Canada’s wireless carriers (slowly) open up data

A quick review of mobile data plans prompted by a newspaper ad I caught this morning:

Rogers is offering $7/month unlimited mobile internet access, provided you’re not using a PDA, PC card, or tethering your device to your computer.  (I think I pay $7/month for 3 megs of data right now, but with no restrictions that I’m aware of.)

Bell is also offering $7/month unlimited mobile internet access under the same provisions as Rogers.

Telus seems to be in its own space, with unlimited email, instant messaging, and internet access for $30/month, but if you’re on a BlackBerry or other device, the internet part goes away and is replaced by $8/meg access.  Still, the unlimited email part would be great if you’re Richard Stallman.

I think Bell pioneered this pricing strategy back in November, and it’s a good one: the BlackBerry is, I’m guessing, the primary revenue stream for data services, but these devices and plans are largely driven at the corporate level, and as such can be expensed, which makes for a different value proposition than using data for personal use.  The two tier strategy gives some access to the network without cannibalizing BlackBerry revenues.

As I mentioned the other day, Bell once suggested that I didn’t really need that much data because I wasn’t already using data at their current price points.  With that in mind, I’m wondering if it’s worth switching away from my E61 to something without a keyboard (but with HSPDA) and making a point of using the web on my phone every day, if only to prove demand (especially demand for sites other than Facebook.)  It’s not like the iPhone’s coming anytime soon (yes, I know I can get one, but I’m looking for something that fits into Rogers’ data plan scheme, and frankly, I don’t think it’s the data pricing that’s stopping the introduction), but I don’t know if I can bring myself to use a device without a full keyboard and wide display.