layout: post title: Fido yanking unlimited data plans? created: 1125217139 categories:

• Wireless, Cellular, and Mobile
• Canada

Ouch! According to Alex, Fido is going to get rid of their unlimited data plan:

29 days into my love affair with an unlocked Treo and I have discovered why it’s nice not to be married to any one cell phone carrier. I made the leap into wireless, thinking that Fido’s unlimited data plan offered a net; they’ve since pulled the plan, though existing subscribers are grandfathered in — for now. One of Fido’s customer service reps told me today that Fido is planning to scrap its unlimited plan altogether once it migrates to the Rogers network as of September 15th.alexandrasamuel.com: Scratching at Fido’s door

I'm one of the "grandfathered" subscribers, as is Roland. I can't help but wonder where this will end. Competition is rapidly going out the window in the Canadian cell service market. I've complained before that our lack of adoption of advanced services is putting us at a disadvantage to places like Europe and the US.

I had previously looked into perhaps getting a US plan. The "fine print" apparently says that a certain percentage of time has to be spent on network, but I have anecdotal reports that this isn't enforced. In any case, I'll be watching to see future Fido/Rogers plans.

Update: Think I'm exaggerating how ridiculous this is? Om reports that Verizon is turning on 3G -- about 10x faster than the GPRS that Fido/Rogers offers -- for $60US/month.