The good news is Nokia is finally getting some details out about its highly touted Lumia 920, specifically carrier deals. The bad news is they are couched in exclusivity deals (we’ll have more on that shortly).
Such is the case with Rogers in Canada who have announced that the Lumia 920 will be coming to the carrier with 4G LTE in November.
From their press release:
"Rogers is proud to bring the new Nokia Lumia 920 to our customers looking for the best unified experience and to further extend our leadership as the carrier with the largest LTE superphone selection in Canada," said John Boynton, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Rogers Communications. "With seamless access to entertainment, sports and business content, the Nokia Lumia 920 offers customers a world leading internet experience powered by the Rogers LTE network."
Sounds like a good deal for those on Rogers but not so great if you’re on Bell or Telus who are not expected to carry that particular model number—at least not on launch. Once again, consumers will have to chose which carrier they want to be a part of and that’s never a good way to get the phone into most people’s hands.
Source: CNW; Thanks, James T, Justin and Braumin, for the tip
Reader comments
Rogers Canada announces Nokia Lumia 920 as an exclusive for November
Well folks I can officially confirm that it is the same story with the Nokia Lumia 920 under Rogers as it was with the Nokia 900. That is to say, with a carrier other than Rogers, MMS and Internet Tethering DO NOT WORK. The Rogers store was kind enough to let me test a Nokia Lumia 920 with my TELUS sim card today. I can confirm that the Nokia 920 is UNLOCKED. I was able to make a call immediately without issue. As for internet access. The correct APN settings for Telus as well as the proxy IP are required to obtain internet access. A restart of the phone was required after the settings were entered.
Now for the BAD: Like the Nokia 900 from Rogers, Internet Tethering DOES NOT WORK!!! A message pops on the screen saying no cellular data is available.
MMS: Like the Nokia 900, it does not work. I have entered the exact same settings that work on Unlocked iPhones and Androids without issue, but NOT on the Lumia 920.
Because of these 2 major issues, at least in my book. I walked out of the Rogers store without buying the unit. I am quite sure this will also be an issue on other carriers except Rogers.
I hope this is helpful to anyone dreaming of owning this phone on a carrier other than Rogers. If there is an international Pentaband version released later, I will perhaps give it another go. Otherwise, it will be the HTC 8X or the Samsung ATIV S for me.
It's bad enough that this will be a Rogers exclusive, but black only? What about the colors, what about buying one of these unbranded so you can take it to any carrier? Guess there is still the HTC and Samsung ATIV, otherwise I will just upgrade from the iPhone 4 to 5 for $179 on Fido.
To all fellow Canadians... tweet and facebook Rogers and Nokia that you WANT all the other colors!
:)
Yeah very stupid that there is an exclusive for Rogers and very stupid that it's only in black. I'm on Wind and this really sucks. I would never give up my plan for a phone. I'm only hoping that the 920 is a true pentaband phone with AWS frequency built in.
Its great news. But if rumors of rogers getting only black color comes true , then i would hate Rogers so much without doubt and i am not going to buy it. Moreover why would ROGERS take such a retarded decision not to offer other lumia colors to CANADA. I mean come on would they be able to give any good reason to do so? I am pretty much sure getting only black color is very disappointing and disgusting move.
Good thing im already on rogers.
Awwwwwwww yes.
Rogers has the best phones and service. Thank god I haven't switched like everyone else
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't relieved with Rogers announcement to carry the 920. Considering the insignificance of the Canadian market in the bigger picture, it's a relief to see the phone available in a timely fashion. It's disappointing to hear Nokia confirm that there will only be a black one from Rogers at launch but its better then not having one at all.
Speaking to the exclusivity of the phone and people not wanting to switch for whatever reason, practically all promotional plans on all providers are priced equally here. Obviously, people with grandfathered plans don't want to lose the savings they have through these plans but I don't really know of any grandfathered plans worth keeping that provide LTE data to begin with. So in the bigger picture, you're eventually going to have to get with the program and come to terms with one of the big 3 and buy into an LTE plan. I gave up my country Fido plan last year so I could get the 900. I can't say much for service on all providers around the country but I haven't had any sort of unbearable issue with Rogers regarding their service. Yes, they're a bunch of clowns when it comes to customer service and overall customer satisfaction but at least we get the phone.
