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From HowardForums: Bell is launching two new personal data plans similar to Telus’ Email and Web 30.

• Unlimited Personal Email & Internet BlackBerry 30
• Unlimited Personal Email & Internet Windows Mobile 30

On the BlackBerry, this package offers unlimited data since all traffic flows through the BIS browsing transport - the only thing restricted is tethering the device to a computer for Internet access, which is charged at $15/MB. US roaming is $8/MB, both figures which seem to fall in with the ridiculous state of Canadian wireless data charges.

While I personally don’t use Bell for wireless - and would definitely go with Telus over Bell if choosing between CDMA carriers - the company has a large number of BlackBerry devices provisioned. It’s a competitive move before the Rogers iPhone and BlackBerry Bold launch, and if you don’t need BES access, this might be a worthwhile plan to investigate.

Part of a comment I posted at BlackBerry Cool:

With respect to WiFi, RIM’s strategy seems to be that they offer it to carriers committed to UMA. This is likely because carriers still derive revenue from UMA clients, which makes up for the offset data costs over WiFi. At present I can’t think of a CDMA carrier with UMA planned - Sprint seems to be intent on selling base stations with native 800/1900 coverage - so I wouldn’t expect to see a WiFi device on a CDMA network any time this year.

From Boy Genius Report:

Deutsche Telekom has been pre-approved for a financing and protocol agreement which will allow them to introduce T-Mobile to the Canadian market (subject to restrictions in all provinces except Ontario during a 6, 12 and 18 month trial period that expires in 2010), and also pre-approves them for testing roaming, cell tower reception and international data agreements.

More details from the source, but the information seems credible - and after all, isn’t another wireless player in Canada what we’d like?

The most common complaint I hear about T-Mobile in the States is their lack of coverage compared to AT&T or Verizon, but realistically, another GSM carrier would really only give people options. The ability to roam on Rogers towers for brief periods of time - especially if government mandated cooperation occurred - could also improve the coverage situation drastically.

Rogers now considers themselves the premium carrier in the Canadian marketplace, with a 45% increase in earnings - and let’s face it, no other GSM competition in the country is a significant contributor to this state of affairs. One of the most PR-spun phrases I’ve seen since the Todd Holmdahl Xbox 360 interview needs some attention:

“We’re not fans of unlimited plans,” Rob Bruce, the president of Rogers’ wireless division, told analysts during a conference call.

“We want to make sure … that we create plans that are helpful and don’t become barriers to adoption.”

I think Adam said it best recently:

Why do they have to make this so complicated? I don’t keep track of my usage of e-mail and Web to the MegaByte, and why should I? Ugh… No company is getting a dime from me for data usage until a true unlimited plan is released.

So if unlimited plans aren’t in Rogers’ future, what’s this entire post about? A recent HowardForums thread gives the lowdown on some upcoming changes to BlackBerry and PDA plans, which eliminate the current packages and replace them with a tiered system. Thanks to Tyler_QB and O_ssie for the information. Check out the original post if you’re interested in PDA or Windows Mobile data rates.

Effective March 25, 2008 - or more than likely a few days afterwards - Rogers will begin offering two different BlackBerry packages that support both BIS and BES. Prices and details are subject to change before launch, but seem realistic in my opinion.

BlackBerry “Flex” Plan: 3-Year Contract Required
This package is only available with a three year data term. Early termination fees are either a maximum of $100, or $5 per month for the number of months remaining in your term (minimum $25.) Data contracts start and end independently from your voice plan, unless you sign up for both of them at the same time.

Possibly the most interesting feature of this plan is its tiered structure. The base package costs $15 per month, for up to 10MB of data. If you use more than 10MB in a month, you are bumped into the next plan bracket; use less than 10MB in a month and pay $15.

Usage over 500MB is charged at 5 cents per MB. Therefore, blowing through 2GB of data on a BlackBerry would cost $65 for 500MB, plus $77.40 for the extra 1.5GB - totalling $142.40.

