if you download a song on the iTunes mobile store or something.
U.S. is pretty bad for cell phone prices compared to Europe and Asia, but wow, I never knew until now how terribly bad Canadians have it with Rogers. I mean those prices are enough to make a grown man cry.
Comments
after ten years without a cell phone i was ready to consider getting tethered to the net full time again - i guess my boycott of canadian cellphone rates will continue... good thing the iPod Touch does most of what i want and open hot spots are plentyful even in the small village of Tofino at the end of the road...
there is NO WAY i would sign up for a plan that cost more than 100 loonies a month for THREE years. i've been burned before and i swore that would never happen again. i can't say i have much faith in the emerging competition either - and don't even get me started on the CRTC.
EPIC FAIL is right!
I'm not content to just blame Rogers any more. Every big asshole corporate will screw you if there are no laws and regulations stopping them. Canada is still living in the stone age of cell phone service, and our pathetic government doesn't do a damn thing about it.
F*ck this stupid country.
While un- and in- mean the same thing they have different origins. the first is Germanic and the latter is Latin.
Wow. I learnt something today!
By letting Rogers purchase Fido, they gave Canada a GSM monopoly and Apple had little leverage in negotiating carriage.
My Treo 650 will now take me into 2009. Hopefully things will get better when the new GSM provider gets up and running.
Don't forget about the $8/month "system access fee" (= Ted Rogers 'bet I fooled you to think this was a gov't surcharge' Stupidity tax)
And the $0.50 911 access fee's...
So the basic plan with Caller ID (who doesn't want/deserve caller ID?!?) is:
$60 Base Fee
$15 Caller ID (and other less know/unused features)
$8 Ted Roger's Stupidity Tax
$0.50 911 Fee
======
$83.50 /mo
+ 5% GST
+ 7% PST (depends on province)
======
$93.52/mo
x 3years
======
$3,366.72
Old Teddy will be very happy.
Thanks for the calculation and the pun (Government Stupidity Tax). I didn't realize that the cost was going to be that bad.
In Quebec, Montreal based Fido is still big. I believe that it was bought first by ATT Canada, and then ATT Canada was bought by Rogers to launch its cellphone service. That's why Fido is a partner to Rogers and shares the same rates.
Thanks for the calculation.
Doing a quick test using Facebook as the sample site... at 1.24MB, the 400MB data plan equals 333 webpages a month. NO WHERE NEAR 3000 sites... maybe if you were surfing text-based sites google.ca or the wiki homepage. But anything with an image on the page is going blow those estimates all to hell.
I've used an iPhone since last June on the 1 GB / $65 plan. I use my iPhone *a lot* but I frankly never cracked 180 MB in a month. That includes facebook, livejournal, blog browsing, news sites, youtube, etc.
This plan is way better than their prior pricing.
The fault for this nonsense lies squarely with the CRTC (Canada's incompetent version of the FCC.)
By letting Rogers purchase Fido, they gave Canada a GSM monopoly and Apple had little leverage in negotiating carriage.
My Treo 650 will now take me into 2009. Hopefully things will get better when the new GSM provider gets up and running.
This has nothing to do with the CRTC. Telus was going to buy Fido, and Rogers outbid them. That's basically it. They *became* competitive with Bell and Telus through that move -- Rogers wasn't close to its position back then.
The only hope you have for another GSM provider is if Telus decides to switch networks. That's a huge multi-billion dollar investment that may or may not happen. There was a rumour about it last year -- nothing since to my knowledge. Bell Mobility likely wouldn't make such a move due to the capital costs.
What Rogers is doing isn't anti-competitive, or price gouging. They've *dropped* their data rates to levels that would have been unfathomable in Canada only 2 years ago. They're charging what the market will bear -- and yes I agree they would be better off if they dropped the prices even further (3G has been in the Toronto area for 2+ years -- does anyone use it??) but I think they're taking a wait and see approach.
