Ignore everything else. This is your ultimate Rogers/Fido iPhone Guide!

We are just days away (June 19, 2009) from the launch of the iPhone 3GS and all the final price drops for the iPhone 3G. So today I will write out a final all-you-need-to-know about the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS for Rogers and Fido.

So, this is how we are going to do this to try and keep it simple. I am going to break everything into sections listed below:

1.) Rogers/Fido iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS activation, upgrade, tethering policies, and 6GB data plan policies

2.) New Rogers/Fido customers that want the iPhone 3GS

3.) New Rogers/Fido customers that want the iPhone 3G

4.) Existing Rogers/Fido customers that want the iPhone 3GS

5.) Existing Rogers/Fido customers that want the iPhone 3G

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1.) Rogers/Fido iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS Activation, Upgrade, and Tethering Policies

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Activation Policy

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With either Rogers or Fido, you will need to sign up on a 3-year contract to be eligible for the iPhone 3G “S” or iPhone 3G and choose an available voice and data plan or voice with data attached plan to get promotional pricing. In other words, YOU MUST HAVE A DATA PLAN TO GET ANY IPHONE ON PROMOTIONAL PRICING. There is no exception here. If you have been a customer for 20 years, it does not matter. You must have a data plan and a 3 year contract to get promotional pricing. You can check out the available Rogers plans for June 2009 here.

To be eligible for the device contract pricing below, you must have a 3 year voice plan that is $30.01 or higher and a data plan attached to the voice plan. The device prices below will all reflect the requirement of a voice plan that is $30.01 or higher and a data plan, in most cases. If your voice plan is $30.00 or less, add $50 to the price of the iPhone devices listed below.***

***As of June 19, 2009, this “plan must be higher than $30.01 to get promotional pricing” policy is no longer in effect.

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Upgrade Policy

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Back in March 2009 Rogers and Fido brought in a new policy that essentially said that if you have a Smartphone (Blackberry, iPhone, etc) on your account (tracked by phone number), you will not be able to upgrade to another Smartphone until you reach the 24 month (2 years) mark in your contract from your last upgrade/activation.

Moreover, after 12 months in your contract from your last upgrade/activation, you can upgrade to a REGULAR CONSUMER phone (Nokia 5310, Nokia 6086, etc).

In summary, dumbphones are every 12 months, smartphones every 24 months.

So for everyone out there that has a smartphone on their account (tracked by phone number), you will be able to upgrade after 12 months from your last upgrade/activation but not to a smartphone device (iPhone).

Moreover, Fido customers can use their FidoDollars towards an upgrade.

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June 18, 2009 Upgrade Policy Change

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As of June 18, 2009, Rogers/Fido amended this policy for a limited time for current iPhone 3G owners. The changes are detailed below:

Option #1

Existing Rogers iPhone 3G customers with a minimum tenure of 6 months since their activation/last upgrade will be able to upgrade to an iPhone 3GS with a $250 discount towards the no-term price. You will be required to add 1 year onto your existing contract and have an attached data plan.

• 16GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White – $449
• 32GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White – $549
• All administration fees will be waived for the customers who are taking advantage of this offer.

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Option #2

Existing Rogers iPhone 3G customers who activated or upgraded from July 11, 2008 to September 30, 2008 and have consistently spent on average of $100 or more each month will be able to take advantage of the in-market pricing.

• 16GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White – $199
• 32GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White – $299
• All administration fees will be waived for the customers who are taking advantage of this offer.

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Option #3

Fido customers can take advantage of the Fido Rewards iPhone 3GS promotion.

• Use FidoDollars towards the purchase of a no-term iPhone 3G S
• Fido will top up the FidoDollars amount by $100
• This promotion does not include an extension or renewal of their service agreement or the need to get a data plan

• 16GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White – $699 minus your FidoDollars minus Fidos Bonus 100 FidoDollars
• 32GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White – $799 minus your FidoDollars minus Fidos Bonus 100 FidoDollars

If you are NOT currently an existing iPhone 3G Fido customer, you can still use your FidoDollars towards the no-term cost of the iPhone 3GS by subscribing to a data add-on with term.

