Making good on their promise from a few days ago, O2 UK has launched a website where customers can get their iPhone’s officially unlocked starting November 10, 2009. Here are the details:
Pay Monthly customers can get the unlock any time, but you have to keep paying O2 for the length of your remaining service contract.
Pay Go customers can get the unlock after 12 months, for a one-time £15 fee (deducted from airtime balance).
To begin the process, customers need to complete the online form (via the link above). The process will take up to 14 days, but customers will get an SMS confirmation when it’s completed, and they can then place a non-O2 SIM in their iPhones, hook up to iTunes, and finish the unlock.
Curious as to whether the other major new iPhone multi-carrier market would be following suit, TiPb contacted Rogers and received the following reply:
Rogers policies haven’t changed in this regard.
One step forward, one step back. Hopefully Rogers will reconsider and take a page from O2’s consumer-friendly approach.
Meanwhile, if you go for the new O2 unlock, let us know how the process works out for you!
TiPb, among others, has been hearing rumors for months now that Bell and Telus’ new GSM-based HSPA+ network would be up and running by November, and that the iPhone would follow along immediately there after. Nice to see some confirmation via Canadian stalwart, the Globe and Mail, however:
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.
No comments from any of the carriers or Apple, of course, and it remains to be seen what if any downward pressure competition in Canada — like in the UK — would put on iPhone pricing for consumers.
Our question: Bell and Telus will have HSPA+ but no EDGE (to our knowledge), so if an iPhone on Bell or Telus couldn’t get a 3G signal, what exactly would it fall back on? EVDO/CDMA is not an option…
Once again Canada’s Rogers looks to be the source of a leak surrounding an upcoming 8GB iPhone 3GS, which — if true — would bring Apple’s latest hardware down to the budget smartphone price point of $99.
MacRumors caught the story, though their take is that the price point is uncertain, and whether or not Apple will release the low-storage iPhone 3GS option in all geographies (i.e. in the US) is unknown.
True leak or cascading data error? We’ll find out soon enough.
Boy Genius is reporting several tips on this, so it looks likely that Rogers in Canada is getting ready to launch an 8GB iPhone 3GS. Why? They proffer:
Maybe the iPhone 3G stock is finally sold out and Apple will quietly (or not quietly) replace the $99 model iPhone with an 8GB 3GS?
This appeal to anyone? How about to anyone who jumped on the $99 16GB iPhone 3G already?
Rogers dropped us a note to let us know they’ve extended their 6GB/$30 data plan, first introduced last year with the iPhone 3G and re-introduced this year with the Android Dream and Magic, and the iPhone 3GS, until September 15. So, if you have a qualifying phone like the iPhone, and you want ungodly amounts of data usage — and you haven’t already — make sure you add the 6GB/$30 promo to your plan ASAP. (Especially with free tethering still on until December 31, 2009).
Rolling inventory of the iPhone 3GS is on its way, and back orders are being filled for customers on a priority basis.
(And no, no official word yet on when Bell or Telus’ HSPA network will be functionally rolled out, nor when they will begin offering the iPhone 3GS, but we can’t help but think increased competition is great for consumers — and for the networks, witness Rogers beginning to test 21Mbps HSPA+).
Full Rogers/Fido iPhone upgrade options repeated after the break…
A Canadian buffet of Rogers news today, with Q2 financial results, an update on the current out-of-stock situation at Rogers, Fido, and Apple Canada, and the beginning of an HSPA+ super-fast 3G rollout.
First up, Bloomberg (via MDN) reports that Rogers that ARPU (average revenue per user) was down $1.47 as customers curbed long-distance and travel, while total sales rose 3.1%. As to the iPhone in particular, the introduction of the iPhone 3GS and $99 price point for the iPhone 3G helped Rogers add 148,000 subscribers this quarter.
