Rogers iPhone tethering policy

With official support for tethering announced as a feature of iPhone OS 3.0

Image from Engadget WWDC 2009 coverage.

I thought I'd mention that Rogers does have a (not easy to find) policy allowing tethering

Tethering Policy

Tethering is the use of your phone as a wireless modem to connect to the Internet from your computer. For a limited time, if you subscribe to a data option which includes at least 1GB of data transmission between June 8, 2009 and December 31, 2009, you may use tethering as part of the volume of data included in your option at no additional charge. Tethering cannot be used with data options of less than 1GB.

from http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless-plans/iphone_data_plans (scroll to the very bottom)

UPDATE 2009-06-09: The tethering policy has disappeared from the bottom of the above page, but it does appear at the bottom of http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless-plans/iphone_smartphone_plans.  This means the tethering policy should also apply to the Android phones.

Also, the wording was a bit ambiguous, so I asked the Rogers social media guy, Keith McArthur, whether tethering would be free for the life of the contract: "am I reading the Tethering Policy correctly that as long as you have 1GB, tether is no additional cost for life of contract?".  He replied

What we've said is that tethering will be included at no extra charge until at least the end of the year.

http://twitter.com/keithmcarthur/status/2095921048

Some more links:

* Canadian Apple site on iPhone 3G S http://www.apple.com/ca/iphone/iphone-3g-s/

* US Apple site with iPhone 3G S tethering details http://www.apple.com/iphone/iphone-3g-s/tethering.html

I should also point out this note for those of you who may not have upgraded the OS in your Mac laptops... "NOTE: To use iPhone as a modem with a Mac computer, it must be running Mac OS X version 10.5.7 or later"

UPDATE 2009-06-11: Rogers has a link up about the iPhone 3G S, it leads to a FAQ with a few key items

The new devices will be available on June 19th 2009.

Is the new 6GB/$30 promotional plan available for all iPhone customers, new and existing?

The $30/6GB will be available to all iPhone customers on both Rogers and Fido brands starting June 9th 2009.

iPhone OS 3.0 update (which is free for iPhones) will come out June 17, 2009.

I asked Keith McArthur "does the $30/6GB plan last for the life of the contract (e.g. 3 years)?" and he answered simply "yes".

UPDATE 2009-06-12: I asked Keith if you can build your own "a la carte" voice + data plan and still get the $199 3Gs and 6GB dataplan:

and he said yes: "yes - any combination of voice and data"

Also I made a spreadsheet with my attempt to figure out some pricing options (NO GUARANTEES about whether Rogers will interpret the plans the same way - and NO GUARANTEES about my understanding of the Rogers plans - there are lots of question marks)

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=rIgdTdpVenCnRTLp_bz4nFA&output=html

As well I should mention that Rob Manne is also with Rogers and answers questions on Twitter.

UPDATE 2009-06-16: Perhaps due to the high volume of requests in advance of the 3Gs, Keith has set up dedicated Rogers Twitter accounts: @RogersHelps, @RogersKeith and @RogersRob.

Also here is the full set of "Tethering FAQs" from the iPhone 3G S page at Rogers.  It's pretty clear they are going measure tethering use and then decide how much to charge.

What is tethering or wireless modem?

Tethering or wireless modem functionality is the use of your phone (such as your iPhone) as a wireless modem to connect to the internet from your computer. You can connect your phone to your computer through Bluetooth wireless technology or the USB cable provided with your handset.

Can I tether on my iPhone?

To use tethering or wireless modem functionality you require the new iPhone 3G S, or an iPhone 3G that has been upgraded with the new iPhone OS 3.0 software. Until December 31, 2009, if you have subscribed to a data plan which includes at least 1GB of data you may use tethering as part of the volume of data included in your plan at no additional charge. Tethering cannot be used with data plans of less then 1GB.

Will data charges for tethering be free?

No, tethering data usage will come out of your existing data bucket.

When will I be able to tether on my iPhone?

Customers with an iPhone 3G S will be able to tether right away. For customers with an iPhone 3G, who have upgraded to iPhone OS 3.0, we expect tethering to be fully operational for all iPhone customers shortly after the OS 3.0 release.

What will happen on December 31, 2009 when the promotion expires?

Rogers will continue to enable tethering on devices that allow it, but data plans will be adjusted to better reflect the way customers are using tethering services.

http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless-products/iphone_faqs?setLanguage=en&cm_sp=Consumer-_-Wireless_iPhone3Gs_0609_Eng-_-3GsPrelaunch_LowerBadge

UPDATE 2009-06-18: Rogers has updated its tethering text yet again, here are the highlights:

by June 19th, 2009, Rogers systems will have been updated to make tethering fully operational for all eligible iPhone 3G customers.

How do I tether on my iPhone?

Please visit Apple.com for instructions http://www.apple.com/iphone/iphone-3g/tethering.html

When I try to setup my phone for tethering by going through the following steps Settings-->General-->Network-->Set-up Internet Tethering, I get the following message “Set Up Internet Tethering. To enable tethering on this account contact Rogers”. What does this mean?

This means that you don’t have the appropriate data plan on your account to support tethering, and require a data plan with at least 1GB worth of data for tethering to be enabled.

Note: The actual how-to text for setting up Internet Tethering is called, rather confusingly, "Using an iPhone as a Modem". The direct link is

http://www.apple.com/iphone/how-to/#basics.using-iphone-as-a-modem

Seems a rather odd choice of terminology. Modem, what's that? I'm guessing a fair number of 3G users have never even had a modem.

Comments

[morgen peers]

thanks for the info! very helpful.

[John]

I tried to enable tethering today with 3.0, and it said I needed to contact my carrier. Anyone else?

[C. Sheppard]

@John - I tried it as well and got the same message. They do say "shortly after" the upgrade so maybe it's not ready yet.

[Greg]

Thank you for the information! I just talked to a Rogers rep who confirmed they still didn't have any information regarding the new pricing / plans that will go into effect on December 31st regarding iPhone tethering.

The best case (don't get me wrong - it would still piss me off..!) would be to lower the 6Gb / 30$ month to something like 4Gb for 30$, tethering included. The worse case would be to charge an extra 30$ fee for 2 Gb of tethering...

Cheers