iPad has arrived: Quick and easy activation with Rogers

By: RogersKeith

May 28th, 2010 a 8:00am

The day has finally come: iPad’s much-anticipated Canadian launch.

If you’re like me, you’ll want to connect to 3G and use your iPad right away. That’s why we’ve worked hard to become one of the only carriers in the world certified by Apple to offer an innovative, on-device purchase flow. On other networks, activation could require a telephone call. But with Rogers, you can quickly, easily and securely activate your iPad on Canada’s reliable network in just a few touch-screen taps.

This also makes it easy to put your data plan on hold during months when you don’t need it. No separate apps required; no phone calls in to a customer-service rep. We believe we’re the only carrier in Canada to offer this innovative on-device activation.

As such, we wanted to pass along some key information should you have a shiny new 3G iPad device in your hand – or if you’re considering buying one.

How to activate on the Rogers network:

(Updated May 28, 4:50 pm) Make sure your Micro SIM card is inserted into the device, plug the iPad into an Internet-connected computer, and update to the latest version of iTunes and connect to iTunes to update your iPad with the settings for the Rogers network.
On the iPad, click the Settings icon.
On the Cellular Data tab, touch View Account.
Enter your user and login information (screen shot above), then select your plan. A check mark will appear beside your selection.
Enter your payment and billing information. You can subscribe to the plans by pre-paying via Visa, MasterCard or American Express.
After reading and agreeing to all Terms of Service, review the payment summary screen and click Submit to complete
An email and alert will then be sent to you confirming the transaction and your data plan will take effect in a few minutes.
(Updated May 28, 4:50 pm) Once you get an alert on your iPad saying “Data Plan Activated”(screen shot below) you can start using your Rogers cellular data plan immediately.

Managing your account:

On the iPad, click the Settings icon
On the Cellular Data tab, touch View Account.
After logging in, you can see your data usage, status left on your data account and your billing period dates. Here is where you can also add or change your data plan and edit your payment information.
If you want to cancel your account, select Cancel Plan and Delete Account Later from the Add/Change Data Plan screen. If you choose to do so, your credit card will no longer be billed but your account will remain active if you want to add a plan within the next 6 months. (If you wait longer than 6 months, you’ll need to get another Micro SIM card to reactivate).

More details on data:

To help you manage your data usage, you will receive a notification on your iPad when you have 20 per cent, 10 per cent and 0 data left of your usage limit. (Alternatively, you can view your data usage by going to the account overview page).
Our data plans are “stacked,” meaning that when you purchase more data, any unused existing megabytes will be moved (or “stacked”) onto the new plan as long as it’s within the original 30-day purchase window. For example, if you have 150MB remaining on your plan and decide to buy another 250MB, your new 30-day billing cycle won’t be restarted until that 150MB has been used. (However, if your 150 MB has not been used by the end of the original 30 days, the new plan will automatically start at day No. 31 with 250MB).
Your iPad’s Micro SIM card must say “Preactivated” in order to function on the Rogers 3G network. You can get a card at Rogers retail stores and authorized re-sellers of Rogers products. For a complete list, check out www.rogers.com/ipad.

Available plans:

We offer two data plans for the iPad – both of which are available without a term contract and include free unlimited access to all Rogers WiFi Hot Spots.

250 MB for $15
5 GB for $35

Taxes are extra but there are no other charges.

As we confirmed in the comments section of our May 10th post, we have been working on adding data-sharing plans that would allow customers to extend an existing data plan to share with an iPad.

Internationally, data sharing plans are not widely available for the iPad. But we’ve always been proponents of sharing plans, from sharing plans for family members to co-workers. We know many of you are interested in our data sharing options for iPad. They’re not available at this time, but we’ll share more details when we can.

Will you be buying an iPad? What excites you most about the device?

Keith McArthur is Senior Director of Social Media at Rogers.

