It's finally coming, iPhone carrier competition.
The Globe and Mail's report of yesterday was confirmed this morning when Bell and Telus announced they'll be carrying the iPhone as well.
Bell announced Monday that it will launch national service in November on the $1-billion next-generation wireless network it has been building with Telus, months ahead of schedule. The project extends the two companies' existing third-generation (3G) networks to include the same technology standard employed by Rogers, the nation's largest cellphone company.
Bell and Telus confirmed Tuesday morning they had deals with Apple to start selling the iPhone in November, after the Globe reported the news Monday.
So what does that mean for iPhone users? There is going to be honest to goodness carrier competition on the most popular smart phone.
Bell and Telus worked together to upgrade their networks across Canad for the ability to compete for iPhone owners. The previous mobile networks weren't compatible with the iPhone hardware making it impossible for anyone other than Rogers to service the iPhone 3G in Canada.
What do I want from the competition? Lower phone calling and data rates. The elimination of system access fee.
I'm not particularly upset with my service from Rogers, I don't have an axe to grind, other than being a little ticked at a greater than $100 a month bill for a few hundred minutes of voice calling and a few dozen megabytes of data transfer. So if someone comes to the table with a better deal, I'm a free agent and will switch (or stay) in a heartbeat.
Others on Twitter said:
@meganfm: I'd like to be able to afford to get a data plan-I'm already paying $60/mo and I think that's already outrageous.
@serrebi: More data, or more minutes and or cheaper plans.
@Japman_Bajaj: not expecting much, to be honest. I don't think data plans will drop. the Iphone sells itself. Bell doesn't need to do anything
There's a surprising number of people like Japman who more than a little skeptical of the cheers and expectations for competitive pricing packages. They simply point at the obviously similar rise and fall of prices at the oil pump and shrug saying the same "pricing agreements" and strategies will eventually find their way into iPhone marketing.
Regardless of what happens this fall with the opening of competition, I will most likely wait until next summer and the inevitable release of another handset upgrade (Apple has done one for 3 summers in a row) to make a decision.
There are also continued rumblings of a tablet coming from Apple. Reports have large volumes of 10.7" touch screens being ordered by manufacturers in China associated with Apple products. The opening of the iPhone distribution could be linked to the impending arrival of these tablets as Apple would want to have the computer, and the attached data packages, to be open to a wider audience base.
catch the buzz ... pass it on.
