The Globe Investor is reporting that the iPhone’s days as a Rogers Communications exclusive in Canada are coming to an end, with Bell Canada and Telus Corp reportedly planning to offer the device in just a few weeks.
The country’s two largest incumbent telecom companies, under pressure to re-ignite growth as new wireless competitors begin operations this year, are banking on Apple Inc.’s ground-breaking smart phone to help them sign up bigger-spending customers and shift the balance of power in Canada’s mobile market.
The report notes that Rogers Communications largely owed its iPhone exclusivity deal to the fact that it had, up until recently, a monopoly on the 3G standard that the current iPhone requires. Bell and Telus, however, have invested over a billion dollars into a “next-generation wireless network” which will finally include the required 3G technology, and will finally bring the iPhone to multiple carriers in Canada.
Lastly, the report points out that the iPhone has been a huge success for Rogers, helping to drive growth by 7% in an otherwise gloomy economic environment.
Related: Analyst – Apple could double iPhone marketshare by ending exclusivity agreements
Tue, Oct 6, 2009
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