Bus error: Jake Billo’s weblog

And the launch of the iPhone 3G is on in Canada, with the predictable scenario of shady dealers without the device in stock trying to boost sales commissions. This whole situation reminds me of the Xbox 360 launch, where Best Buy and some other retailers tried to bundle consoles with accessories and extended warranty plans.

In any event, the big news is that Rogers is launching a promotional data plan - $30 per month, 6GB of data including tethering, requiring a three year data contract. The early termination fee is $100. The plan is supposed to be a way to quiet down the people over at Ruined iPhone and stop the persistent rumors that Apple is shafting Rogers for device shipments.

Unfortunately, the promotion is only until August 31st, at which time we can expect to see data pricing return to Rogers’ usual standards. It’s better than no such plan at all, and I’d suggest early adopters get in on this one like they did with Telus’ $15/unlimited plan back last December.

On a positive note, people in the HowardForums thread are reporting that representatives are indeed adding the promotional plan to “gray-market” devices and BlackBerry devices. (”Gray market” apparently means non-Rogers branded, unlocked phones: I vote that we quit using the term because it implies these phones are illegal, when they’re merely .)

I’ll look into this plan when the Bold launches, but in the meantime I have an 8320 that won’t receive service books to fix. Going back to the 8700 seems slightly primitive.

Update: If you’re interested in dealing with a Rogers CSR and they’re not sure what data package you’re referring to, the code for this plan on a BlackBerry is BB6GBIS3.

Update 2: Here’s the official Rogers page for the plan.

The wonderful folks over at HowardForums have posted a definitive FAQ for how long distance is charged for any cell phone on the Rogers network. Firstly, your phone is tied to a “home calling area”. From the “simplified” post:

Inside your home calling area, receiving any calls (from a local or long distance number) uses airtime minutes only. Making a local call only uses airtime, and placing a long-distance call costs an additional 30 cents per minute.

Outside your home calling area, receiving any calls (from a local or long distance number) will use airtime and cost 30 cents per minute. Making calls within the area - that is: using a Waterloo phone in Toronto to call a Toronto number - only uses airtime. Making calls outside the area (Waterloo phone, in Toronto, calling a Waterloo number) uses airtime plus the additional 30 cent charge.

Sufficiently confused? Click to enlarge a crafty diagram - I know a few people have a good time with these. Keep in mind you’ve always using airtime.

Of course, if you have a long distance plan, this really doesn’t apply to you.

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.

For those of you who got in on the Telus $15 IM/Personal Email plan back in December through to January, it was a wise move. Telus recently released a new set of data plans which distinguish between purely email and Web usage.

Essentially, Web browsing on a Windows Mobile or BlackBerry device now costs an extra $15 per month; or for the same $30, you can have email, BlackBerry Messenger, unlimited text messaging, caller ID and voicemail (without the Web.) Bumping up to a $45 data plan gives all the fruit (Web/IM/text/CID/VM/email), which is actually a very reasonable deal in the spectrum of Canadian wireless pricing.

The related HowardForums thread indicates that existing clients on the pre-February $15 Unlimited IM/Personal Email rate plan will be able to keep the “unlimited on-device browsing” bonus for the duration of their contract. Changing rate plans (for example, going to the $30 email/text/CID+VM package) at this point will remove the bonus, as noted in the conditions post.

What’s interesting is that the Telus plans are specifically set up to charge $8/MB for data usage over and above standard email/Web access; this would indicate that clients on BlackBerry devices are being set up as fully functional subscribers with the BIS-B (BlackBerry Internet Service - Browsing) service enabled, and that Telus is doing the necessary work to distinguish different types of traffic.

I’ll keep a close eye on my personal bill to see if there are any extra charges for services - like many other new subscribers in December and January, I was told that “unlimited data, provided it’s not abuse or tethering” was fully included for the duration of my rate plan.

While I don’t think 2008 will be the year of truly unlimited BlackBerry data plans (including BES access or tethering), things are definitely looking up for consumers.

Rogers has come through with a $15/month BlackBerry Internet Service plan. It includes unlimited email (including attachments) and use of PIN messaging for BlackBerry Messenger. (Update: You’ll probably have to call Customer Service for this to be added. The number is 1-888-ROGERS1; make sure you specifically mention “BlackBerry” when prompted.)

The plan’s supposed to only be available for Pearl users; I need other instant messaging capabilities on my personal device, however, so I can’t test out whether a Pearl is actually required to receive this plan.

Another new lower-cost plan added to the customer service/support site is the addition of a $25/month 4MB data plan, which is more in the range of a light email and instant messenger user. It matches similar offerings from Bell and Telus in the BlackBerry push email space.

Thanks to Howard Forums for the updated info.

As a followup to my initial post on Canadian wireless technology, here’s some additional information on hot topics.

For those not in the know, consumer data rates in Canada absolutely suck. In the States, technically (if not truly) unlimited plans are available starting at $20 per month. The best comparable plan in Canada is Telus’ 1024MB for $100 option. Part of the reason for this situation is our (comparatively limited) selection of wireless providers and population concentration near the border.

