If you’ve been lamenting that you can’t get an iPhone because you are with Bell or Telus, next week everything is going to change. On Nov. 4th, Telus starts selling the iPhone, and Bell will follow suit.

Prices are exactly the same as Rogers, and come with a 3 yr contract. There is a non-contract price but I don’t think many people will be willing to go for it.

• 8GB 3G for $100 or $600 without contract
• 16GB 3GS for $200 or $700 without contract
• 32GB 3GS for $300 or $800 without contract

According to this article by the Globe and Mail, Bell and Telus may soon announce the availability of the iPhone to their customers. This is a boon for existing customers that have wanted the iPhone but haven’t switched to Rogers yet.

While this is great news for Bell and Telus customers, I think this will play out more of a retention strategy than a new customer acquisition strategy. Many of the pro-iPhone users have already left Bell and Telus for Rogers, by offering the iPhone, they will prevent more from leaving. Likely they will match the Rogers price, rather than beat it, in order to lock all users onto new 3 year contracts, right before Wind Mobile goes live. I bet the top benchmark at all three companies will be percentage of customers on long-term contracts, which will try to prevent people from leaving based on price competition from new entrants.

Let’s get this out of the way first, it’s available on June 19th at Rogers. Unfortunately Rogers has not updated their website with any description and they did not lower the price of the old 3G to $99 like AT&T did.

Although the outside isn’t much different, inside there are many changes both in hardware and software. A better processor and memory are suspected, but not confirmed by Apple at the WWDC today. Instead they focused on showing off the new functionality of the iPhone and iPhone OS including:

• Faster applications (new CPU and memory?)
• Records video
• 3MP camera with autofocus, autoexposure and white balance control
• Voice Control (including voice dialing)
• Compass
• Cut, Copy & Paste
• MMS
• Search
• Tethering
• Voice Recorder
• Nike+

See the guided tour at the Apple website for a very lengthy tour of the new phone.

If you are a Telus or Bell mobile user, you will soon be charge 15 cents for each text message you receive starting next month. If you subscribe to a text messaging plan, you will not be charged.

This will even apply to unsolicited text messages!

I’m willing to bet that the oligopoly that is our Canadian mobile market will result in Rogers/Fido doing the same thing in a matter of weeks.

Source: Toronto Star