Rogers Wireless

Infobox_Company
company_name = Rogers Wireless Inc.
company_
company_type = Private (subsidiary of Rogers Communications)
foundation = Toronto, Ontario (1983)
location = Toronto, Ontario
key_people = Robert Bruce - President
industry = Wireless Services
products = UMTS, HSDPA, EDGE, GPRS, GSM, BlackBerries, Wireless Data Services, Two way messaging
revenue =
num_employees = 5,287 (2004)
owner = Rogers Communications
homepage = [http://www.rogers.com/wireless www.rogers.com/wireless]

Rogers Wireless, formerly known as Rogers AT&T Wireless, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rogers Communications. Rogers purchased Fido in November 2004, creating Canada's largest wireless carrier, surpassing Bell Mobility in subscriber volumeFact|date=July 2008, and is Canada's only Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network.

History

Rogers began with an Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) network, and later moved to the IS-136 standard before finally moving to a GSM network in the 1990s. At various times the service was sold under the names Cantel, Cantel AT&T, Rogers Cantel AT&T, and Rogers AT&T Wireless. Their network is GSM standard but development is now focused on UMTS, HSDPA, and EUL service. Both the AMPS and IS-136 networks have been decommissioned, and the networks were shut down on May 31, 2007.

Prior to the Rogers acquisition, the wireless business was known as Cantel Communications and Cantel AT&T.

In 2007, Rogers created a music festival in downtown Toronto, "The Rogers Picnic". The inaugural Rogers Picnic, created by Rogers Wireless was on July 29, 2007 and was held at the outdoor venue, Historic Fort York in Toronto. The second annual Rogers Picnic took place on July 20, 2008 at the same venue.

ervices

Rogers offers the following services:
*GSM/GPRS/EDGE on the 850 and 1900 MHz bands (Also known as 2G GSM, or 2.5G in the case of EDGE)
*UMTS/HSDPA on the 850 MHz bands (Also known as 3G GSM)
*Mobitex/GSM/GPRS/EDGE BlackBerry handheld devices
*Wireless Data Services
*Two way messaging
*Two Way Video Calling
*Live Mobile TV
*XM Radio Mobile
*Video on Demand MobileRogers Wireless carries phones made by Apple Inc., Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson, HTC and RIM. A large majority of the Rogers' customer base uses its GSM/GPRS/EDGE network, but the primary focus for development and new customers has been on its UMTS/HSDPA/EUL network. Rogers Wireless claims to be the only Canadian Wireless Provider to offer a complete, independent coast-to-coast network spanning all Canadian regions excluding the Territories.

In February 2006 at the 3GSM Conference in Barcelona, Rogers announced that testing for their 3G/3.5G UMTS/HSDPA network would be complete by March 2006. The network was brought online for select markets on November 2, 2006. [http://downloads.rogers.com/wireless/forms/HSDPA_En.pdf] UMTS/HSDPA is available in most major cities in Canada with further expansion in 2008. [ [http://www.shoprogers.com/store/wireless/services/vision/availability.asp Detect Flash support ] ] So far, users are reporting performance in the 2-3 Mbit/s range on the HSDPA network, and 1 Mbit/s using UMTS. All Rogers Wireless HSDPA-enabled Node B's support up to 7.2 Mbit/s downlink speeds and are current to Ericcson/3GPP Release 5. EUL, also known as HSUPA, is expected to be in service by 3rd quarter 2008.

Rogers Wireless offers the following Wireless Business Applications to its customers:Mindit Assist, AskMeNow, Sales Anywhere, NewsClip, bbTV, FPinfomart Mobile, Connection Manager, eOffice

Criticism on rates

As one of the main three players of the Canadian wireless industry, and the only carrier of GSM in Canada, Rogers has been criticized for having high voice and data prices compared to other OECD markets. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/map-cellphonecosts/ CBC.ca Cell phone costs] ] These criticisms have become more pronounced with the Canadian launch of Apple's iPhone.fact|date=October 2008

Rogers' announced pricing plans for the iPhone have been noted in print media both in Canada [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080702.wriphone03/BNStory/Technology/home Globe and Mail The iPhone's cross-border price clash] ] [ [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080702.RIPHONE02/TPStory/Business globe and mail] ] [ [http://www.thestar.com/article/452059 Toronto Star] ] and internationally [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/30/AR2008063000371.html Washington Post] ] [http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/147839/canadians_blast_iphone_pricing.html PC Mag] , as well as online. [ [http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/iphone-news/att-releases-iphone-3g-pricing-rogers-listen-and-learn/ iphoneincanada.ca] ] [ [http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/07/01/canadians-continue-feeling-rogered-by-rogers-iphone-plans Ars Technica "Canadians continue feeling Rogered"] ] [ [http://digg.com/apple/Rogers_you_ruined_my_iPhone_dream Digg "Rogers you Ruined my iPhone dream"] ] The online critics referenced above allege price gouging and monopolistic control of the industry, along with customer service oriented complaints. However, the majority of the current criticism is directed toward the monthly data limit for the iPhone device, given the availability of unlimited plans in the United States. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/06/30/tech-iphone.html?ref=rss Rogers draws fire for iPhone rates ] ] Rogers has since introduced a "$30 for 6GB" data plan. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/07/09/tech-iphone.html Rogers Caves] ] [ [http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/specials/iphone-info.jsp. at&t iphone plan] ] , which will no longer be offered after September 30, 2008.

ee also

*Fido Solutions

References

External links

* [http://www.rogers.com Rogers Main Corporate Website]
* [http://www.rogers.com/wireless Rogers Wireless]
* [http://www.mobilesyrup.com/ MobileSyrup.com - Canadian Mobile News & Reviews]
* [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/19/terror_phone_clone_scam/ Terror phone clone scam exposed, The Register 19th December 2005 ]