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Rogers offers nearly unlimited iPhone data plan

It's not quite all-you-can-eat, but the Canadian company's new $30-a-month option offers iPhone 3G users 6GBs of data a month when added to a separate voice plan.

Tom Krazit Former Staff writer, CNET News
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Google, as the most prominent company on the Internet defends its search juggernaut while expanding into nearly anything it thinks possible. He has previously written about Apple, the traditional PC industry, and chip companies. E-mail Tom.
Tom Krazit

Rogers Communications, Canada's dominant wireless carrier, has responded to the outcry over its iPhone rate plans with a new option for nearly unlimited data.

The company announced a $30-a-month data plan for the iPhone 3G that subscribers can add to their voice plans. With it, they can consume up to 6 gigabytes of data a month.

Before Wednesday, Rogers drew the ire of many a Canadian with its plan to offer a maximum 2GB voice-data plan at $115 a month. Lots of other carriers are offering unlimited data plans for the iPhone, which generates much more Web traffic on sites like Google than other smartphones.

The new plan doesn't go that far, obviously, but the limit will be extremely difficult for most people to hit. Rogers said 6GBs of data usage a month would enable you to watch 104 hours of YouTube videos every month, or send and receive more than 150,000 e-mails on your iPhone 3G.

Why Rogers still needs to insist on an upper limit for data usage is beyond me, but at least the company is offering an option that will allow most users to avoid overage charges. Still, it's only a limited-time offer: You have to activate an iPhone 3G by the end of August to qualify for the special plan. And you still have to sign a three-year contract.