Rogers Introduces New Portable Internet Service But is itTruly Portable?

Rogers has launched a new portable highspeed Internet service.
Is this what we Canadians have been wishing for?

"Hish Speed Internet with the Flexibility to Go Where You Go!" is what Rogers calls this new service.

Let's look closer at this service.
- 1.5 Mbps download transfer speed
- 256 Kbps upload transfer speed
- 30 Gb bandwdth/month

Security Feature:
- Norton Antivirus
- Norton Personal Firewall
- Spyware protection
- Popup Blocker
- Parental control
- 15 Mb personal web space
- Unlimited storage of personal photos.
- 5 email accounts

All this plus a few other small features not worth mentioning at a cost of $49.95/month and a one time fee of $99.95 for a portable modem. This modem receives the signal through the air but is powered by AC only.

You can go HERE for the full service details.

So, is this truly a great deal for portable Internet access?
Don't confuse portable Internet with mobile Internet. Mobile Internet allows you full access to the service anywhere the signal is accessible without cables on a single handheld device. Portable Internet requires the use of a very large external high speed modem to be connected to an AC outlet plus your large and heavy laptop. For this reason, it is not truly a portable Internet even if you have access to an outdoor power outlet somewhere.

Typical in home highspeed Internet costs about $34.95/month with upload speeds of 3 - 5 Mbps. Connect the modem to a low cost Wireless router and you have portable Internet around your home for multiple computer unitseless with a built in wireless adapter. Portable Internet from Rogers has an upload speed of only 1.5 Mbps @ $49.95/month. This speed will get lower over time as more subcribers use the same bandwidth in your area. A crowded areas could easy see upload speeds drop far below 1.0 Mbps. Even if you could connect a wireless router to the Rogers Portable modem for multi computer access, you get only 1/2 to 1/4 the speed of other standard highspeed DSL services. Also the cost is 50% higher with Rogers Portable.

The service should be called "Wired Mobility Internet" to insure consumers really understand the true nature of this offering. I feel this is not the service we mobile users crave for. This is a service that keeps you tied to a physical electrical outlet. In the end makes sense to stay with the regular home highspeed Internet access. No real benefit for using Rogers Portable Internet.

Yes, you could get yourself a car battery converter and have mobile Internet but how practical is this since you cannot drive and access the Internet at the same time. How often would you actually use the Internet in the car?

AT&T has plans starting as low as $44.95/month for data only with speeds of 3 Mbps for downloading and 2 Mbps for uploading. This service is for mobile devices like a Pocket PC Phone Editon device, Smartphone.

Since companies in the States are offering "All You Can Eat" mobile data rates starting from $44.95/month, why is Rogers launching a service for a higher price that requires you to be tethered to an AC outlet and also required to pay $100 for an external modem?

This just does not make any sense to me and really forces the Canadian consumer to use limited and antiquated technology at outrages prices. Rogers should provide the portable Internet to home users with 3 Mbps downloading and 2 Mbps uploading at $34.95/month. Also provide affordable mobile wireless data like AT&T is currently offering in the States.

Is this what we Canadians have been wishing for?
NO