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The wireless fight begins

SIMON AVERY

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 2:30 PM EDT 15/07/08

Apple's new iPhone launch gives Rogers the first punch, but customers strike back with an online petition over pricing, Bell is set to unveil a similar smart phone and new firms are spending heavily to get into the lucrative game ...Read the full article

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  1. Patrick Wingert from Toronto, Canada writes: Free the sheep! Give us an unlimited plan Rogers!
  2. ah sails from Canada writes: We have been stupid and getting screwed for too long in Canada..there is no reason for us to have among the highest rates in the world..c'mon Harpo do something positive for Canadians before they throw you out with the trash..open up the market
  3. Imperial K from Canada writes: We are totally a captured market, with no where to turn, there are no alternatives. The long contracts, high billing on simple communication like text messages etc are what are killing it. There should be a decent price for various things, rather than this nickel and diming.

    Right now we have a choice of being pecked to death by per use, or paying huge amounts for higher usage, and NOTHING in between.
  4. Watercooler Pundit from Regina, Canada writes: I hope that this shameful greed blows right up in Roger's face. They have an opportunity to cripple the competition and instead of gaining tens of thousands of new customers, they are going to settle for thousands and gouge them. I hope this blows up in their faces.
  5. Koolest Cat from Canada writes: Tale of the tape for the IPhone is a few weeks down the road. If demand wanes then Rogers should panic.

    By and large what you have seen today is the Dweebs and the Applebots who were pretty well guaranteed sales when the unit was introduced.
  6. Charles Murray from Toronto, Canada writes: Rogers did not cave. Their cynical response was to decrease gouging for a short period. Canadians aren't stupid. They have seen Rogers for the grasping monopolist that it is.
  7. Brad Smyth from Canada writes: Watercooler - hopefully only a few HUNDRED mindless sheep bought iPhones today from Robbers. Boycott Robbers and their rip off iPhone rates!
  8. Helen Pettingill from Canada writes: The simplest solution is not to buy an iPhone. You've lived without one this long.
  9. Entitledto Entitlements from Canada writes: Rogers is hiding behind the text messaging issue with a pathetic 45 day reprieve from absolutely robbing you in exchange for the same )(data transimssion) progress that the rest of the world gets. period. The issue isn't which day you sign up... It is that every other country in the world has a competitive TEAM player that works for profit, and the benefit of their country at the same time. Rogers doesn't give two $@*%)#%#) about you, or especially, Canada.
    He'll be dead before you complain... that's all that matters- one company, one man. Canada aparently doesn't matter.

    Hey, even Apple isn't worth attacking your country...
  10. Joe Liberali from Canada writes: Other phones are not the iPhone, and never will be. Apple has a magic (provided Steve Jobs is around) that cannot be mimicked. It's impossible. Every other crusty corporation with crust old white men at the helm can never get it. They think 1950s economics are relevant and have a culture that weighs pros and cons and misses the aesthetic middle term.
  11. Richard F from Victoria, Canada writes: I'm old school and use a phone just for yakking...no pictures, no texting and no internet. If I want internet on the road I take my little laptop with Skype on it.

    My olde Telus plan was up... NO free minutes, just evenings and weekends with LD in Alta and BC for $40 plus that stupid system access fee... net cost after taxes.... about $53. Got nasty and threatened to go to Koodo... or (gasp) Rogers...

    New 1 year deal: (using my old phone which I like) 300 daytime min... 5 numbers from anywhere anytime LD included, 6pm weekends and evenings free, call display, voice mail, and call forwarding. Bill is $31 and change including GST and PST and including that that ripoff system access fee.

