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Rogers Responds to Wireless Column

Rogers Wireless President Rob Bruce responds to my recent column on Canada's wireless crisis in a letter to the editor.

11 Comments

  1. You are being very generous to consider that a response.

  2. There wasn’t a lot of substance in that retort.

    “When it comes to data pricing, we provide Canadians with a great deal of choice. As we have seen significant uptake in the use of mobile applications over the past 18 months, we know our plans are relevant to our customers.”

    They do provide Canadians with a great deal of choice in data pricing: Bad, Terrible, or Horrific.”

    And of course they’ve seen a significant uptake in the use of mobile applications, its a global trend. However, as a recent study points out, there is a direct correlation between price and update of data services ([ link ]). If Rogers dropped their prices to a reasonable level, there uptake would be drastically higher that its current levels.

    I hope readers of The Star see Rob Bruce’s letter for what it is, a move to appease Rogers shareholders and state nothing of substance to the public.

  3. Crisis? What crisis?
    That settles it then.

  4. Adam. Agreed that using the uptake as proof of good pricing is reverse logic… all it really says is that the available apps are such that people are willing to pay the money.

    I am also looking at the Rogers web site right now. The have an “Unlimited On-Device Mobile Browsing Plan”. Price is $7 per month on the plan, provides unlimited access ONLY to certain sites, and only on certain phones (no list provided as to what is an eligible phone). Oh, and by the way, a some of the manufacturer’s applications on the certified phones are NOT included. And there is the following restriction:

    “Plan includes unlimited on-device mobile browsing using the Rogers Mobile Internet Browser only and is only available on select Rogers certified devices (PDAs such as Blackberry or Windows Mobile devices, PC cards and non-Rogers certified devices are not eligible). Effective May 8th, 2008, data usage incurred on ineligible devices or while tethering (use of device as wireless modem) or while using applications is subject to pay-per-use charges of $15/MB for the first 5MB, $10/MB for next 5MB, $5/MB for next 10MB and $0.50/MB thereafter. Certain Rogers approved applications may be included in the plan (no pay-per-use charges), visit rogers.com/mobileinternet for details. 36-month term commitment required for Rogers Vision bonus eligibility”.

  5. Is that it? The president of one of the mayor carrier, who has been under the eye of customers, market analyst and public as to why thing are the way they are (iPhone, data rates and the state of the communication business in Canada) only has to say “our plans are relevant to our customers”?

    “our plans are relevant to our customers”… is a marketing mantra.

    I guess this is a sign from things to come – no change. The telcos have been making a significant revenue of the Canadian market. With no competition. With no innovation and with one of the most expensive mobiles “relevant” plans of the developed world. I would had like to hear “iPhone is now available in Canada due to the change of hearts on the part of Apple who will not be asking telcos to set a all you can eat bandwidth plan on the next gen of phones. Otherwise it would be too costly for Rogers to offer it.” But not until real competition is created, the customer will benefit.

    Mr Bruce. Thanks for coming out…

  6. Todd Sieling says:

    Wow, that’s quite a rebuttal, chock full of facts and stats and diamond-hard logic.

  7. Farrell J. McGovern says:

    Crisis? What crisis?
    This was an excellent album, but it was really hard to be a follow-up to “Crime of the Century”, although the album after “Crisis? What Crisis?”, “Even in the Quitest Moments” was probably as good as “Crime”. Of course, the follow-up to “Moments” was the album that broke Supertramp in the US, “Breakfast in America”.

    Now that we have the nonsquitor out of the way, ROGERS SUCKS! I have had Cable internet a few times, and had horrible problems, especially in small complexes like apartment buildings or town-houses, with them over-deploying their infrastructure, and instead of having 10 db of signal or more, end up having 3 or less. Thus, their internet connection constantly drops out, and if you use any type of VoIP service, or play on-line games, this is disastrous.

    Their wireless prices really, really suck. I lived in the US for a while recently, and I could get buy with just wireless internet access for *less* than Rogers charges for the *wired* internet access!

    Unfortunately, Bell is just as bad. Like many people, I have turned to TekSavvy as my ISP. *IF* there was a wireless carrier who had decent prices, I would have wireless internet access as well, as part of my job requires a 2 hour response time, and having wireless internet access that didn’t cost an arm, leg and testicle would nice!

    ttyl
    Farrell
    …amateur musicologist, blogger.

  8. Dale777935 says:

    Remember people.

    Rob is the one that brought us great quotes like

    “We’re not fans of unlimited plans”

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

    [ link ]

    This guy is a clown

  9. JOhn F. Kennedy says:

    giest is a fool
    michael, do me a favour and shut down your site and resign from ottawa U.

    youre obviously not in the KNOW.

    the reason the iPhone took year to launch was because rogers was focussed on HSPA not EDGE and launching a well publicized device on a network thats not a focus for them would have been counter productive.

    now that the 3g edition is due, its natural that rogers will be selling it..

    case closed.. michael geist OUT

  10. hi ted rogers says:

    hi ted rogers
    hi ted rogers
    go back to la la land and your palace we all pay for

    to the guy above the word FLAME RETARDed comes to mind.

  11. Anonymous says:

    Roger’s Phone Company Make It Sound Oh So Good But Once In Contracts With Them Their The Devils With Horns And Want Nothing But Thousands of your dollars, And Get Metro Collection Angencies after you,for years to come, i wrote and phoned alot of complaints about ther contract with them,my bills would be only 80 dollars a month than my last 3 months up on my contract, they jacked up my bill to 2,000 dollars,id pay 800 dollars hoping to get a little bit lowered but it would be over 2,000 dollars a month it wen on and on till i couldnt pay it anymore