iPhone owners in Canada looking for more choices are about to get just that now that Bell Canada and Telus have struck deals with Apple, ending the exclusive arrangement Rogers enjoyed since the combination iPod and smartphone first launched in the country.
Both carriers are set to begin offering iPhone service in November, and that they will sell both the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS. Neither has offered information about pricing plans.
The news comes after a joint effort by the Bell and Telus to roll out a shared 3G network to better compete with Rogers.
Rogers isn't the only cell carrier in recent weeks to see its exclusive iPhone agreement disappear. O2 in the United Kingdom is going to find itself in competition with Orange and Vodafone in the near future, too.
The announcements from Bell Canada and Telus will likely come as good news for many iPhone owners in Canada since Rogers left a bad taste in their mouths with early service contracts with heavy restrictions and high prices. Adding additional carriers to the market may help spur competition, and ultimately better prices and service for customers.
Rogers Loses Exclusive iPhone Deal in Canada
Jeff Gamet 4 Observer Comments
et said on October 6th, 2009 at 10:35 AM:
First O2, and now Rogers lose their exclusive iPhone deals with Apple. How long before AT&T joins the club?
I suspect that it will be a few years. It would be interesting to learn the details of the contract between Apple Inc. and AT&T
yes, Yes YES!
I knew it would pay to wait. Once these other plans come out maybe Rogers will come up with some better deals and I can get my first iPhone. (Unfortunately I am stuck in a Rogers contract for another year so changing vendors is kinda tough.)
I strongly believe that it was in Apple’s best interest to have a carrier lock-in in the introduction of the iPhone. Remember just a few years ago- all sorts of people were predicting how much the iPhone would disappoint. The major media outlets were looking for a way to post an iPhone failure article. Apple is hot. Hot failure is hotter.
Apple needed that to make sure any carrier issues were resolved quickly. Otherwise, the media would have had a free-for-all with the perceived Apple failure.
I do believe that Apple will open it up to other carriers in the US, but I doubt they’d develop another device just so it will work on Verizon’s incompatible network. So it may be a few years, or Verizon just may be left out when it is opened up.
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First O2, and now Rogers lose their exclusive iPhone deals with Apple. How long before AT&T joins the club?