July 9 - 9:45am EDT   (Updated with extra plan info) Rogers and its sub-brand Fido today made concessions to potential subscribers worried about low bandwidth by offering a limited-run promotional plan for the iPhone 3G. Customers who sign up for the Apple device before the end of August will have access to a $30 monthly plan that offers 6GB of data per month while purchased with any existing voice plan Rogers or Fido already offers. The pricing effectively gives an iPhone user enough bandwidth to watch nearly 105 hours of YouTube videos per month on the cellular connection, Rogers claims. [full story]

July 8 - 3:40pm EDT   A soon-to-be concluded Canadian wireless auction is now likely to offer a new wireless service provider in the country, according to observations. More than $4.2 billion in bids have been made and are currently led by relative newcomer Globalive, which currently operates small-scale provider Yak Mobile but is now set to obtain 31 out of 292 regional licenses that will let the company operate a countrywide network for phones or data services on a future portion of wireless spectrum. [full story]

July 8 - 11:10am EDT   Apple Canada may be further punishing Rogers by refusing to sell the iPhone 3G at its own retail stores, according to an investigation by AppleInsider. A conference call purportedly held Monday evening will see Apple decline to sell iPhones at its own stores, instead showing them only as demo units. Customers will have no choice but to visit a Fido or Rogers store to buy the device, the report explains. [full story]

June 27 - 10:20am EDT   Canadian cell provider Rogers Wireless and its sub-brand Fido today listed their iPhone 3G plans, revealing the strategy for carrying the device in the country. All plans will need both voice and data and have finite data limits; unlike previous rumors, there will be no option for unlimited access with either service, though all will include Visual Voicemail as well as unlimited weekend and evening calling; incoming SMS messages are also unlimited, as is access to Rogers- and Fido-owned Wi-Fi hotspots. [full story]

June 18 - 8:45pm EDT   Rogers Wireless and its sub-brand Fido will nearly match AT&T's pricing when they begin selling the iPhone 3G next month, according to a leaked data sheet said to have been sent out to employees of the two carriers. The sheet points to a standard personal account requiring a $30 data plan like that of AT&T that would provide unlimited access to at least the web, normal e-mail, and Visual Voicemail when linked to a phone plan that includes voice messages. Corporate users would likewise pay $45 per month for similar offerings plus access to work e-mail. [full story]

June 9 - 6:05pm EDT   (Updated with device pricing) Apple today on its iPhone 3G for Canada site revealed that the new iPhone 3G will be available for both Fido and its parent company Rogers Wireless in the country. The news expands on the previous Rogers-only announcement and will let users of either service buy the phone when it becomes available in Canada on July 11th. Rogers says it will sell the phone at the same $199 (8GB) and $299 (16GB) prices as in the US, but will require a longer three-year contract common to providers in the territory. [full story]

May 25 - 9:10pm EDT   Nokia's E71 today has received a review ahead of its official release date that suggests it may be the cellphone maker's best device yet. BGR notes that the QWERTY keyboard smartphone is more polished and slimmer than the E61i it replaces without sacrificing features; confirming earlier leaks, the device sports 3G for North American HSDPA networks as well as GPS and Wi-Fi. It also brings a large-capacity battery that lasts through more than a whole day despite "heavy" usage, according to informal tests. [full story]

May 7 - 10:25am EDT   Matching internal leaks published in March, Fido today kicked off the launch of its UNO calling service. The feature closely mirrors T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home in the US and lets users save on cellular plan minutes and improve indoor reception by calling when within range of a Wi-Fi hotspot. Fido's implementation is likewise based on UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) and automatically bridges to or from the regular GSM phone network to keep calls active as the phone user roams into or out of coverage. [full story]

April 4 - 3:55pm EDT   Rogers may offer its own take on a Wi-Fi calling solution in the near future, say multiple tips sent to Crackberry. The service would be known as Rogers Home Calling Zone and would replicate many of the features found in services such as T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home; devices that support Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) would be used to offer unlimited calling from any Wi-Fi access point and could seamlessly bridge to the cellular phone network and back to avoid interrupting calls. [full story]

April 1 - 11:50am EDT   Novatel used the occasion of the CTIA show to upgrade its Ovation line with a pair of USB modems capable of 3G-grade Internet access in most parts of the world and on nearly any computer, including the MacBook Air. Both the MC990D and the North America-minded MC992D connect to the fastest HSPA networks in the world and download at up to 7.2Mbps while uploading at up to 5.76Mbps in peak conditions. The MC990D is tuned primarily for the 900MHz and 2100MHz bands used by Europe and most parts of the world, while the MC992D is more receptive for AT&T, Fido, and Rogers in North America. [full story]

March 19 - 3:10pm EDT   Canadian cell provider Fido is set to follow in the steps of T-Mobile USA and launch a Wi-Fi calling service that can potentially be less expensive than traditional service, a leak on HowardForums says. Fido UNO will use the same Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) technology as T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home to immediately switch from GSM cellular to Internet calling when connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot. In Fido's version, any calls made to the customer's home area from Wi-Fi would be free on a base $15 monthly plan; a $20 monthly plan would extend this to include all of Canada. [full story]

March 12 - 12:15pm EDT   T-Mobile's tentative steps to enter the Canadian market for cellphones may have been confirmed, according to a detailed tip sent to BGR. The carrier has reportedly received government approval to start its service in 2009 and would run at least a trial service until 2010 that would offer all the normal calling, data, and roaming services expected of most providers. It would also bring many of the phones used by its American cousin, including HTC-made devices such as the Shadow as well as the SideKick line. [full story]

February 21 - 3:50pm EST   Canadian carrier Fido has adopted two high-end smartphones, which are now on sale. The first is Samsung's BlackJack II, which like the version at Fido parent Rogers, has been simply renamed as the Jack. The phone features items like a QWERTY keyboard, a two megapixel camera and a built-in GPS receiver, with storage provided by 155MB of internal memory and external microSD cards. Its major highlight however may be support for Fido's burgeoning 3G service, which here allows 3.6Mbps HSDPA. The Jack costs as little as $225 CAD after a three-year contract, a data plan and a $100 rebate; contract-free, it can cost as much as $425. [full story]