    Yes kiddies... if you've been a good long term customer (me since 1996), paid your bills on time, they will indeed sharpen their pencils big time... just get wound up, be aggressive, and demand a better deal.
  12. bob gervitz from United States writes: A whole lot of suckers waiting to be fleeced. Good ol' P.T. Barnum was right. People getting so excited and so agitated over a device that nobody needs (and until 5 years ago most people got along just fine without thank you very much). Such silliness.
  13. bilbo baggins from Canada writes: what a bunch of suckers
  14. contrite individual from Way east, Canada writes: Canada is a monopolistic (or at least very limited competition) economy. Witness "supply management" (dairy, beef etc) the internet is a mess (slow, very slow) phones are about 3 times the world price with about half the services available in (say) the UK, even auto dealers are protected (when did you last see a combined, Ford/GM dealer?). Until the government acknowledges and acts (open up to REAL competition) we are liable to continued rip-offs and incompetent service. Oh Richard F from Victoria the plan you mention, or similar, is about $8 (four pounds) in UK
  15. Hugh Andrew from Ottawa, Canada writes: Let's bring on the bandwidth space competition much faster. One of the bidders from the Middle East has wireless companies in numerous countries and decries the fact that there is not adequate competition in Canada. Yes, he may want to feed at the trough with the other pigs; the more international competition the better.
  16. MKK Flatron from Canada writes: Joe Liberali from Canada writes: Other phones are not the iPhone, and never will be. Apple has a magic (provided Steve Jobs is around) that cannot be mimicked. It's impossible. Every other crusty corporation with crust old white men at the helm can never get it. They think 1950s economics are relevant and have a culture that weighs pros and cons and misses the aesthetic middle term.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------

    So says Joe Liberali, a hired Apple propagandist on the Internet. Of course, he may actually be stupid enough to fall for that 'Apple oh so beautiful' crap.
  17. Sunny Sun from Calgary, Canada writes: System access fee (SAFE) should be got rid of. Or just add it up to so-called monthly fee. For example, $30/mo is not $30/mo but $30 $8.95(SAFE @Bell, $6.95 @Telus & Robbers,) $.75 (911Fee)=$39.7 ($37.7@Telus & Robbers). NDP has suggested this motion for ALL Canadians. Libs and Cons just ignore ALL Canadians demands.

    Canada should be got rid of G8. Canada is not a free but monopoly market economy country and not so advanced.
  18. F/A josquin from Canada writes: Perhaps the reason we are getting savvier is our lack of $$$ these days.

    Communication tools are just that now----- tools------ not luxuries.

    The companies that give us working tools at reasonable prices will win our diminishing sheckles.

    I am holding back until it is affordable. In fact, I get a certain pride from not buckling to the 'newest' technology----yet.
  19. Rick O'Sullivan from Canada writes: The wireless companies have been hosing Canadians for at least the last 15 years. Ottawa is too blind to see that. Rogers pretty well owns Toronto - purchased on the backs of every consumer
  20. David Smith from Toronto, Canada writes: I wonder how many of these people crying over their cell phone bills pay $20 cover charge at a nite club or drink those fancy el grande coffees.

    Mr Barr should know better than anyone that bills can be elastic, he's a lawyer after all.

    Why do kids need a cell phone? oh if it's for "safety"/poser, get pay-as-u-go, otherwise don't bame the wireless if your kid yaps or go text mad with the phone.
  21. Ivan Canarus from Canada writes: No doubt, the customers, showing an almost insatiable appetite for all things wireless. But ONE MILLION QUESTION is: who will pay for this ? This case and many other global cases clearly show, the customers don`t want.

    There are no comprehensive business model which satisfy operators, customers and governments. The industry has to be changed dramatically. The operators have to stop price fighting, meet together and launch united national wide service network:

    For detail, please, following by link:
    http://www.slideshare.net/ishmelev/national-service-network/
  22. arthur richardson from Toronto, writes: This article contains inaccuracies, most notably: Rogers didn't slash their data plan in response to the outcry, Rogers increased the data slightly for people signing up for new plans with a time limit. To characterize what they did as somehow "helpful" or "benevolent" is ludicrous. The plans that Rogers offers are the second highest in the world (they were temporarily the worst but then somehow Italy gets that crown).

    Current subscribers to Rogers wireless plans take a back seat to the "fresh meat" subscribers who are migrating from other suppliers. This was further illustrated yesterday when new subscribers were shown preference in the line-ups for the phone. As a current subscriber i am not even allowed to purchase the device unless I break my semi-reasonable contract and re-sign for three years (since my partner is on the same contract she would also have to re-sign a new contract, this would reflect at least a $40 monthly increase on my bill).