• 16GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with data add-on – $699 minus your FidoDollars
• 32GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with data add-on – $799 minus your FidoDollars

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Tethering Policy

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New/Existing customers signing up on a 1GB or higher data plan on or after June 8, 2009 but before December 31, 2009

If and when you are running OS 3.0 and sign up on a data plan that includes atleast 1GB of data between the dates of June 8, 2009 and December 31, 2009, then you can tether all you want using the amount of data you have in your data option up until December 31, 2009. To enable tethering, if its blocked on your 3.0 iPhone, call in to Rogers/Fido.

However, if you get a data plan that is less than 1GB, then you will not be able to tether because the service must be activated by calling to Rogers/Fido and Rogers/Fido will not activate tethering on an account that has less than a 1GB data plan.

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Existing customers already signed up on any data plan prior to June 8, 2009

For all those people that already have data plans of all different sizes prior to June 8, 2009, you can tether all you want, as long as you have atleast a 1GB data plan, using the amount of data you have in your data option up until December 31, 2009. If you happen to have a 1GB or higher data plan and the tethering is blocked on your 3.0 iPhone, call in to Rogers/Fido to enable it.

If you have less than a 1GB Data plan and are running a 3.0 iPhone where the tethering is blocked, do not call in to Rogers/Fido because they will not enable tethering for you unless you want to increase your data plan to 1GB.

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After December 31, 2009?

For those wondering what is happening after December 31, 2009…well, not so good news.

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Every Single Rogers/Fido Customer

After December 31, 2009, your ability to tether may be taken away and you as an existing or new Rogers or Fido customer will have the option to subscribe to various tethering plans. Your existing ability to tether (if you had it) may be taken away. This means that after December 31, 2009, somehow Rogers and Fido may make it either impossible for you to tether your mobile device without the add-on of one of these “tethering plans” or just charge you extra for any “tethering data” used.

[Image above copied from Rogers internal document regarding tethering]

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How To Keep Tethering and Bypass The Rogers/Fido Tethering Policy, even after December 31, 2009

What is currently happening is most of the Rogers/Fido customers that are running the GM (GoldMaster) version of the 3.0 iPhone software released at WWDC have the Internet Tethering option blocked when they try and access Internet Tethering. It is blocked in the GM 3.0 and will be blocked in the official June 17, 2009 release of 3.0 as well.

Customers with a 500MB Data plan that have added or are going to add a 500MB Data plan will not be able to call in to Rogers/Fido and get tethering enabled by Rogers/Fido unless they upgrade their plan to atleast a 1GB Data plan.

The error message that Rogers/Fido customers are getting on their 3.0 iPhones is:

Set Up Internet Tethering

To enable tethering on this account, contact Rogers

So this is the method in which Rogers/Fido will control this tethering policy.

The way they do this is through iTunes. Rogers/Fido have what are called IPCC files or “iPhone Carrier Configuration” files. These files are loaded onto Rogers/Fido iPhone’s and give you MMS, Tethering, etc.

In this case, in order to enable tethering, you must call in to Rogers/Fido, have them place an “internet tethering promotional SOC code” (pronounced “sock”) on your account and then tethering will be enabled. The only catch is this is where Rogers/Fido get you because remember, if you have a data plan less than 1GB, Rogers/Fido will not activate tethering for you.

So how do you avoid this? The answer is get your own custom IPCC file or mobileconfig option.

I have been using a custom Rogers IPCC file throughout all of the Beta periods of OS 3.0 and to this day I have tethering enabled and working fine on my 500MB data plan (I also have MMS working fine). So it would seem that as long as you have a custom IPCC file or mobileconfig profile, you’re all good!

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But what if I already download OS 3.0 and tethering is blocked?

Do not worry if you already downloaded the 3.0 software and tethering is blocked. All you need to do is get the custom IPCC file or install an updated mobileconfig profile.

Alternatively, if you have a 1GB or higher data plan, you can call Rogers/Fido and they will activate it for you. But after December 31, 2009, they will take it away UNLESS you have the custom IPCC file or update mobileconfig loaded on your 3.0 iPhone.

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So what are the steps?

