Rogers: iPhone coming to Canada

Canadian cellular provider Rogers said today that it intends to carry the Apple's newly unveiled iPhone, according to company officials speaking with web developer John Wiseman. Although no specific release information was provided for the Apple handset during Steve Jobs' MacWorld San Francisco keynote beyond the June release for Cingular subscribers in the US, the Canadian firm says it is already in the early planning stages to bring the device to its service, which is the largest GSM-based network in Canada.

The phone will be available with either two- or three- year contracts -- potentially lowering the initial cost for long-term users versus the American two-year requirement -- but must also be linked to a data plan for the carrier's EDGE network. Rogers has not provided an official timeframe for the release of the iPhone in Canada. However, the company has historically offered smartphones to Canadians between six to eight months after the devices' release in the US, Wiseman says, placing an introduction roughly between late 2007 and early 2008. Versions for other major carriers such as Bell and Telus are unlikely in the foreseeable future given the lack of a CDMA equivalent, the web developer adds.