    The business model for this phone release is insane and pure filthy greed, and yes, the answer is not to get one. But not getting one shouldn't preclude blowing the whistle on Rogers, their system and the CRTC for their short-sightedness in the face of emerging technologies.
  23. bob tillman from Canada writes: The government shares in the blame here. The spectrum cost in Canada is in the hundreds or millions. The higher your plan costs the more tax the gov. gets. They really don't care for competition. They would rather deal with the established carriers than risk their windfall. On another note I don't understand some of the posts. It seems like people feel it is a right to have what they want at the price they want. Sounds a little immature to me. If you want it then you will have to pay for it. If you don't like the pricing than don't buy it - life will go on! What would you expect from old Ted anyway? Ted only cares about Ted - did you forget the negative option bullying(billing) scandal? He only wants the customer that can afford his price plans - look at the cost of a ticket to the Bills games in Toronto. Roughly $200 to see an exhibition game! He knows there are enough people out there that will pay those prices and to hell with the rest of you (in most case the real fans). If you want that pretty iPHONE than you will need to sell your soul!
  24. Alex Peterson from Canada writes: I just don't get it . Why would there be any problems when it comes to cell phone plans and pricing of the plans. Don't these people have enough money and aren't their companies established enough to be able to afford such "Luxury".
  25. Sandra T from Stroud, Canada writes: What is all the fuss? An "iphone"? what for? I mean really, do we need this kind of stuff in our lives? Do people really need to be that "connected" to the world?

    I have a computer and a phone....that's all I need!
  26. Matthew Harper from Toronto, Canada writes: I wonder how many people commenting about how unnecessary the iPhone, or cell phones in general are have a house or car that is bigger than necessary. Get over it folks. Canada is a rich country where the middle class actually do have a disposable income to spend on some luxuries that they desire. If you want to take all the luxuries out of our economy, watch the whole system collapse as people realize that they don't need to work as hard to afford only necessities.
  27. Unknown User! from Canada writes: im stuck with my current 3 year contract with Bell for another year i think. What awful timing :(

    but hey, at least all the bugs are gonna be covered and new potential contracts/better pricing might show up by then. Im passing out on both at the moment.
  28. Bart Farquart from Canada writes:
    The government should accelerate the wireless auctions and allow in anyone who wants to bid, including (gasp!) American companies. Any regulations should focus on honesty in billing and truth in advertising, not keeping Canada a captive market.

    As for all the Apple addicts emerging from their mother's basements yesterday to sit on the street yesterday and bend over for Steve Jobs and Ted Rogers, it is a free country.
  29. Tim Cares from Canada writes: Branson tried to be competitive and then just sold out.
    Why do we expect any different from these other companies?
  30. Tim Cares from Canada writes: I would just get an Ipod touch and a regular cell phone.
    Most people can get 90% of their kicks that way.
    Plus they can use a cheaper phone service.
  31. Richard Harris from Calgary, Canada writes: When the dollar hit parity we all went shopping- SOUTH OF THE BORDER. Why have we remained in Mr. Rogers Neighbourhood when it comes to our cell phones. Kevin O'Leary of BNN has a cell phone from Boston which he does not pay roaming charges or extra long distance on while in Canada. Let's all get one!!!!

    I am not the son of a university professor who used to be and should still be a university professor but I am smart enough to know that the issue of cell phone costs affects virtually every voting aged person in the country in one way or another. Uniting people under this `green`issue is more likely to win an election than carbon credits which few people understand. Get on it Mr. Dion.

    While we are at it why should we pay twice as much for satellite radio as our american neighbours??? We should hook that up through the US as well.

    Mr. Harper, how can we be globally competitive when we are overpaying for communication serivces?? I am 53 and have been watching US television since I was a child. Give me free access to these services before someone else promises to do so.
  32. Tim Cares from Canada writes: If people can't stand up to the telecom companies about something as un-necessary as cell phones, what hope do we have over major issues like the price of gas?
  33. Bruce Bartlett from Toronto, Canada writes: Reading the comments here and on other articles, I'm surprised by how many people seem to have the attitude that "nobody needs a cell phone, we got by without them for years".

