We’re excited to share some news about how our customers can upgrade to iPhone 4 which launches tomorrow. As the Canadian carrier with the most iPhone customers and experience, we’re making a commitment to allocate the majority of inventory we receive from Apple to existing customers wanting to upgrade to the iPhone 4.

And while we can’t do this every year, we’re excited to announce a special upgrade offer that gives our iPhone customers the chance to get an iPhone 4 at a discounted price until September 30, 2010.

Rogers customers have the flexibility to upgrade to any new device at any time by paying full price for the device. However, as a benefit of being a Rogers customer, we’re investing in a special iPhone 4 hardware upgrade offer to reward our customers for doing business with us, as long as they activated a Rogers iPhone on a term contract on or prior to June 7, 2010 – the day Apple announced iPhone 4 at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

Here are the general guidelines about the iPhone 4 special hardware upgrade:

Did you activate or upgrade your Rogers iPhone on a term contract between January 1, 2009 and June 7, 2010?
Then you’re eligible for at least $250 off the no-term device price. That’s an iPhone 4 16GB/32GB for $399/$499 on a new 3-year voice and data plan.

Did you activate or upgrade your Rogers iPhone on a term contract on or before December 31, 2008?
Thank you for your business. You’re eligible for at least $480 off the no-term device price. You can pick up an iPhone 4 16GB/32GB for $159/$269 on a new 3-year voice and data plan.

Did you activate or upgrade the original Rogers iPhone 3G in 2008 and then upgrade again to the Rogers iPhone 3GS between June 19 and September 15, 2009?
You’re also eligible for at least $480 off the no-term device price. You can pick up an iPhone 4 16GB/32GB for $159/$269 on a new 3-year voice and data plan.

How do I check my eligibility for this special iPhone 4 hardware upgrade program?
The easiest way for you to check your hardware upgrade eligibility is through www.rogers.com/iPhone. (UPDATE July 29, 2010, 3:13 PM: We are experiencing technical difficulties with our HUP eligibility tool and it may be giving incorrect results. We’re aware of it and are working on it. While we do, the tool may be temporarily unavailable. Thanks for your patience. UPDATE August 16, 2010 11:20 AM: The technical difficulties are resolved and the tool is working correctly.) Aside from this special iPhone 4 offer, regular hardware upgrade program policies apply. If you take advantage of this early hardware upgrade offer, your new 3-year term will begin immediately. Savings under this special upgrade program are determined based upon the length of time remaining in your existing term and the specifics of your selected plans.

Any news for new iPhone 4 customers?
New customers can purchase a 16GB iPhone 4 for $159 or a 32GB iPhone 4 for $269, each with a new three-year voice and data plan on Canada’s proven and reliable network. With Rogers, you get unlimited access to Rogers WiFi hotspots for free as well as unlimited social networking to the top seven communities in all iPhone data plans and our Handset Protection Gurantee. The Handset Protection Guarantee is subject to terms and conditions. To read the full program terms, go to http://www.rogers.com/protection.

What about Fido customers?
Fido also has a special iPhone 4 promotion for its customers. For customers who entered into a Fido agreement on or before June 7, 2010 and want to upgrade early to iPhone 4, Fido will provide a special iPhone 4 discount by way of a bill credit of between $250 and $490. In addition, customers may contribute all accumulated FidoDollars towards their upgrade. Go to www.fido.ca/iphone for full details.

How to get your iPhone 4
Worldwide demand for the iPhone has been high and quantities are limited. At launch, the iPhone 4 will only be available at Rogers stores and authorized retailers, and not by Customer Care or Rogers.com. We recommend you contact your local Rogers retailer to confirm units are in stock. Our goal is to get an iPhone 4 into the hands of every customer who wants one, so visit www.rogers.com/iphone to find updates about stock levels.

Data on data

Here’s an overview of some great new and in-market plans that will get you up and running with your iPhone 4.

Return of special smartphone $30/6 GB plan
Effective July 30, and as a limited time promotional offer for smartphone customers who activate on a three-year contract, Rogers is offering 6GB of data for $30. This data plan can be added to any in-market voice plan before September 30, 2010.

Share with your family
Now that you’ve upgraded to iPhone 4, what do you do with your 3GS? Pass it on through our Family Share Plans and share minutes, messaging and data. Starting August 4, add additional voice and data lines for just $25 per month (plus Government Regulatory Recovery Fee) on a three-year term for up to five people!

*New* smartphone and iPad sharing plans
You’ve told us you love our in-market iPad plans and the ease of activation on Rogers – but some of you have asked for device sharing and we’ve listened. Starting July 30, and for a limited time until Sept. 30, customers on a 6 GB plan will be able to share data between iPhones and iPads for an extra $20 (plus Government Regulatory Recovery Fee). For details, visit a Rogers retail location.

We’ll also try to answer as many questions as we can in the comments below. We recommend that you do not call our Customer Care representatives as they have no additional information and will not be able to process your hardware upgrade at this time.

UPDATE (July 31, 10:18 PM) Rogers is committed to getting an iPhone 4 into the hands of every customer who wants one. We regret to say that for the time being, Rogers retail outlets are sold out of the device. We expect to receive regular shipments of iPhone 4 from Apple over the coming weeks and will update this site once we have more stock.

