Ridiculous Data Plans from Rogers (and others) Keep iPhone out of Canada

Fresh off the wire over at AppleInsider is speculation from Michael Geist, quoted in the National Post saying that it’s not contract negotiations keeping the iPhone out of Canada, but instead our completely obscene and unreasonable mobile data plans. I don’t doubt it for a second.

Geist compares the $60 AT&T plan in the USA with 450 minute and unlimited data to how much you’d pay for a similar setup in Canada, and it ends up being about $300 here. Even then, you don’t get truly unlimited data (Rogers doesn’t even offer this at all!), you just get 500MB.

I worried a while back that my initial usage of my BlackBerry Pearl would rack me up a steep bill, and boy was I right to worry. My first few days of usage with Rogers, using only 1.5MB of data, I went 1MB over my 500KB plan and ended up with close to a $300 bill in the mail. After this, I immediately deactivated all e-mail accounts and stopped Web browsing on the phone, which essentially eliminates any of the functionality the BlackBerry has over a regular phone beyond the keypad.

So how’s an iPhone any good to you if all you can do is place calls and send text messages? Maybe a more important question; How much longer are Canadians willing to tolerate our worse-than-third-world-country wireless data plans?

July 10, 2007 | Filed Under Uncategorized 

Comments

  • Jake Billo on July 11th, 2007 11:41 pm

    Looks like everybody (including myself) has something to say about the data plans in this country lately.

    Just using mail by itself really shouldn’t use too much data, provided you’re on an actual BlackBerry plan (and not a BlackBerry Connect plan, which doesn’t compress data, in some circumstances.) You can also set the device not to “read more” contents of messages unless specifically required.

    Apple might have a bit more sway with carriers, though, when it comes to bringing the device north of the border. At least I hope that’s the case.

  • Adam on July 11th, 2007 11:49 pm

    One can only hope they have that kind of sway. If not, I will certainly *not* be picking up an iPhone when they come to Canada, and I pity anyone that does and hopes for any chance of using the device anywhere close to its full potential.

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