Rating: 2.8/5 (48 votes cast)

Categories:

How-To, Network, Product news, Wireless

Tags:

3G, Apple, data, ebooks, games, HD videos, iPad, ipad account management, ipad activation, Micro SIM, multi-touch user interface, music, pricing, retail, rogers.com, stacking

183 Comments

Ed says: May 28th, 2010 a 8:32am

Thank you for this communication. Informative and touched all basis. 5/5
Oli says: May 28th, 2010 a 8:41am

I want to be able to share my 6GB iPhone data plan with my iPad. I don’t care about paying a fee for that, but I don’t want to have 2 separate plans!

As long as Rogers doesn’t offer a shared data plan, I’ll keep my Wi-Fi-only iPad.
- RogersMary says: May 28th, 2010 a 11:04am
  
  Thanks for your feedback Oli. As Keith mentions in the post, we are looking into shared plans for iPad. Stay tuned.
  - Oli says: May 28th, 2010 a 2:26pm
    
    That’s great news!
  - Avreaux says: May 30th, 2010 a 9:46pm
    
    Thanks for re-iterating that, Mary. Will definitely wait to see what the pooling plan turns out to be. If other customers are like me, they may be content to hotspot hop (lots of free wi-fi spots here) and treat the pooling as a nice-to-have, but not a necessity on top of an existing $30+ plan for their phones.
  - Jeffrey Stephen says: June 25th, 2010 a 1:54pm
    
    RogersMary, the sooner the better, I pre ordered an iPad 3G + WiFi on day one with a Rogers SIM, I have had it for 3 weeks now but I wont be activating it till Rogers implement the Data Sharing that was advertised (according to rogers by mistake), when I placed my order.
BarryD says: May 28th, 2010 a 8:59am

So let me get this straight.
I have a Rocket stick which costs me $65 for 5 GB but IPAD users will get 5GB for $35.

What gives?
- RogersMary says: May 28th, 2010 a 11:13am
  
  Hi Barry. Thanks for the question. Keith answered this on a previous post and it’s definitely worth re-posting here:
  
  We’re experimenting with lower data pricing for iPad because the economic model is different from the traditional carrier arrangement in North America, where the carrier sells the device at a subsidized price and provides technical support for the device. We’re excited about the tablet category and wanted to introduce some great pricing at launch.
  - Steve says: May 28th, 2010 a 12:43pm
    
    So sell the Rocket-stick at retail and offer a reasonable data plan.
    
    Data is data. There is no reason to have 14 Blackberry data plans, 10 Smartphone data plans, and 6 Rocket Stick data plans. DATA IS DATA. That’s 30 data plans! Just charge a basic fee (like the 250MB for $15 iPad plan) and then have a fixed rate from there. For every device.
    
    DATA IS DATA.
    - Dean says: June 7th, 2010 a 1:20pm
      
      I think this is a great idea. Also, if I do go with the subsidized device I want the option to unlock it after the contract has expired. Chances are that if I was given the option I would stay with Rogers anyway. The main reason I want to leave Rogers is because it would be my choice. I don’t like being told what to do.
      
      I would be willing to pay a small fee ($20-$50) to have it “factory” unlocked so that I can travel with it and legally use another carriers SIM (AT&T, tMobile etc).
    - kman says: June 10th, 2010 a 4:48pm
      
      Just like an airplane seat is an airplane seat, but airlines change their prices constantly. Rogers, like an airline, is trying to wring out the maximum they can get from you for a particular service… so they slice up the offerings and try to maximize yield on each one, even though for them cost-wise, yes data is data.
  - phoomp says: June 5th, 2010 a 2:36pm
    
    I’m with Steve. Push your bosses to fast-track broad implementation of this lower data pricing model.
    
    I’d rather purchase a mobile device at retail/unsubsidize (as long as you don’t artificially inflate the retail price) to get a lower monthly bill with no long term contract and sacrifice technical support from Rogers for the device (I’d much prefer tech support from the manufacturer of the device in any case).
    
    For example:
    I purchase an unlocked iPhone. Give me the option to:
    - receive subsidization in exchange for me signing a contract.
    - choose my services (voice only, voice+data, data only)
Chris says: May 28th, 2010 a 8:59am

@RogersKeith Thanks for mentioning the sharing and that your looking at it. It will hopefully cut down on the number of comments asking about it. I’m a bit sad that you don’t have the information ready for today so I’ll have to wait on my iPad purchase.. I have a feeling I’ll have to wait until June 7th or so when the iPhone4G comes out for rogers to announce something.. Hopefully it won’t be that long..