Proceed at your own risk. Playing around will this stuff can negatively effect your wireless bill

Here are the steps to activate tethering on your iPhone with OS 3.0 without having to call Rogers/Fido or increase your monthly fee and data plan to 1GB or higher:

1. Ensure you have an iPhone 3G/3G running OS 3.0 and atleast a 500MB data plan
2. Find the working custom Rogers or Fido IPCC file that works across all versions of 3.0 (not all of them work, so beware) OR just click here on your iPhone 3G/3GS and choose your carrier Rogers or Fido and then tap “Install”.
3. For the IPCC file install only, continue to follow below.
4. Update iTunes to the latest version.
5. Plug your iPhone into iTunes.
6. When it shows up, hold SHIFT (PC) or OPTION (Mac) and click UPDATE in iTunes. A window will open. If your iTunes does not do this, follow steps 1 – 3 for Mac here or Windows here.
7. Search for the Rogers/Fido IPCC file and select it.
8. After about 10 seconds when the update is applied, eject your iPhone using iTunes and reboot the iPhone.

These methods may not work for everyone, but in my experience, it works 100%.

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$30 6GB Data Plan

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Both new and existing customers may get the $30 6GB data plan until July 31, 2009.

It will require a 3–year contract and must be attached to a voice plan.

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2.) New Rogers/Fido Customers That Want The iPhone 3GS

If you are a TOTALLY brand new customer to Rogers or Fido, once you have your 3 year contract plan chosen, the prices below are for NEW customers:

• 16GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with 3 Year Voice/Data plan – $199
• 32GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with 3 Year Voice/Data plan – $299

For the above scenario only, alternatively, you could get a data plan and then cancel it and pay the $100 cancellation fee.

You can also get the iPhone 3G “S” without a data plan, but you pay a heavy $200 premium. (Getting a data plan however gets you promotional pricing). The premium is shown below:

• 16GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with a 3 Year Voice plan but no Data plan – $399
• 32GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with 3 Year Voice plan but no Data plan – $499

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3.) New Rogers/Fido customers that want the iPhone 3G

If you are a TOTALLY brand new customer to Rogers or Fido, once you have your 3 year contract plan chosen, the prices below are for NEW customers:

• 8GB iPhone 3G in Black with 3 Year Voice/Data plan – $199 until June 19, 2009; $99 on June 19, 2009 and onward
• 16GB iPhone 3G in Black or White with 3 Year Voice/Data plan – $179 until June 19, 2009; $149 on June 19, 2009 and onward

For the above scenario only, alternatively, you could get a data plan and then cancel it and pay the $100 cancellation fee.

You can also get the iPhone 3G without a data plan, but you pay a heavy $200 premium. (Getting a data plan however gets you promotional pricing). The premium is shown below:

• 8GB iPhone 3G in Black with 3 Year Voice plan but no Data plan – $399 until June 19, 2009; $299 on June 19, 2009 and onward
• 16GB iPhone 3G in Black or White with 3 Year Voice plan but no Data plan – $379 until June 19, 2009; $349 on June 19, 2009 and onward

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4.) Existing Rogers/Fido customers that want the iPhone 3GS

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As of June 18, 2009, Rogers/Fido amended the upgrade policy for a limited time for current iPhone 3G owners. The changes are detailed below:

Option #1

Existing Rogers iPhone 3G customers with a minimum tenure of 6 months since their activation/last upgrade will be able to upgrade to an iPhone 3GS with a $250 discount towards the no-term price. You will be required to add 1 year onto your existing contract and have an attached data plan.

• 16GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White – $449
• 32GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White – $549
• All administration fees will be waived for the customers who are taking advantage of this offer.

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Option #2

Existing Rogers iPhone 3G customers who activated or upgraded from July 11, 2008 to September 30, 2008 and have consistently spent on average of $100 or more each month will be able to take advantage of the in-market pricing.

• 16GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White – $199
• 32GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White – $299
• All administration fees will be waived for the customers who are taking advantage of this offer.

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Option #3

Fido customers can take advantage of the Fido Rewards iPhone 3GS promotion.

• Use FidoDollars towards the purchase of a no-term iPhone 3G S
• Fido will top up the FidoDollars amount by $100
• This promotion does not include an extension or renewal of their service agreement or the need to get a data plan

• 16GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White – $699 minus your FidoDollars minus Fidos Bonus 100 FidoDollars
• 32GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White – $799 minus your FidoDollars minus Fidos Bonus 100 FidoDollars

If you are NOT currently an existing iPhone 3G Fido customer, you can still use your FidoDollars towards the no-term cost of the iPhone 3GS by subscribing to a data add-on with term.

