If you need to make phone calls from the cottage this weekend, Rogers Communications has a new wireless phone service that won’t have you running to the closest grocery store for the pay phone.
Rogers announced today it will be the first Canadian carrier to offer a wireless phone service to homes and small businesses in remote areas, allowing them to place calls over Rogers’ wireless network through a cordless or corded phone that is connected to a special wireless device.
To tap into the wireless network, customers need to buy the Wireless Home Phone device, an electric adapter with an active SIM card. As the device is relatively small, that means customers can keep their regular phone numbers but still manage to plug in the device anywhere they go, as long as they can connect to Rogers’ wireless network. The service uses existing fixed line telephones and doesn’t require a landline or Internet connection.
Rogers is launching the service today, with the wireless device priced at about $30 and available at Rogers stores outside of cable or landline areas – for example, in cottage territory. Among Rogers customers, the service is available on a subscription basis at an introductory price of $10 per month, and $25 a month for non-Rogers customers. The service bundles unlimited Canada-wide calling, voicemail, and caller ID, with other services like conference calling available for an added fee.
