When Rogers finally starts offering the iPhone 3G on Friday, July 11, I won't be standing in line to get one.

This morning, the wireless giant unleashed its pricing plans for the iPhone on both its Rogers Wireless and Fido services.  To call the plans disappointing would be an understatement.

There is no unlimited data plan offered by Rogers at any price point for the iPhone.   The number of outbound text messages included in any plan is so puny that anyone who'd be interested in an iPhone would likely use their allotment in a day.  Even the number of voice minutes is disappointing.  In short, the Rogers iPhone offering is both an insult to Canadians who've waited for the revolutionary device and a continuation of the seemingly standard corporate philosophy of Canadian mobile carriers to suck as much money as they can from the pockets of consumers while providing as little service as possible.

At the entry level $60/month plan, a customer would get 150 daytime minutes, unlimited evenings and weekends, 75 sent text messages, unlimited incoming text messages, unlimited visual voicemail messages... and... wait for it... 400 megabytes of data.  400 megabytes... that's less than 100 downloaded songs... I can surf that in an hour on the web.

And -- because Rogers bought up its only competitor using the same wireless technology it does a few years ago, you won't find cheaper iPhone plans on Canada's other 3G carrier, Fido.  In fact, they're identical to the Rogers plans.

My recommendaton -- as much as it pains me -- is that the iPhone is a do-not-buy.  Period.  Maybe if Rogers experiences less-than-stellar sales they'll reconsider their greedy, money-grubbing, backwards-thinking ways.

John Himpe is Program Director of News Talk Radio, and will continue to rock his 8GB iPod Touch until Rogers removes their cranium from their rectum.