Second, TUAW reports that Rogers, their subsidiary Fido, and Apple Stores (which just began carrying the iPhone in Canada on June 19) are all in short supply or completely sold out of iPhones. Given that Apple reported 5.2 million sold last quarter amid shortages, and is planning to fill out 80 countries by the end of the year, we can only repeat Dieter’s abject shock at the continuing sales volumes…
Third, and funnest (TM iPod touch),Engadget Mobile says Rogers is ready to rock and roll with HSPA+ at 21Mbps. Zoom. Zoom. The GTA will get initial love, though Rogers says it will expand quickly to other cities. Since the iPhone 3GS only supports up to 7.2Mbps, we’re not likely to benefit directly, though we only get half that currently so who knows…
Above, customers at the Montreal Apple Store wait for Rogers to get their systems working
For the second year in a row, Rogers provided awesome new plans for their customers, but did it at literally the 11th hour and utterly failed to inform many of their service reps about the last-minute changes in pricing and policy for the iPhone 3GS (kudos for getting the marketing folks up to speed though!) and also failed to get enough bandwidth and infrastructure in place to make sure Apple could actually upgrade customers, and Sales Central could remain functional.
Luckily for one Rogers customer, however, Rogers online rep Keith McArthur, the office of the President of Rogers, and a little luck resulted in a happy ending. Mark wrote in to let us know about his experience:
Step 6: I went to the Apple Store, purchased my phone (that was Sunday) and faxed the bill the same day.
Congrats Mark. Let’s hope the rest of us have just as much luck when we call in!
Okay, enough with the unboxings. Fair point. But we iPhone people only get one device a year, so this is our Super Bowl and dagnabit we plan to enjoy it!
Above, customers at the Montreal Apple Store wait for Rogers to get their systems working
Upgrading to an iPhone 3G S in Canada? We feel for you, and we fear we’re going to continue to feel for you for a healthy portion of the day. Last year there were activation backlogs and hang-ups all over, but it was especially egregious in Canada, where people were waiting for half the day for Rogers’ system to get up and happy and talking with Apple’s system.
Our esteemed editor Rene Ritchie just called in from his Apple Store to say that their system isn’t showing the 3G S on the Rogers system and it’s unclear how exactly it’s going to be resolved. Last year we heard 6-hour-wait horror stories. This year we’re crossing our fingers that resolution will come more quickly.
On the bright side, we haven’t heard a whiff of a problem anywhere else. From Switzerland to Cincinnati people who didn’t pre-order are finding lines short enough to guarantee everybody will get their phone and activations almost as quick as the iPhone 3G S itself.
TiPb just received word from Rogers and, well, it’s typically long and complicated so we’ll just give them the floor:
We’ve just announced the details of special Hardware Upgrade savings for our existing iPhone customers and wanted to let you know.
There has been a lot of excitement around the new iPhone 3G S and we wanted to recognize the early adopters who helped make the iPhone the hottest-selling handset in Canadian wireless history. We will be discounting the price of the iPhone 3G S by between $250 and $500 to provide savings to many of our iPhone customers.
What this means is that eligible iPhone owners can acquire the iPhone 16GB 3G S for as low as $199 or the 32GB for as low as $299 until July 31, 2009.
For Fido customers, we’re offering the Fido Rewards iPhone 3G S promotion. This enables iPhone customers to redeem FidoDollars towards a new iPhone 3G S with an additional $100 top-up from Fido.
For customers who don’t qualify for these extra savings, we are pleased to offer Rogers Wireless customers the iPhone at our cost on rogers.com. This cost – $580 for the iPhone 3G, $680 for the iPhone 3G S 16GB and $780 for the iPhone 3G S 32GB – represents the price we pay for the device plus a nominal fee for the SIM card. Customers can access these devices at retail locations for just $19 more for the three devices.
We’re also happy to announce that Rogers and Fido are extending the 6GB/$30 data promotion until July 31. This offer is valid for customers on a new or existing iPhone plan or customers buying an Android-powered HTC Magic or HTC Dream.