BlackBerry Plan: No Contract
For users not interested in signing a 3-year data contract, a month-to-month plan is also scheduled for introduction. These plans do not automatically transition to the next tier and have significantly increased overage rates, which makes sense given that there’s no required level of consumer commitment.

For comparison purposes, the cost of 2GB of BlackBerry data on a non-commitment $50 plan would be the original $50, plus $924 for 1848MB - a total of $974. Considering that the maximum data cancellation fee is only $100, heavy users will definitely want to grit their teeth and sign for three years.

The Extras
Allegedly, both these plans will also include unlimited email through BIS and instant/PIN messaging - so only actual Web browsing or application data (for example, Google Maps) will contribute to your usage for the month. This isn’t really a huge deal for most people, since email is significantly compressed before arriving on the device. I’d also be willing to bet that attachments aren’t included in the “unlimited” portion, but it might save heavy email users some precious kilobytes.

So what’s the score? I’m reasonably impressed with the changes but at the same time, Telus has the superior data package for $45 per month, with unlimited data and text messaging included. If you don’t mind SureType and CDMA, picking up the Pearl (8130) for under $100 seems to be one of the better options in the marketplace today.

I was catching up on some of my feeds this afternoon and noted a comment I’d posted on Phil’s blog about what “unlocking” a cell phone really meant. Apart from my day job working for a wireless device manufacturer, where people swap SIM cards and batteries between devices in about 20 seconds, and talk about IMSI, MSISDN and ICCIDs like it’s nobody’s business, it’s often not easy to understand why wireless providers do the things they do. I’ve talked to people who didn’t understand why they couldn’t use their Bell phone on Rogers; or why Rogers made them switch their phone or plan.

Here’s an explanation of some of those issues and a brief background of the state of wireless in Canada.

Currently, in Canada, there are four major providers, several regional or localized carriers, and a number of virtual mobile network operators that piggyback on the major providers’ networks. There are also three different wireless technologies actively used for service. The major providers are:

• Bell Mobility, the wireless arm of Bell Canada. Bell’s prepaid division is called Solo Mobile
• Rogers Wireless, part of the ubiquitous Rogers group of companies
• Telus, who operate standard wireless services and push-to-talk (CHIRP) technology under the Mike brand
• Fido, formerly Microcell Telecommunications, who are owned by Rogers

Of these providers, Bell and Telus use a technology called CDMA. The Wikipedia page on the technology deals with some highly mathematical concepts such as vector orthogonality, but effectively for end users, indicates the type of technology used in phones and wireless towers. CDMA devices are generally only usable on one network - the provider who issued the device.

The alternative technology to CDMA is GSM. Rogers and Fido use GSM, which operates on two radio frequencies in North America: 1900MHz and 850MHz. The 850MHz tower signals generally have better coverage indoors. The distinctive feature of GSM is that all devices have a SIM card, which contains operator information, the subscriber phone number, and address book information.

The final technology, iDEN is used by Telus for the Mike PCS brand. iDEN devices support “push-to-talk” technology and also contain SIM cards. These SIM cards may or may not be compatible with GSM phones, though.

So why can’t I use my Bell phone on Rogers?
Since Bell uses CDMA technology and Rogers uses GSM, phones are physically not compatible with the other provider’s network. The radio transmitter internal to the phone uses different frequencies and CDMA phones don’t read SIM cards.

So why can’t I use my Telus phone on Bell?
Telus and Bell won’t activate a phone not provided by them on their own network. While the technology is the same, phones are typically preconfigured with individual carrier settings that aren’t necessarily easy to change on CDMA devices.

Why did Rogers make me change my phone?
Since approximately May this year, Rogers turned off its older network, which used analog towers and an older technology for transmitting wireless signals. Customers were required to upgrade to a GSM capable phone and in doing so, the coverage area should be improved.

More details in the next post on this topic, including the iPhone, data plans, and GSM locking…