UPDATE (August 6, 2010, 8:58 AM 2:45 PM) Rogers is receiving a new shipment of iPhone 4, which will be available in limited supply in some retail locations starting on Monday, August 9 Saturday, August 7.  In the meantime, Apple retail stores may have inventory available for both new customers and existing Rogers customers  upgrading to iPhone 4.

UPDATE (August 9, 2010, 1:05 PM) Hi everyone. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused this past weekend as many of you expected iPhone 4 to be back in stock at our stores. In an effort to get devices available as soon as possible, we are expediting all shipments to stores outside our normal process. Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication on Friday and stock was not available as expected on Saturday.

We are trying to be as transparent as possible and provide you with timely information. Obviously, this isn’t a perfect process and we appreciate your patience. Stock that was en route Friday will be arriving in some stores today. Additional inventory will be arriving throughout the week. Due to high demand and limited quantities, we strongly recommend that you call ahead to ensure that iPhones are in stock.

UPDATE (August 12, 2010, 12:25 PM) We have more news for you on iPhone 4 availability. We regret to say that Rogers retail outlets have sold out of iPhone 4s. The good news is that we expect more stock to start appearing in stores later this week, most being on shelves by Saturday.

As before, inventory remains limited so we recommend you contact your local store to confirm units are available. In the meantime, Apple retail stores may have iPhone 4s in stock.

Rogers remains committed to getting an iPhone 4 into the hands of every customer who wants one. We’re reading each and every of your comments on this post and will respond with whatever information we can.

Are these updates useful to you? Please let us know in the comments below.

UPDATE (August 14, 2010, 3:00 PM) The latest round of iPhone 4 stock at Rogers stores is once again sold out. We’re receiving regular shipments from Apple, so we’ll update this post again once more stock is available. Until then, you may want to check Apple retail stores to see if iPhone 4s are in stock.

UPDATE (August 19, 2010, 11:45 AM) A limited number of iPhone 4s have started to arrive at Rogers retail locations. Considering the limited inventory, we recommend you contact your local store to confirm units are available. In addition, Apple retail locations may have stock.

UPDATE (August 21, 2010, 1:30 PM) iPhone 4 stock at Rogers stores has sold out. Regular shipments are coming in from Apple, so we’ll update this post again once more stock is available. In the meantime, you may want to check Apple retail stores to see if iPhone 4s are in stock.

UPDATE (August 25, 2010, 4:15 PM) A limited number of iPhone 4s have again started to arrive at Rogers retail locations. Considering the limited inventory, we recommend you contact your local store to confirm units are available. In addition, Apple retail locations may have stock.

UPDATE (August 29, 2010, 7:31 PM) iPhone 4 stock at Rogers stores has sold out. Regular shipments are coming in from Apple, so we’ll update this post again once more stock is available. In the meantime, you may want to check Apple retail stores to see if iPhone 4s are in stock.

UPDATE (September 1, 2010, 3:11 PM) A limited number of iPhone 4s have again started to arrive at Rogers retail locations. Considering the limited inventory, we recommend you contact your local store to confirm units are available. In addition, Apple retail locations may have stock.

UPDATE (September 3, 2010, 4:39 PM): iPhone 4 stock at Rogers stores has sold out. Regular shipments are coming in from Apple, so we’ll update this post again once more stock is available. In the meantime, you may want to check Apple retail stores to see if iPhone 4s are in stock.

UPDATE (September 10, 2010, 2:33 PM): This week, inventory of iPhone 4s was more limited than previous shipments. As a result, it sold out immediately in most cases. An Apple retail location may have stock.

UPDATE (September 16, 2010, 5:15 PM): A limited number of iPhone 4s have again started to arrive at Rogers retail locations. As in past weeks, they will likely sell out quickly. We expect to get new shipments in store each week. As shipments will be consistent on a weekly basis, we will no longer be updating this post. If you’d like to check iPhone stock near you, please contact a Rogers or Apple retail location.

UPDATE (September 29, 2010, 1:43 PM): Good news for those of you who have been unable to secure an iPhone 4: another shipment is starting to arrive in stores today.

We encourage you to head down to a Rogers retailer to pick one up over the next 24 hours or so. As always, we recommend you contact your local store first to ensure stock is available.

Our goal is to get an iPhone 4 to every customer who wants one.

UPDATE (September 30, 2010, 2:35 PM): An update on Rogers/Fido iPhone 4 promotions.

When Rogers/Fido launched the iPhone 4 on July 30, we announced special offers for our new and existing customers. Since then, we have activated a significant number of devices with 80 per cent having gone to our existing customers. These special offers were scheduled to expire on Sept. 30, but we have some good news to share.

First, we are extending the 6GB/$30 promotion until Oct. 5. Second, we are extending one component of our early Hardware Upgrade offer through the end of the year. Any customer who activated or upgraded an earlier version of the iPhone with Rogers/Fido on a term contract on or before December 31, 2008 will continue to be eligible for at least $480 off the no-term device price when they upgrade to an iPhone 4. They can pick up an iPhone 4 16GB/32GB for $159/$269 on a new 3-year voice and data plan.

While other components of our special iPhone 4 early HUP offer expire today, Rogers and Fido customers can continue to take advantage of our standard hardware upgrade savings. Fido customers can also add their Fido dollars to their Hardware Upgrade for additional savings.

Keith McArthur is Senior Director of Social Media at Rogers.