To answer the question “Will you be buying an iPad?” Maybe, data plans will dictate my purchase. If Rogers comes out with sharing or another carrier comes out with better offers we’ll see. I’d like to buy one but currently can’t justify that much or any of an increase to my $270/month Rogers bill.

“What excites you most about the device?” It’s potential. It’s really given developers something different to explore and I can see a lot of cool things coming down the road. Lets just hope Apple doesn’t get in the way and “protect” me from these applications..
- RogersMary says: May 28th, 2010 a 11:15am
  
  Hi Chris — Thanks for your sharing your answers with us!
Jim Murphy says: May 28th, 2010 a 9:14am

I’m stuck parsing this sentence: “Internationally, data sharing plans are not widely available for the iPad” What does it mean?

By “internationally” do you mean here in Canada? If so why are we being punkd by Apple in the US. We’re not second class users of the device/service. Heavens knows we pay enough for them both. The fact that availability in Canada wasn’t the very same day as in the US in silly and already puts me off.

“widely available” does that mean other carriers in other countries don’t tend to do it? If so who cares? What is the best value proposition for you to your customers?

The obvious thing for me is not having a midrange “just right” plan. Not sure I’d use 5GB but I’d very likely use more than 250MB. Why not 1GB like the iPhone plan?

I know this post isn’t primarily about plans and the on device activation is handy but it doesn’t address the true needs of users adopting the platform. At best a nice to have.
- RogersKeith says: May 28th, 2010 a 1:35pm
  
  Hey Jim.
  
  My only point about plans not being widely available is that we have been examining this option to see if we can be one of the first carriers in the world to introduce it.
  
  Thanks for suggestions on different plan options.
  
  Keith
John says: May 28th, 2010 a 11:15am

I’ll definitely buy an iPad 3G. But I think Rogers needs to offer a data sharing plan right away. There’s no need to wait around on this. Now is the perfect time to offer one before customers decide to go with Bell since their data plans are identical.

And what gives with having to get a new micro-SIM just because you don’t use data for 6 months? That sounds very inconvenient to me if I have to order a new Micro-SIM just to access data after 6 months of inactivity. How is that any different from having to call Bell’s customer service to activate data if I go with them? Especially since your charge for another Micro-SIM card is $9.99!
- RogersKeith says: May 28th, 2010 a 1:32pm
  
  Hey John, Customers can obtain replacement microSIMs at Future Shop, Best Buy or Apple Stores at no charge.
  - John says: May 28th, 2010 a 6:10pm
    
    Thanks for the clarification Keith! :)
ianfinity says: May 28th, 2010 a 12:01pm

Thanks for the crystal clear information on how to setup & how to maintain the mobile data account.
Would you please lend some clarity as to how to manage international data roaming for those who intend to travel with the iPad? I’m unclear on the cost, how to set up & how to monitor data usage.
- RogersKeith says: May 28th, 2010 a 1:25pm
  
  Hey ianfinity. Customers on a Rogers iPad data plan can use the data anywhere in Canada, but international roaming is not available at this time.
  - ianfinity says: May 28th, 2010 a 1:29pm
    
    Thanks Keith for the reply. Does this mean the appropriate option when traveling is to switch to a local SIM (AT&T for example) and sign on for a plan through them?
    - Chris says: May 28th, 2010 a 3:05pm
      
      I can almost guarantee this will be the cheapest option. It’s too bad to hear about the 6 month expiration on the sim cards otherwise I’d carry a stack of all the companies that offer them and switch to whom best fits the location or my data needs.
    - RogersKeith says: May 28th, 2010 a 3:23pm
      
      That would work. Device will also work through wifi while traveling.
  - Adrian says: May 28th, 2010 a 2:42pm
    
    international roaming not required. iPads come unlocked so just buy a local micro SIM.
    - ianfinity says: May 28th, 2010 a 3:21pm
      