    Ah yes, the good old days of missed appointments, having to stay home and wait by the phone for important calls, going out and waiting hours for people who had no way to tell you that they couldn't make it because their car had broken down, having no way to reach anyone if you were in a dangerous or life-threatening situation... it was wonderful! Just like the days before electricity and modern medical care. Weren't those the best?

    Seriously, cell phones are not a luxury anymore. As much as people use them to annoy others with loud inane conversations or showing off ringtone collections in public, they have saved many people time, money, and even their lives. If you like being unreachable that's certainly your choice, but it's rather ignorant to tell others that communication is a frivolous gimmick that they'd be better off without.

    As for the iPhone, while it is severely overhyped, what a lot of people seem to be missing is that it's not "just a phone". It's a pocket computer. Sure, nobody had one five years ago, but to use that as justification that there's no point in having one is to really say that there is no sense in doing any further innovation in any field at all -- because if we got by without it before, there's no reason to need it now, right?
  34. Gord Lewis from Canada writes: Matthew Harper from Toronto, Canada writes: . . . Get over it folks. Canada is a rich country where the middle class actually do have a disposable income to spend on some luxuries that they desire . . .

    _______________________________________________________
    Matthew Harper, you clearly don't get it. All you are doing is ranting against materialism in general. Fine, but many 'midle class' people like myself do NOT buy everything bigger than we need, and resisted getting a cell phone. The issue is about consumers being ripped off bigtime (basically double US prices for phone/cable/satellite) by a very concentrated industry that is backed up by a very paternalistic CRTC who insist we subsidize our 'fragile' Canadian businesses. Their CEOs are the same 'leaders' that love to lecture us about 'free markets' and 'entrepreneurialism'. I am in the middle of a squabble with Bell Mob, and I am finding out there is an army of folks with similar complaints. Bell is a monopoly that the 'middle class' have made very very rich.

    Luxury or necessity, cell phone customers are being gouged.
  35. Rasputin The Russian Monk from Canada writes: Anyone with a brain that functions half reasonably, can quickly see that Canadian Busines, as most, is moptivated by Greed, and Rogers is probably the worse incarnation of that undesireable trait in our true North Strong and Free.

    However the fact that the Canadian Consumer is being victimized by unscrupulous business practices should come as no surprise. The ME, NOW generation is flourishing.

    People, WAKE UP, this is not a necessity,if you don't like the price or terms, exercise your discretion and don't allow yourself to be taken advantag of. A significant drop in Demand will certainly send a message to Rogers and those of like mind. That we'd like to be treated with a bit of respect and not seen as mindless idiots to be gouged, minipulated and taken advantage of at every turn , so that some greedy business person can enhanced their bottom line.

    Leave the IPhone in the Store and keep the money in your pocket for purchases which will give you more servicability and satisfaction, rather than something that makes you feel you are being targeted and taken advantage of
  36. Gord Lewis from Canada writes: bob tillman from Canada writes: . . . It seems like people feel it is a right to have what they want at the price they want. Sounds a little immature to me. If you want it then you will have to pay for it. If you don't like the pricing than don't buy it - life will go on!

    No bob, I want to pay the price that was advertised, without hidden charges and restrictions and long-term contracts. Nice that you are philosophical about it, and life does indeed go on . . . with consumers paying and paying . . . Rogers must love hearing sanguine types like you. Actually, the big companes bank (lliterally) on Canadians being the passive, accepting blobs that we are. When things finally reach the protest stage in this country, you know there is a real problem . . .
  37. Vern McPherson from writes:
    Poor little Ted always wanted to be a Ma Bell style utility ...

    ............ perhaps he succeeded ???
  38. The Carolina Hurricane from Canada writes: Unknown User! from Canada writes: im stuck with my current 3 year contract with Bell for another year i think. What awful timing :(

    ------

    Stick with Bell. The Samsung Instinct is a more capable phone than the iPhone... and Bell is releasing it in August. Just check out Samsung's web-site. You'll be able to take advantage of a hardware upgrade or you can do what no Rogers customer can and buy the phone outright. And yes, I DO sell Bell, but I've also sold Rogers as well.

