[techedude]

With all the internet and media coverage on the popular petition site, http://www.ruinediphone.com, I began to think of other ways to show our disappointment in Rogers new data plans for the iPhone 3G.

Online petitions is great and all but, historically speaking, they never served as solutions. We need physical evidence and much stronger impact against those ridiculous data plan pricings.

How about an organized protest before and on the iPhone launch day (July 11th, 2008)?

The message here is that we need to minimize as much as we can the number of customers who will be purchasing the iPhone from Rogers and handing over 3 years of their mobile life to Rogers Wireless (they have to sign a 3 year contract to purchase an iPhone from Rogers).

I understand that Rogers is playing its monopoly card with the iPhone 3G since they are the only GSM provider in Canada. Why rip people off and make them pay more for less when you can still make as much profit (and possibly more) by getting more customers purchasing the iPhone using lower data plan pricing?

I have been searching the net for more than a week now for an organized protest in front of malls and Rogers stores but with no luck. We need to inform the people that by signing the 3 year contract to purchase a single iPhone will cost them twice as much (if not more) than U.S customers. Those customers will be ripped off and we need them to be aware of this fact before the launch day.

So how can we create an organized protest, and if someone is against this idea please let me know why and what else can we do?

[RUEZ]

Protest by not buying it. I don't think they will sell many, the outcry has been huge. Bell has a phone coming out soon that offers unlimited data access for 10 dollars per month over your contract price.
http://www.digitalhome.ca/content/view/2646/206/

[hurley_108]

What's an iPhone?

[techedude]

RUEZ wrote:

Protest by not buying it.

That's exactly what I am trying to say. Canadian consumers tend to dive into getting anything new without looking into its long term effect financially. Plus some of them don't even compare prices to the ones south of the boarder.

I say we have to explain to them how they are getting ripped off with this iPhone deal, and we have to make it loud and clear.

[G-prime]

Lets see here, one of the worst products ever conceived by apple, being sold by one of the biggest monopolizing entity in Canada..hmm, no I'm not gunna buy it!

The iphone is one of the most ridiculous, overpriced pieces of… technology. Like the iPod, apple has taken something simple and over-marketed it to seem like a giant leap in technology. It’s a PHONE, it may have a touch screen, but that doesn’t constitute having a nerdgasm over the idea of owning one. It’s a gimmick, ask any American iphone owners if it was worth it, they will tell you it wasn’t.

This guy says it best (and funniest, NSFW due to Language) http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=iphone

Why doesn’t everyone just save their money, save the frustration, not give in to hype, and get a GOOD phone with all the same bells and whistles, but without the finger smudged-up-touch screen?
Theres very few things we can control, but what we buy is still one of them

[Scape]

When Shaw wins the 3g spectrum that was formally analog out west they will roll out unlimited plans just like they did with unlimited LD. If I get an Iphone it will be unlocked or if telus really makes a deal with me but as soon as Shaw comes online I will switch in a heartbeat.

[RUEZ]

Scape wrote:

When Shaw wins the 3g spectrum that was formally analog out west they will roll out unlimited plans just like they did with unlimited LD. If I get an Iphone it will be unlocked or if telus really makes a deal with me but as soon as Shaw comes online I will switch in a heartbeat.

If there phones are anything like there cable I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole.

[techedude]

I heard and read somewhere online that Telus is considering moving to a GSM network. This is great for Canadians as it will open up a great competition. Lets just hope the CRTC has a positive interference this time (the CRTC was the on responsible for making the Fido acquisition by Rogers happen therefore making Rogers a monopolistic company)

[Scape]

Telus would need a great deal of money to switch from CDMA to GSM. Rogers and Bell are looting Ontario by charging digital rates on analog lines to cover off their profits. The glaring disparity between US carriers offering unlimited data plans like AT&T in the US is really bringing the heat on the Canadian cell providers. Out west we are far less reliant on analog so an upstart like Shaw would make a killing.

FYI, Shaw wouldn't make the phones, they would own the bandwidth. Only manufactures like LG, Motorola, RIM and Nokia would make phones Ruez.

[techedude]

Here is a post from IntoMobile.com, http://www.intomobile.com/2008/06/12/ca ... g-lte.html, quoting the Telus' CTO Ibrahim Gedeon saying that Telus "is evaluating LTE as its next-generation wireless network technology of choice."

LTE is a new GSM based network architecture.

And there is news of this all over the web dating back to January 2008. That's still great news and hoping that it's actually happening. Canada desperately needs a second GSM provider (a real one, not another Fido). I mean look at the ridiculous iPhone data plans, http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wirel ... a_packages.

The cheapest is $60 that gives you only 150 weekday minutes and a mere 400MB of data. That of course doesn't include the access fee, plus caller ID (and other options if needed) and taxes.

You're looking at more than $85 per month for the very basic plan! Oh, and if that's not ripping you off enough, then maybe the mandatory 3 year contract might do it for ya!

[RUEZ]

Scape wrote:

FYI, Shaw wouldn't make the phones, they would own the bandwidth. Only manufactures like LG, Motorola, RIM and Nokia would make phones Ruez.

Yes I realize that. By phones I meant phone service, much like I realize they don't make the programs that they distribute on their cable service.

[newfette]

RUEZ wrote:

Protest by not buying it. I don't think they will sell many, the outcry has been huge. Bell has a phone coming out soon that offers unlimited data access for 10 dollars per month over your contract price.
http://www.digitalhome.ca/content/view/2646/206/

Telus will also be carrying the Samsung Instinct with similar plans as Bell as well as the HTC Diamond which is more like the iphone with better plans

[saturn_656]

There's an option missing from the poll...

I refuse to deal with the minion of Satan that is Rogers Communications Inc

[C.M. Burns]

Call 1-877-764-3772 and let them know you're not a sucker!

[tritium]

Nice site: http://www.canadians.com

My phone is from T Mobile, I wouldn't use a Canadian cell provider EVER!!



They are greedy rip off artists.