What’s all this I hear about “unlocking” phones?
When you buy a phone directly from a GSM carrier like Rogers, it comes with a provider lock on it. This means that the only type of SIM cards that can be used are those provided by your original carrier - so if you buy a Rogers phone, you’ll need to use a Rogers SIM card with Rogers service. If you put a SIM from any other provider in the phone, the only number you’ll be able to dial is 911.

Since most cell phones are subsidized by the wireless provider and people like low initial prices for phones (for example, the phone you get for “free” for signing a contract costs something), the carrier will lock the phone to ensure that you stick with their service. The carrier also likes getting paid for extras such as long distance and out of area calling. Due to the global nature of GSM networks, the better solution for the consumer is to buy a prepaid SIM card when travelling. This way, you’re only paying 20 to 50 cents per minute rather than $1.95/minute. Locking prevents this from happening.

The solution is to unlock your phone, removing the restriction on the carrier. This process can be done for free with some models of phone (the original Razr, for example, can be unlocked fairly easily) and a few minutes of Internet research, or you can find an independent dealer that should perform the operation for a fee. A good place to look is Howard Forums, since Rogers will not give you the unlock code for your phone even if you’re out of contract. Unlocked phones carry a higher resale value on eBay, since any buyer can use their own GSM provider at will.

Public interest in unlocking phones has spiked since Apple’s release of the iPhone, which up until this point has always been shipped with a lock to AT&T in the United States. Since it’s not possible to get an AT&T phone plan from outside the US, and a prepaid card would have astronomical roaming fees for being on a different GSM network, users who want to play with shiny, lickable iFruit have been looking for an unlock solution.

This post comes at an interesting time, since tomorrow Apple is expected to release a European version of the iPhone on the O2 network. The latest news from Rogers about Apple’s device is that negotiations are still ongoing; don’t expect anything until 2008. In the meantime, you’ll not only have to unlock the iPhone to use it properly here, but you’ll need a data plan that will likely be more expensive than any cell bill you’ve ever received.

Of course, with the recent unlocking progress, it’s possible to disable cell data and simply use the phone for your calls, and WiFi for Internet browsing when you’re in a hotspot. Still, at that point, it’s the same price to buy a 16GB iPod touch, pair it with a cheap Nokia for $0 on contract, and call it a day.

In recent months, I’ve often complained about the state of wireless data access in Canada - that is, how expensive it is to use the Web, access email and operate instant messaging over mobile devices. These incredibly high data rates make access to devices like the BlackBerry, HTC TyTN, and the obligatory iPhone limited to those users who have a business or government-locked plan with unlimited access.

One of the references I frequently cite is that Canada is worse than some third-world countries when it comes to this sort of thing.

As an aspiring developer, I’m incredibly interested in what these new devices are capable of. In order to make a serious go of Web development for mobile devices, though, it’s at least a $200 plus contract investment.

Working for Research in Motion gives an especially interesting perspective on the scenario. As a co-op student, I have a device with an (allegedly) unlimited data plan; co-ops don’t get voice (phone calls) activated on their units unless it actively relates to their job role. Since I work on BIS projects, this doesn’t apply to me - which is fine, I’d rather not place personal calls on a work device. I’m not an incredibly heavy data user by any means: I hit Google News once per workday at lunch, and I used Blackberry Maps for about 20 minutes this weekend to try and find out where MacGregor Point’s entrance was.

If I added in a bit of Facebook Mobile access, this type of data usage as a standard consumer would likely put me in a 25MB/month bracket - less than 1MB per day, which could easily be eaten up with a few Google Image searches.

Such a level of usage would require a $60/month, three year contract purchase plus whatever cell phone voice package I selected. Unless I was willing to call up my provider and argue over retention plans (which is a very popular topic at Howard Forums), I could be paying well over $100/month.

The ever-present speculation on forums and blogs to date seems to surmise that if and when Rogers is awarded the iPhone contract in Canada, they’ll be forced by Apple to reduce data rates to something more in line with the United States unlimited plans - $60 per month for a goodly number of minutes, text messages and unlimited EDGE access. Once this change is implemented, the other carriers will supposedly fall into position. I don’t have any insider industry information on this though: one would think purchasers of the BlackBerry Pearl, the highly consumer-oriented device, would already be raising hell about the situation.

As a consumer, I’d welcome lower-cost, wide availability of data plans. Just don’t count on the magical Apple product to change things here. I’ve heard suggestions of writing to the CRTC, the MP for my region, the Minister of Industry, and the Prime Minister. Would any of these things actually be the correct place to direct my concerns?

Standard disclaimer: Although I work for RIM, chances are you know just about as much as I do about future product plans, business speculation, and carrier relationships. Go check Engadget or something if you really want dirt. Anything mentioned in this post or on this site is strictly my opinion and most certainly not that of my employer. This posting confers no warranties, rights, or anything else that you think you’re owed. I’m under an NDA, so anything mentioned here is already public knowledge or my own personal speculation.