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.
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I'm with you Gary — I'll buy the new phone outright and won't sign another contract. With Moblicity coming to Vancouver there is no reason to.
How much would outright pricing be? Don't say $700 🙁
Moblicity is on AWS. iPhone 4 works on GSM 3G networks.
Sorry, ur probably outta luck.
I just called Rogers and they told me that I am early upgrade eligible for the new iPhone. I bought the iPhone 3G the first day it came out on July 11th, 2008
iPhone won't work with Mobilicity, or any of the new carriers for that matter.
I have a 3G and my contract won't reach the two year mark until late August, so I'm really hoping they'll just let me upgrade one month early.
I didn't realize Mobilicity didn't support it. Perhaps this will change?
Anyway, being a 10+ year Rogers customer, I am ready for change from the Big 3. The poor support & pricing models Rogers provides, while locked into the world's longest term contract, has me thinking enough is enough.
I have a novel idea: Have Rogers become an industry leader. Provide us, your loyal customers, with low-cost, industry leading plans. This means $50 max, and includes everything. I would like excellent value from my plan. The $103.90 per month I pay is not what I call 'value'. The aforementioned $50 'Everything Plan' provides unlimited everything the iPhone does, including data, text, and North America calling.
You would have a massive increase in customers, and as such, make more money than you would now, guaranteed. And I know, from being your customer, you just want more money. Everybody wins.
If this doesn’t work for Rogers, I’ll take my $3740.40 somewhere else.
/Rogers rant…
Would you need to renew the 3-year contract to do the upgrade?
I'm going to re-contract, but I'm fine with it, I actually don't hate Rogers as much as others. I love my current plan (which I use with my unlocked 2G) and will probably just add a data package to it.
Which leaves me with just one item on my wish list for Rogers: OFFER THE 6Gb $30/mo Data Plan Again – or at least Similar Rates to the iPad packages.
I'm sure we'll see some sort of iPhone package restructuring, I just hope this information is available sooner rather than later.
My 3G contract hits 2 years in Sept, so a new iPhone 4 may be a birthday present for me just like the 3G was 2 years ago. 🙂
No word from Sasktel yet ???? =/
How come? The iPhone 4 is quad-band GSM and quad-band HSDPA, it should work on all carriers old and new here in Canada, should it not?
i wonder if fido will be carring this
what a waste of money old features in a new body still no flash
Of course
New carriers are on AWS, therefore no.
Yes they will
Yeah I definitely would. That's the only way I'd be able to get promotional pricing with Rogers. I was thinking about cancelling and going with Bell because their 3G coverage in Belleville is better and I am going to sell my 3G to one of my friends which would pay the ECF but I don't want to leave my 6gb plan so I am going to suck it up.
we are on the same boat. i am with Fido. we've been locked for almost 2 year now. it's the renewal time!!!
hopefully, the upgrade price will remain the same to $200. however, later release makes me so sad
you know what. i just give up the idea of flash on iphone. it wont happen anyhow from the official.
what u can do is getting a cool android phone or praying all the websites turn to html5 standard…
that's a big lose for our customers. but that's the way it is…..
also, the sim-lock makes impossible unless those geeks make it unlocked. it takes time…
I plan on spending a lot of time in the US and at my cottage in Quebec where only the Bell network has coverage. I am not knowledgeable about all the different bands and compatibility issues. What I would like to know is if I can buy an iPhone 4 outright and then get sim cards with no contracts from Bell & AT&T and just activate and de-activate the cards as needed. Would the same iPhone work on both networks?
I'm afraid demand in the first launch countries will be so high that the Canadian release date will be end of July or even delayed to August. Apple has problems making enough iPads and adding another “hot” product that's made in the same factories will not help.
Which sucks because I'm a developer and I need to test my apps on all hardware. I can't afford to go to the US and get an AT&T phone with a 2 year contract. I heard that even for full-price phones they are requiring a US credit card now.