After reading some of Daniel's other posts on the various other articles covering the 920, I have to say I agree that there is a reason Nokia went with carrier exclusives. The amount of cash they burned in promoting and marketing the 800 was nowhere worth the sales they received on the flip side. At least with the 900, att helped in promoting and marketing the phone. Rogers on the other hand did nothing but we addressed their stupidity above which more then answers for why they do what they do.
I guess the important thing to mention is this phone is going to be a disruptive force in the smartphone market. If it doesn't sell well, so be it. But the technology they've introduced is going to be setting the standard for years to come and on that note alone, I'd want to be one to support that innovation so Nokia can at least continue to provide newer better products in the market for a few more years!
A lot of us have wanted this phone since the day it was announced. Obviously for different reasons. But, I'm sure we ca agree one of those reasons was because of the level of innovation they introduced. That hasn't changed and I'd be hard pressed to think that a lot of us who wanted this phone are now going to spend money on a substitute that doesn't give us half the benefits that made this one so special.
Alas, that is my rant. I've been raging all morning but I've come to terms with it and I can now happily say, "Shut up and Take My Money"
Bell doesn't make a distinction between LTE data and 3g data.
If I was on Rogers I would be pissed that it's only in Black just like the 900. I would buy it on AT&T to teach them a lesson. This exclusive thing is so stupid.
No cyan l920 in Canada means im sticking with my 900 till they do release it. Good job Nokia and Rogers.
Same here
I seriously hope that other colours come out soon after the launch. There is no way im getting the black one this time around. Im hoping that the Microsoft store might have different color options. Please Microsoft!!!!
Daniel, it is only in black. I feel so bad for the Canadians. It happened with the 900 too, then cyan 4 months later...
Elop should care about his home country.
+1
+2
Well, as a Rogers customer, and an L900 owner, I am glad they have confirmed the 920 availability. I tend to agree though that limiting it to the black phone on launch is disappointing. I suppose they will introduce other colors some months later, as they did with cyan on the 900. Doesn't really make too much difference to me for the time being, as I am locked into a contract with my 900. At this point I think I will wait for, and hopefully be satisfied with, the 7.8 update for this phone. I'll just probably wait for the 2nd generation windows 8 phones, and see what Nokia, HTC, Samsung, et al, come up with. The reality is though, if I get a 920 in my hands and "fall in love", all bets might be off! lol. Ain't technology great! :-)
Does anyone if buying an 920 from ATT will work on FIDO/Rogers?... I did this with samsung focus and eventhough I had some issues with MMS in the end it worked fine. I know they are using the same GSM bands but could potentially be any issues with LTE?
If this an issue..being on FIDO, i think ultimatelly will have to buy it from ebay fully unlocked, as I dont see it being available on US/CAD store at a decent price.
Guys don't forget Microsoft Store is coming here in Canada in November! (Yorkdale) They might sell unlocked 920's there to work on Bell or other carriers.
Wasn't there a new bill passed in Canada where the carrier cannot lock you into 3 years. To get out of your contract now you only have to pay the remainder of what you owe on your cell phone and like a 30 dollar fee. Ots not as big a deal as you think. I switched from telus to Rogers for the lumia 900 and I owed 300 on my HTC surround and that's all I ended up paying telus. Plus the cancellation fee which is 30 bucks. Obviously the carrier won't tell you this but seriously no joke you don't have to pay for your remaining months on your contract anymore. Look onto it seriously.
Daniel you should do a write up on this for us Canadians to make things clear:)
I remember hearing something to this effect. The problem for some people is that a switch might mean they get the phone they want but may not be able to use it where they are. As an example I used to go back and forth from Toronto to Oshawa via GoTrain and there were pockets along that 45 min route where service would completely drop out. To make matters worse when I got home if I wanted to continue to use my phone I would have to stand at the end of my 20' driveway, not even hanging out the second floor window would I find signal.
That is if you switch carrier right? You could still buy your phone out and stay with the carrier and sign a new contract :) just saying it can be cheaper.
I've cancelled my Rogers contract before to go to Bell and it was $20 a month times the number of months remaining to a maximum of $400 ($300? can't remember) PLUS a data cancelation charge which I believe was flat rate at $200. I was planning to cancel my Bell and go back to Rogers to get the 920 but if it's only available in black I may reconsider now. My wife was planning on cancelling her Telus to move from a Blackberry to the 920 also, but again since only black she now has reconsidered. I guess our hopes now remain on the MS Store opening up in Yorkdale.
