Hell has frozen over!
If an article at the Globe & Mail is to be believed (and how can you not believe it?!), the iPhone is coming to Telus and Bell as early as November 2009!
It would seem that in November Telus and Bell will have their GSM network up and running that they have been building together. The release of the new network is much earlier than anticipated and Bell says that their new network will extend their 3G technology to the same standard that Rogers is currently using, which is HSPA+ at 21 Mbps.
The big network difference here is that Bell argues that their HSPA+ network is superior to Rogers and will cover all of Canada by launch (versus only 5 cities by Rogers). This news also breaks months of rumors and speculation that Telus/Bell will be unable to run the iPhone on their network.
On the Apple side of things, I believe it is pretty safe to say that, given the opportunity, Apple will begin selling iPhones to Telus/Bell. Considering that Apple is the business of selling iPhone hardware, another 1 million+ sold devices would be more than welcomed by Apple.
To add to this, it has not been made public (or seen at all) that Rogers and Apple have any exclusivity agreements with the iPhone. So overall, it seems likely that the iPhone is headed to Telus/Bell.
As many expect, this news changes everything!
Of course, what will matter most are the price plans that Telus/Bell will have and how much the monthly cost will be. This also brings to question the cost and plans that will come from the new carriers, such as WIND mobile.
But the biggest thing of all is that Canada will now have MULTIPLE GSM carriers, all carrying the iPhone. This means competition and potential price drops! I am already prepping my “hello Rogers, credit my account so I pay $30 a month or I’m going to Bell/Telus that have the same phone and same price plans” speech!
It is quite amazing to see the influence that Apple has on the world. In 1984, Apple changed the computer industry with the Macintosh. In 2001, Apple changed the music industry with the iPod. In 2007, Apple changed the mobile industry with the iPhone. And now in 2009, Apple will change the mobile landscape in Canada!
I believe it goes without saying that if this all goes through for Telus/Bell, the two companies will have a fantastic Christmas shopping quarter, where Rogers/Fido will likely have their absolute worst Christmas shopping quarter ever. I would love to see the inside of the boardroom at RCI in Toronto right now and see Nadir and the crew realize the mistakes they have made with all the price gouging of their customers recently.
Lets look at the advantages and disadvantages of the new changes:
Advantages
Disadvantages
If you have any other advantages or disadvantages, sound off in the comments below and I will happily add them to our list!
HOLLLAAAAAAA!!!!!
