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Rogers makes fast-track phone upgrades permanent

updated 02:15 pm EST, Fri January 15, 2010

Rogers claims easier upgrades for iPhone, more


Hoping to gain a small edge over rivals, Canadian cell provider Rogers today detailed key changes to its hardware upgrade program for phones. It now plans to give new-customer prices to everyone after two years and promises a "faster route" for some phones. Similar to its special iPhone 3GS upgrades, those who have been active for long enough and who spend a certain amount of money per month will have the option of getting a fully discounted upgrade sooner.

The company also plans to eliminate a tiering system for its "administration fee" and will charge the same $35 regardless of the price of the phone itself. All the upgrade changes take effect today.

Rogers' changes make permanent and universal a strategy it implemented in June to accommodate iPhone 3GS buyers, many of whom already had iPhone 3G units and complained that they were being asked to pay as much as $800 CAD for a 3GS even after a year of service. The new strategy will allow phones running Android, BlackBerry and other platforms to share the same sort of upgrade schedule without a set time limit.


By Electronista Staff

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iPhone, industry, Rogers, Android, BlackBerry, mobile phones

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Previous Comments

  1. Geoduck

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jan 2010

    +7
    01/15, 02:32pm | report spam | (3 replies) | reply

    Great but....

    We in Canada still pay some of the highest rates in the industrialized world. I'd LOVE to be able to get the deals I see advertised on US TV.


  1. midtoad

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2007

    +7
    01/15, 03:10pm | report spam | (2 replies) | reply

    no freebie

    Rest assured that in order to get the fast-track upgrade you'll have to take another 3-year prison sentence, thus ensuring you can't switch to cheaper-price competitors.


  1. legacyb4

    Mac Elite

    Joined: May 2001

    +4
    01/15, 03:26pm | report spam | reply

    Bell Canada, are you listening?

    Not likely...


  1. mac_rich

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: May 2008

    +2
    01/15, 04:04pm | report spam | reply

    T'd off

    When the 3gS came out last year I called up 53 weeks after I bought the 3g iPhone to get the upgrade, only to find out Rogers/Fido screwed us all by changing the upgrade policy that same week. So I have to wait another 8 months before I can get the upgraded discount. Luckily my bills are around $140/month so the csr told me Im eligible for the best upgrade price! WELL THANK YOU ROGERS!


  1. Salty

    Professional Poster

    Joined: Jul 2005

    -1
    01/15, 05:04pm | report spam | (1 reply) | reply

    Please

    Please, if you had a 3G last summer, you were able to upgrade to a 3GS for new acc pricing. Anyone who was at the one year point or even a few months earlier. You probably waited till after september, which is NOT when the phone came out.


  1. aristotles

    Grizzled Veteran

    Joined: Jul 2004

    +3
    01/15, 10:20pm | report spam | reply

    Shop around before you lock in.

    I envy you guys with so many carrier options now. I'm still in a contract with Fido until July 2011.

    Each carrier offers advantages and disadvantages. I hear that Bell is offering to unlock phones after 30 days but I'm not sure if that extends to iPhones. If you are a student with about 5 friends across the country, then Bell or Telus might be the better option with their 5 favs option. If you work 9-5, then Fido might be better as you can talk all you want locally after you get off work. If you work a lot outside of major cities then Rogers might be better with their extended 3G and 2G networks in the country side.


  1. Tofino

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Apr 2005

    +1
    01/17, 03:04am | report spam | reply

    YMMV

    i was offered the early upgrade price last summer, ordered it, and never heard from it again... i discovered later that there was a minimum amount of around 100 bucks you had to spend on your contract, but rogers just chose to not even acknowledge the order. i can't say for sure if that was the reason, because i'd rather shoot myself in the head than talk to their customer service.

    where i live rogers still hasn't upgraded the network to 3G. in the meantime telus has managed to not only build a second network that allowed them to pick up iphone but also bring it to the end of the trans canada highway WITH 3G.

    you can imagine how much fun it is to be only a year and a half into a 3 year contract. i'm waiting until may, when rogers is going to put a price tag on tethering (included for now, but on EDGE almost unusable) and see what telus does. i'll likely bail in june.

    you can also imagine that NOT having 3G available here has cost rogers any future sales. i know a number of people that figure it's worth paying out their contracts to switch and actually get what they pay for. at 20 bucks per outstanding month that decision gets easier and easier.

    so yes - i agree: shop around and make informed decisions.
    telcos all suck - find the one that sucks the least for you.


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