Comments on: iPhone in Canada, eh?

By: Edward

Edward — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 01:19:53 +0000

Nice one, I had a set of those ‘Canadian iPhones’ as a kid…touchscreen sucked ass, but at least people could hear what I was saying

I’m in the UK and looking forward to July 11 for the new iphone - we get a free upgrade for signing away our souls for another 18 months…
If you wanna swap yours for my old one, hit me up - otherwise it’ll end up in the drawer with all my old blackberrys

By: 3G iPhone coming soon - 3things - Life, the Universe and Everything

3G iPhone coming soon - 3things - Life, the Universe and Everything — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 01:18:37 +0000

[...] you get to keep the existing handset, which I’ve just offered to part with out of pity generosity. I’ve registered already to upgrade when phones are available - I’ll probably go for [...]

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:27:57 +0000

“Basically, the CSR’s aren’t supposed to activate the $7 plan on anything but a locked Rogers-branded device - because it won’t work properly on anything else.”

Interesting. Thank you!

By: Jake Billo

Jake Billo — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:14:00 +0000

The generic IMEI is 111111111111119 (same validation routine as credit cards, actually ;))

As far as I know, the system will treat all non-Rogers devices the same: you’re getting hit for pay as you go data if it’s a non-Rogers device (locked or unlocked.) So even if you have an unlocked device that’s the same as one Rogers is offering, you’re still getting hit.

Basically, the CSR’s aren’t supposed to activate the $7 plan on anything but a locked Rogers-branded device - because it won’t work properly on anything else.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:05:10 +0000

If Rogers has just started sending out overage text messages to non-Rogers IMEI devices, then clearly the slip-up is on their end. :p

Also, for non-Rogers unlocked devices, the IMEI (either that is reported to them by the device or that their system assumes for whatever reason) is something like 11111111111110. So what happens if you have two non-Rogers unlocked devices that you’re swapping a sim between?

By: Jake Billo

Jake Billo — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:48:28 +0000

Chris: The problem is that the Rogers $7 unlimited browsing plan is (officially) tied to a whitelist of IMEI numbers - which is a list composed of Rogers-branded cellphones with WAP access only. The exception is the N95, which has a full HTML browser but still qualifies for this package.

I’d highly doubt the Rogers-issued iPhone will qualify for this package - the National Post indicated that Rogers expects a $90 ARPU from each iPhone account. Think more like a $30-$40 limited browsing plan on top of your voice plan and system access fee.

Anyways: What happens now is that if you’ve got the $7 plan and your IMEI changes (you switch SIM cards to a different device), you’ll be charged at the pay per use rate of 5 cents/KB. I’ve heard about people using the iPhone with this plan and just starting to get data overage text messages as of this month.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:43:19 +0000

*on* certain dumbphones. The two aren’t mutually exclusive.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:42:09 +0000

Rogers already has a $7 unlimited on-device browsing plan and certain dumbphones. I’ve heard that you can get the plan on smartphones by calling in and talking to a rep if the option is not available on your wireless services self-serve page. They would be absolutely stupid beyond comprehension to offer anything more expensive. But then, this *is* Rogers we’re talking about.

By: Jake Billo

Jake Billo — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:18:39 +0000

Rogers will definitely require a data plan for the iPhone. The latest generic (not necessarily iPhone) data plan rumors from HowardForums are $30/300MB and $60/1GB, which is pathetic compared to the AT&T plans in the States but incredibly generous compared to Rogers’ existing plans.

Also, as a former RIM guy: BlackBerry data is significantly compressed from what Apple’s device offers, but the iPhone browser is a better “like a desktop” experience at present. The best deals right now in Canada are Bell/Telus’ $30 BIS plans, which have unlimited BIS-B browser capabilities (read: “unlimited data without tethering”.) Unfortunately, CDMA devices come with their own limitations.

While I’m not trying to spam… feel free to ping me if you’re thinking about a BlackBerry. My attached site often has details about upcoming plans and feature offerings. Cheers!

By: MostlyLisa.com: Lisa Bettany. Canada’s Sexy Geek Blog » Blog Archive » the iPhone Stack

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:50:27 +0000

[...] My ultra portable Canadian iPhone was rejected from the stack. It hurt. A lot. [...]

By: steelie

steelie — Mon, 05 May 2008 02:21:35 +0000

I heard it took / is taking so long to get to Canada because Apple was not able to negotiate with Rogers the same way they are with other carriers in other countries because Rogers is the only GSM player and therefore was not so willing to budge. Also, there are supposedly two other companies that have laid claims to having the rights to the name “iPhone” in Canada.

I’m still not sure if I’m going to get one… because of Rogers… I’m with Telus and I have not heard a single positive user experience with Rogers from any of my friends.

I have also heard/read that the iPhone, though only compatible with Rogers in Canada, might not be sold exclusively through Rogers. So, you might be able to pick it up cheaper somewhere else.

If Rogers requires us to purchase a data plan to get the phone, I’m going the iPod Touch route too.

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