Rogers Wireless and its sub-brand Fido will nearly match AT&T's pricing when they begin selling the iPhone 3G next month, according to a leaked data sheet said to have been sent out to employees of the two carriers. The sheet points to a standard personal account requiring a $30 data plan like that of AT&T that would provide unlimited access to at least the web, normal e-mail, and Visual Voicemail when linked to a phone plan that includes voice messages. Corporate users would likewise pay $45 per month for similar offerings plus access to work e-mail.
Voice rates would be unchanged from the offerings at both Fido and Rogers, but the data rates have been created with Apple's phone in mind and will be attached to "qualified" calling plans, the document claims. It's unclear whether separate data rates would apply to YouTube or third-party apps.
Additionally, the official $199 (8GB) and $299 (16GB) prices will apply to users either signing up for a three year plan or customers already on two- or three-year plans that qualify for the upgrade, Rogers purportedly says. The company isn't yet believed to have picked a price for mid-contract users, but notes that the "grace period" for returns will unusually be extended for Fido owners and Apple stores from 15 days to 30 but will require that customers return the phone.
While yet to be verified and potentially subject to change, the data rates would represent a significant turnaround for Rogers, which typically insists on metered data for smartphones and often limits unlimited data access on regular phones to web browsing as well as the data needed for other paid Rogers services.
The claimed rates are also consistent with statements made by Rogers president Nadir Mohamed at a recent technology conference, when he said the provider's rates would change to reflect heavy data use and that the iPhone would increase the average overall monthly fees by nearly $30 per user to $90. The average roughly equates to a mid-level iPhone 3G plan with AT&T.
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