Toronto’s urban WiFi has moved back into the news with the announcement that Cogeco Data Services’ One Zone has come out with a $5 per month plan for iPhone and iPod Touch users, a substantial reduction from its $30 monthly rate for regular computer users.
The iPhone/iPod rate plan provides a significant breakthrough in pricing, recognizing the characteristics of the device and the likely types of data consumption. Will the new pricing threaten mobile data revenues or is it a substitute for some fixed broadband customers?
One Zone also announced that its footprint has joined the iPass network, which provides an alternative to 3G data roaming to iPass Mobile Office customers. Hundreds of Global 2000 companies use iPass and in 2008, over 2 million unique users took advantage of iPass mobility services.