      I totally get the concept of buying the local MicroSIM. Probably preferable in terms of $$ too, as data roaming for the iPhone is pretty dear. There could be a couple of flies in the ointment, though: will you need to plug into a comp with iTunes in order to activate the SIM with the new carrier & will the carrier be looking for a credit card with a local address? I wonder if local Apple stores will be able to help facilitate this at all.
- Kyle says: May 28th, 2010 a 2:13pm
  
  Heads up, the iPad is not carrier locked. If you travel just grab a local MicroSIM from a compatible GSM carrier and set up there at their local rates.
- Ray Nicolini says: May 28th, 2010 a 3:38pm
  
  if you plan to go to the USA or Europe, then just swap the sim card to the other carrier, you will end up with a cheaper unlimited plan while vacationing. Stop giving Rogers unnecessary money
Steve says: May 28th, 2010 a 12:11pm

Bump up the base to 500MB and we’ve got a deal.

Come on, an extra 250MB is nothing to you but would make a world of difference to me.
- Kristina says: June 26th, 2010 a 7:36pm
  
  I would pay $15 for 1Gig. $35 for unlimited…. The cap is just … No further comment…
Karen says: May 28th, 2010 a 12:38pm

I thought it was possible to hook onto my iphone 6G account for $20/month. There is nothing in this announcement that talks about this. also others comments regarding needing a new micro sim card after 6 months, what’s with that. I think that this is not clear information about ALL options.

Also very disappointed that there is not an unlimiited data plan option priced similarly to the US> Streaming video – a great bonus on iPad impossible with these prices.
- RogersKeith says: May 28th, 2010 a 1:31pm
  
  Hey Karen, we’re considering sharing plans but have nothing to announce at this time. A new micro SIM is only needed after six months of not being activated with a data plan.
Bilbo Bloggins says: May 28th, 2010 a 12:56pm

Just wait until Mobilicity and Wind and Public Mobile get their acts together.
Then the big boys will have no choice but to offer competing plans.
All 3 carriers have the same prices. Totally uncompetitive. Can you say price fixing?
But kudos to Telus for at least offering a $20 option for 500MB.
For a device like the iPad, it should really be 1GB for $20.
That is the likely amount for a slightly above average user.
Kris says: May 28th, 2010 a 1:03pm

So is the Micro-SIM included in the IPAD pre-orders that were ordered from the Apple Canada website? I don’t recall the Micro-SIM being an option at the time of pre-order.

According to FexEx my iPad is stuck in tennessee (which would make a great country/blues song) and I’m wondering if I should grab a card before it arrives so that it’s all ready to go.
- RogersKeith says: May 28th, 2010 a 1:28pm
  
  Hey Kris,
  You likely had the option to order a micro SIM when you pre-ordered your iPad. If you didn’t order one, you can pick one up at any Apple Store, Best Buy or Future Shop location at no charge.
  Keith
Tim Folkins says: May 28th, 2010 a 1:36pm

That is a shame that a sharing plan wasn’t announced today. I’m a long time Rogers client (tv, internet, mobile) but this has really been disappointing – especially with the furor over the initial iPhone plans offered, and then the client response over the lack of a data sharing plan.

When you do offer a sharing plan, most likely I will activate my iPad with Rogers. Until then though, purely out of protest, I will activate it with your competitor. There is no benefit for me to use Rogers. Might as well see what the other company has to offer.

I hope you get your ducks in a row soon.
Kyle says: May 28th, 2010 a 2:20pm

I’m really interested in getting one but I’m waiting to see if the 3G version is going to be worth the $130 premium. If I’m going to be dishing out an extra $130 for the 3G hardware I’m going to want a reasonably priced data option (and I’m not hot on the idea of $35 for 5GBs but I am lukewarm on the idea of a sharing option but $20/mo feels just a liiiittle high – I would be way more encouraged to share at even $15 but preferably $10).
Brian says: May 28th, 2010 a 3:03pm

Data sharing is going to be a major selling feature as the number of mobile internet devices multiplies. I hope Rogers will give the option serious consideration – they’ll get some positive publicity if they do it before the other guys do.
Ed says: May 28th, 2010 a 3:09pm

@Keith

No charge for MicroSIM? Apple charged me $0.20 when I ordered my iPad online. I went to the applestore today and was told that they do not carry MicroSIM…

This is a little confusing.