    Just toss the Instinct on an Uber plan with Bell's unlimited $30 data plan and you've got yourself a pretty decent package.

    Rogers coverage outside of Toronto is abysmal anyways!
  39. ZED NOTE from DYLAN, Canada writes: If things aren't going to change, buy the stocks of these companies and at the very least partake in the cash grab. it is ridiculous though, we need to move out of the stone age with our telecom options. A part of me wonders if there isn't some sort of collusion between the US and Canada on topics like this and things like Cars, Gas, Clothes, BEER etc.. If they keep shoving it in our face that we pay more for everything it makes for less of a resistance when the North American union is introduced. Everyone will be welcoming the lower cost of goods and services.
  40. Vlad Mayzel from Vancouver, Canada writes: I do not agre with the statement this article is started with: "Canadian telecom giants are feeling the heat like never before." Come on, give me a break! Who feels the heat? There is no real competition here or it is a kind of quiet price fixing or whatever else. Even if you call it competition, it is not working. Wireless prices in Canada are way above comparable services in the US, Europe and Asia. So the only party that feels the heat is the consumers.
  41. Richard F from Victoria, Canada writes: A little note about the history of the so called "system access fee".

    Back in 1995 the telco's were forced to collect an Industry Canada radio station license fee from each cellphone user. The cost I recall was $68/year, parsed down into monthly payments of around $6/month. Because that was a license fee, which was TAX EXEMPT by law, it showed up as a separate line item on your bill. Our greedy government which desperately wanted to tax those license fee monies changed the way the license fees were applied, dropping the individual license fees which were hard to administer anyway, to charging the telcos a bulk fee for the spectrum used, and calling it something else.

    The telcos, which had to pass on those 'bulk' charges, had to charge tax on what suddenly became a 'system access fee' instead of a 'license fee'. For shell game competitive marketing purposes the system access fee remained a separate line item on your bill when it should have been absorbed into the overall plan costs.

    Blame Prentice and the greedy Feds for this mess, they are the real villains in this. The electromagnetic spectrum (once) belonged to all Canadians... just like crown land and it's a finite renewable natural resource that the Feds paid absolutely nothing for. Which is rapidly being sold off to the highest bidder, then to be resold back to Canadians at obscene rates as a communications service be it WiFI or cellular or whatever.

    Every which way these players are sticking it to us using resources that belongs(ed) to Canadians in the first place.

    This is all about greed at every level.
  42. Kat Wilson from Canada writes: People should be boycotting the IPhone until the prices come down. The so called shortage of IPhones in Canada and the pricing of them is a scam. Besides, the IPhone, like the IPod is nothing special. Better quality gadgets are available from other manufacturers.
  43. Sunny Sun from Calgary, Canada writes: When can Canada catch up with China in cell industry? Maybe in 2020? In China if you want to watch TV on your cellphone just add CDN$3/month. Pay As You Go in China it just CDN$0.07/min.
  44. Paul Bayer from Calgary, Canada writes: I just laugh at all of this . People are so addicted to this wireless technology. They are all like Lemmings . The more people support all this crap the more you will get gouged.

  45. Jim Saxon from Canada writes: It's just the gizmo craze perpetrated by people of low self-esteem - people who think they are only as good as their gadgets. I have seen some in my life-time - latest was for Wii - now Wii consoles are lying unsold at Walmart. Tomorrow, something else will come up. Best thing to do is to let the crazies have their run - soon you will hear all that is wrong with it and how the next new device will be all the craze. I hear already that you cannot sync everything with your PC - what I can already do with my Treo 650.
  46. Mean Machine from Bugtussle, Canada writes: Waste your money suckers.
  47. Aaron D from Canada writes: I saw a beautiful sight today, I walked by my local Rogers store, and found 3 staff, with no customers, and playing with demo iPhones.....

    If Roger's chose not to screw the consume, they wouldn't have demo phones to play with, and they would have needed twice the staff to deal with the demand.

