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Bell and Telus Fast-Tracking GSM Switch for iPhone?

By: , IntoMobile
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 at 9:54 AM

The last time we heard about Bell and Telus’ plans to jump over to HSPA (3G) before moving to LTE (4G),  the two Canadian carriers were eyeballing a 2010 switch, but rumour has it they’re trying to get onto the GSM bus this fall in order to support the iPhone as soon as possible. A Telus spokesperson stuck to their guns for 2010, and given it’s generally prudent to adopt a “later than sooner” outlook for release dates of this magnitude, I’d tend to agree with the date. Still, wishful thinking and Apple’s ability to light a fire under a carrier’s ass dictates the sooner Telus and Bell can pick up the iPhone, the better. We had heard Rogers and Apple weren’t on what you’d call friendly terms lately, so it’s entirely possible that the iPhone is looking to spread out its wings a little bit, even if it’s only out of spite.

[via The Star]

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About The Author

Simon Sage

Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.

  • AC

    I thought Bell & Telus were fast-tracking a switch to GSM to get some of that sweet sweet voice and data roaming from visitors attending the 2010 Winter Olympics…

  • Simon Sage

    Well yeah, that too.

  • Me

    How many people are these Olympics bringing over?

    Or is because Bell is a big sponsor…

  • Alen

    It doesn’t matter what’s Bell’s reason. What matters is that Rogers and Fido are going down. Even if Telus and Bell have same prices for equal plans on Rogers and Fido, I am switching to Telus. It’s enough of Rogers tyranny, it’s enough!