Let's not forget that $60 is the same cost as the basic iPhone U.S. plan and for most purposes is similar. Canadian plans are *always* more expensive minute-per-minute on any carrier. And you'd have to be on your iPhone a shit ton -- more than your home computer! -- to crack 400 MB. Not that some business people won't , especially those with large email attachments, but businesses pay for that. Does it suck it's more than the U.S.? Sure! The only way it will get better is if the carriers start a price war. You're not likely going to get the government to force them to triple your minutes ;-)
All Telcos suck in their own ways , do you honestly think this would be better with Bell or Telus? It's fun to bitch about it but what else can ya do....
The fault for this nonsense lies squarely with the CRTC (Canada's incompetent version of the FCC.)
By letting Rogers purchase Fido, they gave Canada a GSM monopoly and Apple had little leverage in negotiating carriage.
My Treo 650 will now take me into 2009. Hopefully things will get better when the new GSM provider gets up and running.
Dead on. Rogers almost never operates in a field where they are not a monopoly. The family just is not smart enough to compete with others.
While the have to compete with other cellular providers, the CRTC decision meant they by buying Fido, they did not have to compete within the GSM market. Now that 3G is really differentiating the GSM network from Bell and Telus, they are using the single most desired phone on the market to profiteer on their monopoly.
Thanks for the calculation and the pun (Government Stupidity Tax). I didn't realize that the cost was going to be that bad.
In Quebec, Montreal based Fido is still big. I believe that it was bought first by ATT Canada, and then ATT Canada was bought by Rogers to launch its cellphone service. That's why Fido is a partner to Rogers and shares the same rates.
Thanks for the calculation.
No, Rogers bought ATT Canada and launch the Rogers network before buying Fido. Rogers couldn't get customers and Fido had a more advanced network, so buying Fido got them a million or so new customers and a better network...and a GSM monopoly.
They'd make even more $$ then with all the Telus/Bell switchers.
This has nothing to do with the CRTC. Telus was going to buy Fido, and Rogers outbid them. That's basically it. They *became* competitive with Bell and Telus through that move -- Rogers wasn't close to its position back then.
Rogers wasn't close because the were incompetent.
And it was the CRTC that allowed the purchse, which a)immediately reduced competition in the overall cell market (resulting in an immediate doubling of overage and LD charges for Fido customers) b) immediately created a GSM monopoly. For either and both of these reasons, the CRTC should have done their job and rejected the purchase. Imaging Rogers having to compete in a market. Their monopoly in cable gives them a huge warchest to move into new businesses, but unless the are a monopoly in that market, do they ever succeed?
In the largest country on the planet with a population of 33 million (less than California) the answer was a no-brainer.
80% of the Canadian Land is human free :-) The area from Québec to Toronto has the same people density as most urban region in the US.
.
Does Rogers Plan include these like At&T does
1. Roll-over minutes ( I really want that)
2. Free long Distances call in the whole country
3. Free Roaming
and stuff like Call ID, Call forwarding etc. ?
Is it possible to ask Rogers to Cut my internet access once I have reach the 400MB Limit ?
I hope to built a chart to compare the iPhone plan in many country after July 11.
i can't say i have much faith in the emerging competition either - and don't even get me started on the CRTC.
EPIC FAIL is right!
I do not understand why the CRTC has allowed the Big Three to Bid on the soon to be release 700 MHz because the already have a network. The CRTC only kept 40% of the frequency to newcomers. They should have given all to new company.
I know the 700 MHZ has some advantage over higher frequency but I really doubt that Bell or Rogers are going to deploy all brand new equipment on the 700 MHz anytime soon.
I am missing something?
I really wish Google or AT&T would have bid in Canada. :-(
.
http://www.ihaterogers.ca/
J Innes (VP) [email protected]
Jane Haitsma [email protected]
Please email them, politely, to express the disappointment you feel with the new iphone data plans
Also general contact form is here :
https://your.rogers.com/contact/contactus_main.asp
APPLE :
To email apple's media relations top guy
Simon Atkins ( Canada )
[email protected]
and
The head corporate media guy in the USA
Steve Dowling
[email protected]
(408) 974-1896
and the BIG honcho at Apple for communications is :
Katie Cotton
[email protected]
Vice President of Worldwide Corporate Communications