I just got off the phone with Fido and they said there will be promotion for early upgrade to iPhone 4. It used be six month period before contact ends. But it will be 14 months
buying outright is starting to look like a better and better option. I'm sick of these ridiculous contracts, plus i like to change devices more than once every three years, usually after a year or so I'm ready to upgrade. I'll probaly buy the phone outright even if rogers does offer some kinda deal for those of us who bought the 3GS last year and re commited to 3 more years…
But I have to ask, why the steep price, gonna be higher than Ipads with 3G from what I've read…..
The iPhone 3GS is upgradeable to iphone 4.0 software. So you will still get the multitasking, folders, unified inbox, etc… 🙂 Just won't get the hardware improvements like the improved camera, 720p video recording with built in iMovie and front facing camera…. 🙁
Why can't the phone just come out on the normal release date. I want to get one so badly but I leave for Europe on July 1. I hope they aren't sold out when I get back.
🙁 I just got my 3GS in Nov. with rogers and would have loved to upgrade. I think you should be able to upgrade when ever you want as long as you are willing to pay for the up grade and renewing your contract. Sucks to be controlled like this.
Yup, I know the feeling. They wouldn't let me upgrade to the iPhone 3G initially when it launched, so I had to use my wife's account to upgrade. I'm not signing anymore contracts! I hate being tied down.
HTML5 is making huge leaps and bounds. Like they said, Flash is a big resource hog.
Most likely the same outright prices as the iPhone 3GS.
Anyone want a iphone 3gs white so i can buy this iphone 4
So say you buy the iPhone 4 full price from same carrier, cut the regular 3gs sim to micro sim size, put inside iPhone 4g and should work?
I'm going to buy outright, but I will wait until they are available factory unlocked in HK. I will not switch carriers as I am a 14 year customer with Rogers, and I receive a handsome discount on my bill 🙂
Should be pretty much right away, just like with the 3Gs
Canadian carriers have to be doing away with the absurd 3-year contracts soon. It's absolutely crazy that they can tie you down to 3 years when technology moves this fast. It's ebay for me (sell my 3GS, buy iPhone 4). I refuse to sign another 3 year contract with anyone.
But they would tag on the new contract on top of your old one.
So if you have 14 months left, after the upgrade, you would now have 4 years and 2 months of contract left!!!
If they retain this upgrade policy, you won't be eligible for another new phone until iPhone 7 in 2013… 🙁
That's not how it works. They tie you into another 3 year, not add on 3 + whatever is left.
Maybe not for Rogers, but that's how it works for Fido!
sasktel is CDMA i think, so they probably wont get the iphone until verizon
Unfortunately some of us can't afford to slap down $600-$800 on something like that… they have better things to pay for, like mortgages. 🙂
You know I am in the same boat. I know there is a lot of hate on Rogers but I've really had no issues for them. More than likely my wife is going to switch to Rogers from Bell as Rogers has US/Canada data plans and get the iPhone there… and I”ll suck it up and renew my contract to get the new iPhone at promotional pricing.
Oh Gary has a mortgage, but I make him buy the iPhone. Just like I guided him to buy the iPhone 3GS immediately on launch day
103.90*12=$1,246.80
I don't see $3,740 in that amount.
i'm also on fido, and got the 3G back in 2008. i have accumulated a decent amount of fido dollars to apply toward a new iPhone 4 🙂
I love our mortgage but of course iPhone 4 has taken the #1 spot for our financial priorities! LOL
I hope history will repeat it self this year around!
I too will be buying the iPhone 4 with no contract. I really despise those 3 year terms.
Back to Mr. Noodles
$109.90/month * 36months in contract+price of phone=3740
Impossible, no company can tie you down for more than 3 yrs, therefore, they can't add 3 yrs to the remaining time on your contract, you'll just start a new 3 year contract forgetting about the months remaining to your actual contract.