Rogers customers in Windsor, Ontario, have long had free roaming when traveling to Detroit in the U.S., but that is now coming to and end.
The wireless carrier implemented a system years ago to prevent customers in Windsor from getting charged roaming fees while in Canada. Rogers’ solution was to exempt all Windsor area codes from roaming charges when making voice calls within a certain radius of their homes. This meant some were able to call back to Canada while in Detroit or other areas close by in neighbouring Michigan state.
However, a system upgrade means that loophole has been eliminated, explains Rogers spokesman Aaron Lazarus to The Windsor Star:
“The intention has always been that Canadians not be charged if their phones pinged off a U.S. tower,” he said. “We’re now able to isolate it more, so it’s really aimed at areas near the water, so you don’t get charged for roaming while still in Canada.”
Lazarus said “The new system is advantageous because it includes voice, data and text, whereas the older notation only applied to voice.” The system upgrade took place last November, but the old system did not end until this summer.
What does this mean? Now that this new system can track data as well, make sure Data Roaming (Settings > Cellular > Data Roaming > OFF) is still off by default on your iPhone if you’re living in Windsor, or you may get dinged if your iPhone connects to a U.S. tower.
Thanks @stanvx