R0bR, with Rogers, it used to be $20 per month remaining in your term to a maximum of $400, and $5 per month to a maximum of $100 for data. Total potential cancellation of $500. NOW, it's a 1-time deactivation fee of $12.50 PLUS(+) what you saved off of your device (with the three year term), MINUS (-) the length of time you had the device in service.....should you decide to cancel within the next three years.
There are some big advantages with Rogers have an exclusive on a high-end phone.
And no, I'm not a Rogers fanboy, or even a Rogers customer.
With exclusivity, Rogers will HOPEFULLY promote the heck out of the Nokia 920. Also, and more importantly, Rogers will HOPEFULLY encourage their staff to push the Nokia 920. The majority of customers (at least the ones that don't read sites like this one) buy whatever cellphone the rep at the store tells them to buy. And then if you come in asking for a specific phone, the rep will try and redirect you to the phone that he/she wants to sell (or is told to sell).
Most cellphone purchasers are sheep and will either be clueless of what phone they want (but they know they want a phone) or will want "the phone my friend has".
In order for Windows Phones to make a dent in the iPhone and/or Android wall, you need a provider and their salesforce to push the heck out of a phone in order to get it into the mindset of the general population. Once they try a Windows Phone they AND THEIR FRIENDS will see that there is nothing to be scared of in trying something new (ie non-iPhone or non-Android) and that Windows Phone can be a comfortable choice.
Yes, some people who don't want to be on Rogers will not buy a 920 (me included). But Nokia will hopefully gain a fair number of new clients that would never have considered a Windows Phone, and that will increase the WP marketshare overall.
But that all depends on how hard and how long Rogers pushes the 920, and how hard Nokia will encourage Rogers to do so.
I don't have an understanding on how these deals are made but I know this is not how you win people over. Build it and push it as hard as you can. This exclusive carrier crap is just that, crap. Oh well. If the popularity suffers, this is why.
The carrier needs to push the phone hard, or more specifically, its frontline sales force.
Up until now Nokia has pushed the Lumia series hard..... and worldwide sales aren't that much. How many people do you know that use a Windows Phone? I'm the only one out of my friends that bought one to use as his main phone.
With exclusivity Rogers will HOPEFULLY push this phone..... hopefully......
God damn it Rogers! Guess that'll force me to keep my unlocked Lumia 900 on Telus lol
LOL no wonder nokia is in the state that it's in. unless you live in one of the few major cities in canada... if you have rogers you are stuck on 2G/EDGE.
thanks but no thanks... X8 it is
I'm with Rogers and I won't be getting this phone. I just can't justify signing a three year contract for a subsidy. I'm just hoping WINDs network will improve by the time my contract is up.
And hopefully by that time Wind will have gotten the 820!
Ugh carrier exclusives suck. I've already switched carriers this year for Nokia, I don't plan on doing it again. Telus really needs to pick up the 920 or a variant of it. Telus was the company that was all in Nokia not Rogers so this move perplexes me. Telus had all three colours of the L800 and Rogers only had something different than Black after a few months. This makes so little sense. It should be on all carriers to get the deepest penetration into the market. Guess I'm going to have to buy this one unlocked and off contract.
Telus great deals 800 for $530, 610 for $230 no terms!!
Rogers the 900 for $475 & $230 for 710.
Wind has the 710 for $200, and Mobilicity HAD the 710 for $150.
and just $10 for unlocking Wind 710. I did mine
Screw Nokia! I guess HTC is the Windows Phone afterall. It looks like another OEM is more interested in the health of the Windows Phone platform. Nokia only cares about themselves. At least I will not feel sorry for them if their company fails because it will be their suicide.
YES!!!! Hopefully they will have the 920 in red.
Daniel Rubino, "(we’ll have more on that shortly)"
'Shortly' isn't supposed to take that long Daniel!
I don't expect any new information that will negate this news.
I just hope the price isn't $649.99+.
Weak weak weak nokia.....now we see why MS might have got behind htc a little more. boooooo so dissapointed as a telus customer with nokia - i was a huge supporter but this pour water all over that!!
Im definatley not getting black this time around. And if it's going to be in black im very disappointed. This is BS. Rogers is probably gonna just spit this phone out like they did with the 900 with no advertising and plastic models in store
Scratch the 920 off my list of phones unless it comes to other providers later. Brutal coverage in the prairies for Rogers.
Ya I'm in the same boat as you. Time to start looking at possible alternatives.