• 16GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with data add-on – $699 minus your FidoDollars
• 32GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with data add-on – $799 minus your FidoDollars

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After the new policy change is finished, the normal policy will be back in effect. That is listed below:

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You have a smartphone and are less than 2 years but more than 1 year into contract

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If you are an existing Rogers/Fido customer and are using a smartphone (iPhone) and are going to be less than 2 years but more than 1 year into your contract since the last time you upgraded/activated by the time the iPhone 3G “S” is released, then you cannot upgrade to a new smartphone.

So according to the new upgrade policy, if you currently have a Smartphone (iPhone, Blackberry, etc) registered on your account, even if you did not buy it from Rogers but it is registered on your account, then you will NOT be able to upgrade to another Smartphone (iPhone) until you have reached the 24 month (2 year) mark in your contract since your last upgrade/activation.

At that time, 2 years in or later, your pricing will look like this:

• 16GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with 3 Year Voice/Data plan – $199 or more/less
• 32GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with 3 Year Voice/Data plan – $299 or more/less

For the above scenario only, alternatively, if you do not already have a data plan, you could get a data plan and then cancel it and pay the $100 cancellation fee.

You can also get the iPhone 3G “S” without a data plan, but you pay a heavy $200 premium. (Getting a data plan however gets you promotional pricing). The premium is shown below:

• 16GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with a 3 Year Voice plan but no Data plan – $399 or more/less
• 32GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with 3 Year Voice plan but no Data plan – $499 or more/less

In other words, everyone that got the iPhone 3G on July 11, 2008 (or any other Smartphone), your next Smartphone upgrade will be available July 11, 2010 (or 2 years from the last upgrade/activation), according to the upgrade policy.

However, do understand that when Rogers/Fido say you are “eligible” to upgrade, upgrading to a new smartphone (iPhone) is not the case. You may be “eligible” to upgrade, but you will only be eligible for a non-smartphone.

Moreover, Fido customers may use their FidoDollars towards an upgrade.

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Outright Pricing (No Contract)

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So if you are not eligible for a smartphone (iPhone) and you are using a smartphone right now on your account and you have a voice/data plan, then your options to buy the iPhone 3GS outright are below:

• 16GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White – $699
• 32GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White – $799

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You have a non-smartphone and are 1 year or more into contract

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As of August 21 2009, this policy has been changed.

If you are an existing Rogers/Fido customer and are not using a smartphone device or a smartphone device is not registered on your account, you may upgrade to the iPhone 3G “S” so long as your account has reached atleast its 12 24 month mark since your last activation/upgrade.

At that time, 1 year in, your pricing will look like this:

• 16GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with a 3 Year Voice/Data plan – $299 or more/less
• 32GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with a 3 Year Voice/Data plan – $399 or more/less

For the above scenario only, alternatively, you could get a data plan and then cancel it and pay the $100 cancellation fee.

You can also get the iPhone 3G “S” without a data plan, but you pay a heavy $200 premium. (Getting a data plan however gets you promotional pricing). The premium is shown below:

• 16GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with a 3 Year Voice plan but no Data plan – $499 or more/less
• 32GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with 3 Year Voice plan but no Data plan – $599 or more/less

If you held out for 2 years or more, after 2 years in or later, your pricing will look like this:

• 16GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with a 3 Year Voice/Data plan – $199 or more/less
• 32GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with a 3 Year Voice/Data plan – $299 or more/less

For the above scenario only, alternatively, you could get a data plan and then cancel it and pay the $100 cancellation fee.

You can also get the iPhone 3G “S” without a data plan, but you pay a heavy $200 premium. (Getting a data plan however gets you promotional pricing). The premium is shown below:

• 16GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with a 3 Year Voice plan but no Data plan – $399 or more/less
• 32GB iPhone 3G “S” in Black or White with 3 Year Voice plan but no Data plan – $499 or more/less

Moreover, Fido customers may use their FidoDollars towards an upgrade.

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5.) Existing Rogers/Fido customers that want the iPhone 3G

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You have a smartphone and are less than 2 years but more than 1 year into contract

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If you are an existing Rogers/Fido customer and are using a smartphone (iPhone) and are going to be less than 2 years but more than 1 year into your contract since the last time you upgraded/activated, then you cannot upgrade to a new smartphone.

So according to the new upgrade policy, if you currently have a Smartphone (iPhone, Blackberry, etc) registered on your account, even if you did not buy it from Rogers but it is registered on your account, then you will NOT be able to upgrade to another Smartphone (iPhone) until you have reached the 24 month (2 year) mark in your contract since your last upgrade/activation.