    This made me smile.
  48. Ziad Fazel from Calgary, Canada writes: Good, keep fighting for my money.

    Fight to steal market share within the oligopoly, and fight to sign us up to 3-year contracts with terms so compelling the new competitors could not steal us away.

    Fight to prevent limits on foreign ownership from rising above 20% (although that would solve a lot of problems). In the words of Itchy and Scratchy, Fight Fight Fight!
  49. A Smith from Canada writes: Sunny Sun from Calgary, Canada writes: "When can Canada catch up with China in cell industry? Maybe in 2020? In China if you want to watch TV on your cellphone just add CDN$3/month. Pay As You Go in China it just CDN$0.07/min."

    China is also a communist country. They don't have a free market. Would you rather live there or in the west? I know where I'd rather live!!!
  50. Jack Sprat from Sheepscrotum AB, Canada writes: Sunny Sun from Calgary, Canada writes: When can Canada catch up with China in cell industry? Maybe in 2020? In China if you want to watch TV on your cellphone just add CDN$3/month. Pay As You Go in China it just CDN$0.07/min.

    And ya, I want to have 1.2 billion people in Canada and get paid about 1/20th what I get now, not to mention have my internet filtered for me so I can't see certain things deemed by the government as not for my eyes. I also would like the pollution in the air and water they have too. Yup, all that and TV for $3.00/month
  51. Darren Buttigieg from Canada writes: ATTENTION ROGERS CUSTOMERS!
    Guys FYI, Rogers is (as of next Tuesday) charging for US text messages. It used to be the same rate as a Canadian text message, or would be included in your text plan as a Canadian text. So as of Tuesday they are charging 25 cents for US text messaging. Its not getting any media coverage, but it could cost you alot more if you have family or business contacts in the US.
  52. Roop Misir from Toronto, Canada writes: There seems a lot of hype surrounding this wonder iphone. Apparently, there was a rush to get them in certain places only. At one location in East Toronto, there was no lining up, nobody at the counter waiting.
  53. Brad Reddekopp from Hazelton, British Columbia, Canada writes: Get the government regulators out of the way and let some real competition happen.
  54. Wealthy CEO of a Canada Retailer, We sell everything 50% Higher in Canada from Canada writes: Canada is not a free market economy. No politicians in this country really believes free market economy. Canada is not a real democracy. No leaders in this county preaches real democracy. The government and CRTC work for themselves, and propped by businesses. Get real - you will never see the same price that Americans enjoy in your whole life. This won't change at all - unless Canadian stop electing liberals and Conservatives. The solution is to join the team that rip off people (government and business), not being on the other side. You can not beat businesses as a consumer, but you can always beat consumers hard as a business!
  55. The Bubble from Canada writes: As I've been saying for several months now, this war was coming. In the context of the sale of BCE, it will be devastating.
  56. Angus S Miskers from Victoria, Canada writes: The Telecom market in Canada is different. The scale of the market is smaller than US or Asia, yet the coverage areas are much larger. If you look at the profits of Rogers and Bell, they are dropping, their share prices are dropping. They are also being hit with unfair system taxes by the government. They have also climbed on board to upgrade their networks at substantial cost. This means higher prices.

    OTOH, perhaps they could afford to reduce rates if they lowered prices to bring twice as many smartphone users online to boost the size of the market. That meand twice the bandwidth and support staffing, though. Tough call. I bet that this will happen inevitably by market pressures alone - the iPhone is that good.

