Rogers Mobile Internet Stick working under Linux

[D. Hugh Redelmeier]

[Lots of nit-picking about Rogers data plans -- don't read this long post 
if that isn't of interest.]

| From: Lennart Sorensen <lsorense-1wCw9BSqJbv44Nm34jS7GywD8/FfD2ys at public.gmane.org>

| On Wed, Nov 26, 2008 at 11:33:57PM -0500, Robert Brockway wrote:

| > http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless-plans/iphone_card_plans
| > 
| > I signed up for the Flex plan.
| 
| Not bad prices really.
| 
| Although they sure like to punish anyone that exceeds their plan.
| 
| You pay $25, you get 500MB.
| 
| So you pay:
| 0-500MB $25.00
| 501MB $30.00
| 502MB $35.00
| 503MB $40.00
| 504MB $45.00
| 505MB $50.00
| 506MB $50.03
| 507MB $50.06
| etc...
| 1000MB $64.85
| 
| So that first few MB after you exceed the plan doubles your monthly bill
| and then it goes down to very little again.

Robert said that he signed up for the "Flex plan".  You are reading
off the earlier table, the "Data Only Plans".

The flex plans SEEM to be $5 / month more expensive but gracefully
switch tiers to match your usage.  Kind of like paying for an
automatic transmission.  Seems like a good choice because you don't
have to know ahead of time how much you will use.  Charging extra for
this mechanism seems like more gouging.

I don't understand why this is called "Flex Rate Plans".  Isn't it
really one plan?  You would be nuts to sign up to anything other than
the 500MB plan since there appears to be no penalty for the automatic
switch to the service level that you actually use.

| From: Lennart Sorensen <lsorense-1wCw9BSqJbv44Nm34jS7GywD8/FfD2ys at public.gmane.org>

| > Of course there is an even funnier one:
| >       Monthly 911 Emergency Access Fee (non-government fee) 50cents
| > Can you even use 911 with this?  Isn't it data-only?
| 
| Hmm, they should not charge that if the account has no phone
| capabilities (so no phone number = no 911 fee I believe).

Ahh.  The footnotes say you get a voice capability whether you want it
or not.  And by capability, I don't mean that you can actually use it
without a different device (but the same SIM):

    # If you subscribe to a Data Plan only, then the Monthly System
    Access Fee and 911 Emergency Service Fee will apply to your Data
    Plan. If you subscribe to a Data Plan as an add-on to a Voice
    Plan, the Monthly System Access Fee and 911 Emergency Service Fee
    will only apply to your Voice Plan.

    # Voice calls are $1 per minute if a Voice Plan is not subscribed
    to separately.

| On Thu, Nov 27, 2008 at 12:08:44AM -0500, D. Hugh Redelmeier wrote:

| > And then there is:
| > 	(If usage is greater than 5 GB, 3cents per additional MB will be
| > 	charged)
| > Is that for 911?  I cannot tell.  If so, how do megabytes relate to
| > 911?  If not, why is it broken out from their already specified prices?
| 
| No that's the data plan part.  If you use more than your quota, you get
| a nasty surprise.

Oh, I think that I see now.  It is already part of the appropriate row of
each table (the last row), and then they add it as a
footnote-without-a-mark to the second table.

The marginal cost per MB for the last step in the plan is
  ($85-$65) / (5GB - 3GB)  =  $20 / 2GB = 1 cent / MB
So it seems rude that they charge 3 cents / MB when you
go beyond the last tier.

The whole tiering is done in a cockeyed way.  The marginal rates are
Tier 1 to Tier 2: 1 cent/megabyte, step size .5GB
Tier 2 to Tier 3: 1.5 cents/megabyte, step size 1GB
Tier 3 to Tier 4: 1.5 cents/megabyte, step size 1GB
Tier 4 to Tier 5: 1 cent per megabyte, step size 2GB
beyond:	3 cents / megabyte, step size .001GB

Clearly the bargain is the Tier 1 to Tier 2 transition: not only is it
at the lowest rate, it is also at the finest grain.

Why could they not have a simple formula and let it go at that?
Probably because the last thing phone companies want is plans that can
be compared easily.  Or understood easily.

Here is a simple formula that would be a rationalization of the flex plan:
 $25 + SAF + 911 Fee + $5 / 500MB (usage rounded up to nearest 500MB)


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