Well to be honest I was deciding between with and black and white so just having confirmation that its coming to Rogers is good. I personally think black is a beautiful color on this phone so im happy. Now to just see it vs the black 8x in store
Nothing wrong with the black one but some of us want the option of choosing different colours. I waited almost two months to get my 900 from Rogers because I wanted the cyan,after I bought it the following month they then announced the cyan. They better have all the colours on launch day. Hopefully they have the red because it's their brand colour and that's the one I'm want this time around
:-/
Is it only in black or black at launch? I switched to Telus for a windows phone, then to Rogers for the lumia 900. So far I'm happier with Rogers and their 4G LTE and my Lumia. Sucks for other carriers and people, but they gotta expand their networks and make the deals then.
Maybe the MS stores will sell un-locked 920's & 820's in different colors.
Black is best. The device needs the dark colour to appear not fat. Trust me, it will sell better in Canada just black. If the average consumer sees how HUGE it looks in white, it will bomb to all but the technology geeks like us.
What I don't get is why was Telus snubbed on this? They seemed to market the Lumia 800 much better than Robbers did with the Lumia 900. Telus even included a nice case with the Lumia 800. While Rogers will probably take out the ear buds like they did with the One X, those bastards.........
Rogers + ATT = buddy buddy. Rogers gets all the ATT stuff defiently the blacks while ATT gets the colors SMH.
I could care less how fat it looks to others...I want red, I already have a boring black HD7.
hmm, well happy that I won't have to mess with network settings to get it to work. But going to buy it outright anyhow (sell my 900). But if no other colors in Canada I may have to buy it outright from AT&T then mess with the network settings:( we shall see what options they have as it get's closer.
If they make an exclusivity deal with EE in the UK then they've lost my support completely. I don't wan the 8X due to the pathetic storage option, but i might be left with no choice. That or fork out £500 to get it sim free.
I wanted this phone, sadly, I won't be leaving Telus to go to Rogers. Hopefully the HTC phones are on Telus and have a great camera.
This x1000000
i'm with virgin, but same thing. it'll be the 8x i'm looking at.
Any news on Australia? I got friends in Australia that want it. They were going to get the S3 then I convinced them. :-D
Black only and it looks like only 2 LTE bands according to Nokia's specs. Lame all around.
I guess that Nokia ad mocking the boring color options of the iPhone need not apply to Canada.
I'm hoping thats just a lack of colour availability announcement and not Rogers only getting black...I'd take anything other than a black or white at this point. If not, I hope they at least get more colours later like they did with the 900..
Edit: seems another site had nokia confirm we are getting black only...
Wow these exclusive deals are bad for Nokia. If we look at Canada, there are 3 major carries with customers locked into 3 year contracts, and almost ever Canadian is pissed off at least 2 major carries at a time so they have just limited their potential customer base to fraction of what they could achieve.
Other than att with the iPhone has there ever been another exclusive deal that has worked?
Droid on Verizon did better than the original iPhone in the first few months.verizon marketed it hard like AT&T will for Nokia.
Meh, exclusivity in Canada doesn't matter because I'm pretty sure you can unlock the phone and take it to any carrier you want. That doesn't happen in the United States sadly.
Not true. They use different bandwidths.
not really, between the three big boys there isn't really a problem taking phones around (personal experience)
now if you go wind or mobilicity then ya... your going to have some issues
I researched how things went for people who unlocked the Lumia 900 from Rogers for use on other carriers. There are many unhappy stories from customers who found that they couldn't get things like MMS and internet tethering to work because Nokia didn't release their Network Setup app in Canada.
That's no way to market a phone. You've got to be a real fanboy to go to that kind of trouble and expense and put up with limitations on what the phone can do. They won't attract new users to this phone this way.
you're right for some of the MMS settings the only solution was developer unlocking your phone. it's not a good solution.
ya... this is an issue, lets just hope wp8 have the option by default
Well folks I can officially confirm that it is the same story with the Nokia Lumia 920 under Rogers as it was with the Nokia 900. That is to say, with a carrier othen than Rogers, MMS and Internet Tethering DO NOT WORK. The Rogers store was kind enough to let me test a Nokia Lumia 920 with my TELUS sim card today. I can confirm that the Nokia 920 is UNLOCKED. I was able to make a call immediately without issue. As for internet access. The correct APN settings for Telus as well as the proxy IP are required to obtain internet access. A restart of the phone was required after the settings were entered.