    Smartphone/ Blackerry/ iPhone are an excellent product these days. It is worth it to me to spend $100 a month on the thing for business and personal reasons. Think of the years of suffering with lousy pocktPCs with no email and difficult Microsoft/Palm interfaces!
  57. T. D. from Canada writes: "market signalling" .......... code word for collusion, price fixing at it's best, and the government does not want to regulate the industry. It obviously is not regulating itself.
  58. Lyn Alg from Canada writes: To Rogers, Bell, Telus, & any other company joining the bandwagon, please stop fighting. Just tell us what you would like to charge us. We, Canadians will gladly pay whatever you wish - no questions asked. This internecine battle does no one any good. And besides, we Canadians are a docile, ignorant lot. The wool can be pulled over our eyes with extreme ease without our knowing. Why do you think that Santa and the Easter Bunny are still a large part of our lives?
  59. Doug Rodwell from Canada writes: Cell phones are luxuries, if one wants to lower the prices then consumers have to stop being sheep and exert preasure on the CRTC and goverment. Only when they feel thet the "public" may not support them in the next election will they react. Whether it is gas prices or cell phones, we as canadians do not force our elected officials to do anything, we have very short memories. So we only have ourselves to blame.
  60. John Hinkley from Canada writes: Oh well. I'm sure that the Rogers folks will be out in force on Monday hyping there high volume of iPhone sales.

    Facts are that they'll be lying as usual - main store had less than 100 phones, others in the 30 to 40 range.

    And, speaking of the main store - in typical Rogers fashion, even though they only had those 100 or so phones they didn't let the 300 or so folks standing in the rain know about that limited number.

    Only the techno geeks will be sucked in by Rogers hype.

    I suspect that, regardless of technology issues, Apple will be looking for alternatives to Rogers/Fido.
  61. Oilsand Guy from Fort McMurray, Canada writes: I have a friend who works for Rogers. The average Iphone customer will spend $3000 over the length of the three year contract.

    It is a fact that cell phone rate plans in Canada are among the highest in the world, and there is no competition in Canada.

    Thanks to a union deal, I have a very cheap plan; 200 day time minutes, 100 min long distance, unlimited bell to bell calling, early local evenings & unlimited weekends, voicemail and unlimited mobile browser on a regular Razr2 phone.

    The cell phone browser is adequate for the likes of espn, globe&mail, new york times, weather network, and cnbc... Indeed, my time passes by well on my 45 minute bus ride to the oilsands.

    I would have to see an Iphone, Instinct, or even better the Sansung Omnia to see if there is sufficient improvement to justify paying more for a cell phone plan....

    And really, can't a person wait until one is home and use their computer online???

    My Rogers friend said there were three kids waiting outside to buy the Iphone, to be the 'first' in their social group to have the phone... Such a consumer reaction is to be expected of teenagers or an early 20's....

    Back to the cost of smart phone plans.... However wrong their pricing is in Canada... Wasn't there once a time when people made practical consumer decisions... It is not easy for everyone these days to admit to themselves that, "I can not afford the service/smartphone," walk away from the store window and carry on with their lives. The world will keep spinning if you do not have a Smartphone.

    If you can not afford a Smartphone, show some character and resist the marketing that tells you you can not live without one.

    Hey, I think I just 'talked' myself out of even considering a Smartphone...
  62. Common Voter from Toronto, Canada writes: It seems Rogers and Bell/Telus aren't really interested in making money. They are interested in holding onto the reins of power and maintaining the status quo. Control of over who can talk and who can just keep quiet is critical. If you can't afford $500/month for your wireless plan, it's best you keep quiet.
    My old Nortel 1meg modem could download at about 120 kilobytes per second. Decent for video - leaving it on all day and night would work out to about 320 gigabytes per month. I want that for less than $30 per month. At that rate they'd have more than 20 times the customers but as I said, they're not interested in money. They're interested in holding the reins & keeping the status quo.
  63. John Connor from Canada writes: Vern McPherson from writes:
    Poor little Ted always wanted to be a Ma Bell style utility ...

    ............ perhaps he succeeded ???

    Doubtful Vern, their stuff actually works. Overpriced as it is......
  64. Vincent Clement from Windsor, Ontario, Canada writes: contrite individual: Auto dealerships are not combined because of the policies of the respective auto companies not government. That said, an individual can own competing auto dealerships, and in fact, this has been the trend in North America for the past decade.

    A local businessman owns Ford, Chrysler, BMW, Jaguar and Mazda dealerships. Another owns GM and Nissan dealerships.
  65. Hugh Draper from Vancouver, Canada writes:
    And what does the "increasingly savvy and demanding customer" want to do with instantaneous voice and data communications?

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