I am hoping that you guys sort out a reasonable sharing plan soon. I have been a long time Rogers customer but given that Bell and Rogers both have exactly the same data plan and Bell offers mobile TV, I might give Bell a spin this time around. Good to try out how good Bell is. Maybe I will be impressed and take my busines over to Bell? I guess it is time to try out different options :)
- Ray Nicolini says: May 28th, 2010 a 3:54pm
  
  who cares about mobile tv if you only have 250 mb, that will get used up in 2 hours.
  
  People, you don’t get it. Dont accept their free offerings, only accept an unlimited offer,
  
  Busta
- RogersKeith says: May 28th, 2010 a 10:46pm
  
  Hi Ed. You’re right that Apple charged 20 cents for micro SIMs shipped with the device but they should be free at Apple Store, best Buy and Future Shop.
  - James Sanders says: May 29th, 2010 a 11:23am
    
    Best Buy just charged me $10.00 for the sim which is a long way from free.
    - James Sanders says: May 29th, 2010 a 8:18pm
      
      Walked to the Rogers Store at Devonshire Mall in Windsor and they say they are free there but they didn’t receive any. Isn’t this Rogers? or is it $10 Best Buy or $10 Future Shop?
Rick says: May 28th, 2010 a 3:15pm

Just bought an iPad 3G 16GB at noon. Love the big screen compared to the tiny one on the iPhone, and it’s a lot easier to just pick up and use than my macbook is when I want to surf and email. On the minus side, it might be a bit heavy to hold up for reading books.

I already have a 6GB dataplan for my iPhone so I’m really not interested in buying yet another plan. I’ll wait and see what other data plans become available over the next while. I do like that I won’t be locked in to a contract.
- RogersKeith says: May 28th, 2010 a 10:49pm
  
  Thanks for sharing your thoughts Rick. agree with love of the big screen. I’m typing this comment on my iPad right now. :-)
John says: May 28th, 2010 a 3:19pm

I am with Rogers and have the 6GB dataplan on my iphone. I bought the iPad 3G Ipad but will NOT operate it in 3G mode until I can tether or share my existing Data Plan and link the sim cards. I will after all, be using 1 device at a time, and further in any month avg 600MG or less for data alebit I am paying for 6GB. I sure as hell am not paying Rogers MORE to use data that I am already paying for. I will use the 3G capeability when I travel to the US and Europe and simply buy monthly subscription as needed. Note to Rogers: I left TELUS totally and went all out with full line of Rogers Services when the 1Phone came out. Make me a happy Rogers customer please and give me my rightful freedom to use my data that I have pruchased how I see fit. :)
Ray Nicolini says: May 28th, 2010 a 3:34pm

what if i activate the $35 ipad data plan, can I then use that sim card in the rogers mifi router, yes I know the sim card is smaller, i will use an adapter
Tomas says: May 28th, 2010 a 3:38pm

So if I decide to dash out and buy an iPad….and get a Rogers data plan, would I be able to switch to a Shared plan once they’re available?
- Ray Nicolini says: May 28th, 2010 a 3:59pm
  
  your plan is month to month, so if rogers or belus decides to offer a better plan, then you can ship carrier
- Steve says: May 28th, 2010 a 4:00pm
  
  Don’t see why not. There is no contract on the iPad data, it’s just a month to month thing.
- RogersKeith says: May 28th, 2010 a 10:51pm
  
  Ray and Steve are right. It’s easy to switch between the $15 and $35 plans with Rogers and also easy to switch to sharing plans if and when they become available.
Ray Nicolini says: May 28th, 2010 a 4:17pm

stick with the wifi version and just buy either a mifi router or the Cradlepoint PHS300 Wifi Hotspot that accepts ANY USB modem stick from any carrier and can connect upto 16 devices at one time at a distance of 150 feet.

So Rogers if you are listening, offer an Unlimited Data Plan before your customers realize how to save money, cancel all data plan and then just merge under one.

Happy Friday