At that time, 2 years in or later, your pricing will look like this:

• 8GB iPhone 3G in Black with 3 Year Voice/Data plan – $199 or more/less until June 19, 2009; $99 or more/less on June 19, 2009 and onward
• 16GB iPhone 3G in Black or White with 3 Year Voice/Data plan – $179 or more/less until June 19, 2009; $149 or more/less on June 19, 2009 and onward

For the above scenario only, alternatively, if you do not already have a data plan, you could get a data plan and then cancel it and pay the $100 cancellation fee.

You can also get the iPhone 3G without a data plan, but you pay a heavy $200 premium. (Getting a data plan however gets you promotional pricing). The premium is shown below:

• 8GB iPhone 3G in Black with a 3 Year Voice plan but no Data plan – $399 or more/less until June 19, 2009; $299 or more/less on June 19, 2009 and onward
• 16GB iPhone 3G in Black or White with 3 Year Voice plan but no Data plan – $379 or more/less until June 19, 2009; $349 or more/less on June 19, 2009 and onward

In other words, everyone that got the iPhone 3G on July 11, 2008 (or any other smartphone), your next Smartphone upgrade will be available July 11, 2010, (or 2 years from the last upgrade/activation), according to the upgrade policy.

However, do understand that when Rogers/Fido say you are “eligible” to upgrade, upgrading to a new smartphone (iPhone) is not the case. You may be “eligible” to upgrade, but you will only be eligible for a non-smartphone.

Moreover, Fido customers may use their FidoDollars towards an upgrade.

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Outright Pricing (No Contract)

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So if you are not eligible for a smartphone (iPhone) and you are using a smartphone right now on your account and you have a voice/data plan, then your options to buy the iPhone 3G outright are below:

• 8GB iPhone 3G in Black – $599

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You have a non-smartphone and are 1 year or more into contract

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As of August 21 2009, this policy has been changed.

If you are an existing Rogers/Fido customer and are not using a smartphone device or a smartphone device is not registered on your account, you may upgrade to the iPhone 3G so long as your account has reached atleast its 12 24 month mark since your last activation/upgrade.

At that time, 1 year in, your pricing will look like this:

• 8GB iPhone 3G in Black with a 3 Year Voice/Data plan – $299 or more/less until June 19, 2009; $199 or more/less on June 19, 2009 and onward
• 16GB iPhone 3G in Black or White with a 3 Year Voice/Data plan – $279 or more/less until June 19, 2009; $249 or more/less on June 19, 2009 and onward

For the above scenario only, alternatively, you could get a data plan and then cancel it and pay the $100 cancellation fee.

You can also get the iPhone 3G without a data plan, but you pay a heavy $200 premium. (Getting a data plan however gets you promotional pricing). The premium is shown below:

• 8GB iPhone 3G in Black with a 3 Year Voice plan but no Data plan – $499 or more/less until June 19, 2009; $399 or more/less on June 19, 2009 and onward
• 16GB iPhone 3G in Black or White with 3 Year Voice plan but no Data plan – $479 or more/less until June 19, 2009; $449 or more/less on June 19, 2009 and onward

If you held out for 2 years or more, after 2 years or later into the contract, your pricing will look like this:

• 8GB iPhone 3G in Black with a 3 Year Voice/Data plan – $199 or more/less until June 19, 2009; $99 or more/less on June 19, 2009 and onward
• 16GB iPhone 3G in Black or White with a 3 Year Voice/Data plan – $179 or more/less until June 19, 2009; $149 or more/less on June 19, 2009 and onward

For the above scenario only, alternatively, you could get a data plan and then cancel it and pay the $100 cancellation fee.

You can also get the iPhone 3G without a data plan, but you pay a heavy $200 premium. (Getting a data plan however gets you promotional pricing). The premium is shown below:

• 8GB iPhone 3G in Black with a 3 Year Voice plan but no Data plan – $399 or more/less until June 19, 2009; $299 or more/less on June 19, 2009 and onward
• 16GB iPhone 3G in Black or White with 3 Year Voice plan but no Data plan – $379 or more/less until June 19, 2009; $349 or more/less on June 19, 2009 and onward

Moreover, Fido customers may use their FidoDollars towards an upgrade.

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Final Notes

• Pricing listed above may not necessarily affect every single customer
• Pricing is listed as more/less because pricing will vary between customer accounts