Looks like Rogers has broken their silence on the status of the iPhone 4’s arrival in Canada. We know Rogers was the first to launch the iPhone 3G in Canada, will they be the first of the “Big 3” to launch the iPhone 4? As of now, Canada is only one of a handful of countries to offer the iPhone 3GS from three different wireless carriers. Our sources also confirmed that Telus will also be launching the iPhone 4 in Canada as well (we can assume Bell will do the same Bell has confirmed along with Fido). Gee, what’s that saying again…”monkey see, monkey do?”
Just posted on their Redboard, they had this to say:
Rogers intends to launch iPhone 4, the thinnest smartphone in the world with the highest resolution display ever built into a phone, in Canada in the coming weeks.
As this is a brand new device – just announced today – we’re not ready to talk about release date or pricing just yet. We’ll announce the details here at the same time as our dealers and Care reps get them, so check back on RedBoard to learn more.
Upgrading Nightmares Soon to Come for iPhone 4
The problem with the wireless industry in Canada is the dreaded 3 year contract (akin to a life sentence to your cell carrier). For those who previously purchased an iPhone 3GS on a 3 year contract, what will be your eligibility options to upgrade to the iPhone 4 can real sticky. For that reason alone, I will be forgoing a renewal to my 3 year contract and buy the iPhone 4 outright. It’s a small price to pay for the sweet taste of freedom.
New Laws Could Enable Our Communication Companies Access to Foreign Capital
Could we be looking at improvements to our wireless network and services in Canada? From Business Week, regarding the lightening of foreign-investor rules:
“Having it as closed as it is now is starting to impede the ability of the players to compete, to innovate, to sustain the capital investment that is required for a modern, digital economy,†Industry Minister Tony Clement said in an interview at the Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto today.
Canada’s mobile-phone penetration trails the U.S. as well as poorer countries like Algeria, according to the International Telecommunication Union, and the government wants to change that. Canada had 66 wireless subscribers for every 100 people in 2008, compared with 93 in Algeria and 87 in the U.S.
The only issue is when we will find out the exact iPhone 4 launch dates in July. The iPhone 3GS was launched on June 19th last year, a Friday. The iPhone 3G launched on July 11th, 2008. If history repeats itself, my guess is Saturday, July 10th for the iPhone 4 launch in Canada.