Now for the BAD: Like the Nokia 900 from Rogers, Internet Tethering DOES NOT WORK!!! A message pops on the screen saying no cellular data is available.
MMS: Like the Nokia 900, it does not work. I have entered the exact same settings that work on Unlocked iPhones and Androids without issue, but NOT on the Lumia 920.
Because of these 2 major issues, at least in my book. I walked out of the Rogers store without buying the unit.
I hope this is helpful to anyone dreaming of owning this phone on a carrier other than Rogers.
The black only is definitely Rogers' doing. Total bullshit. I settled for the black 900 but I'm not settling for black 920.
The colours would make advertising this so easy, but black.. boring. I hope they come with coloured skins like last time, it will soften the blow til the coloured models come out.
Seriously...
I wonder which corporate knuckle head decide this was a good idea and that too after realizing that there was demand for a cyan 900 and releasing it.
They have made the same mistake twice now and I'm afraid I'll be holding on to my upgrade which is a pity, since I was really looking forward to owning this phone.
Nokia is to blame for this too, by the way. They are putting their flagship device in jeapordy by allowing a company like Rogers to dictate terms.
This doesn't affect me as US Citizen and AT&T customer, but I don't like this exclusivity nonsense. I want Nokia nd WP8 to have a strong year, and this is not a good start to things.
I agree with you! I am an AT&T customer, but Verizon and TMO should've gotten the L920 as well. What the fuck is Nokia thinking? If sales are weak... Nobody is to blame but Nokia.
Yep, at this point they have a very strong OS with over 100K apps, they have arguably the best phone, and they have as much hype factor as anyone. Plus a huge tie in to the massive Windows 8 launch.
The engineers definitely did their job.
If Nokia fails now, and I (an AT&T 900 user) believe they will, it will because of the stupid business deals they joyfully signed.
Q: How do you prevent two-thirds of the US from even considering your new phone?
A: Sign an exclusive
When you self-limit your market size to a third of HTC and Samsung, how do you expect to survive much less win? Dumb, de dumb, dumb, dumb.
And if the other carriers get the 922 will you apologize?
Hell yeah I would! Nokias flagship needs to be on all carriers (well, we know the Sprint situation)... A lot of VZ customers are mad and disappointed by this.
My guess is that although there are carrier exclusive partnerships, they will still be selling the phone unlocked to use on your choice of carrier. After all, the 920 carries the right frequency bands to be used on Verizon (including LTE), T-Mobile (including HSPA+), AT&T (including LTE) and Sprint. Buy the 920 unlocked, and use it on any provider, maychance?
Black ONLY!!!
http://www.nokia.com/ca-en/products/phone/lumia920/specifications/
NO 820 in Canada!!
I thought bell and telus was rumoured to get the 820
bell has said they're not going to carry any nokia phones. idk about telus.
Where are you getting the "No 820 in Canada" info from? Or is it a wilde guess just because it hasn't been announced at the exact same time as Rogers getting the 920?
T-Mobile is getting the 820, and therefore Wind and Mobilicity will probably get it as well (maybe not at launch, but a little after).
Bell isn't getting any Nokias, but that's just one (shortsighted) company.
Telus will probably get the 820 at launch, but that's just a guess on my part.
I hope Nokia now sees HTC and the MS Surface as a threat, and will become more aggressive with their Lumias, both in price and in getting them to as many carriers as possible.
The good news is that with Rogers getting the 920 exclusive, they will HOPEFULLY promote the heck out of it, which will be good for the WP ecosystem overall.
Rogers didn't promote the 900 at all. Why would the 920 be any different?
My wife and I, and no doubt other Windows Phones fans, are very disappointed that Nokia has chosen to make Rogers the exclusive Canadian carrier for the upcoming Nokia Lumia 920. With contracts in Canada being three years long, the odds are low that a lot of people are going to pay a penalty to switch carriers just for this phone. It looks like it will be a great phone, but it's not a "must have at all costs" device for people who don't know this OS. Windows Phone is still trying to gain traction in Canada as well as most other countries and I think it would be better for the top model (the 920) to be affordable and available to anyone in Canada who is interested. If that were the case, it would put a truly impressive Windows Phone into more people's hands and build a much healthier environment for Nokia and Windows Phones in general.
A few desperate fans may buy and unlock them for use with their own carriers, but the average smartphone customer is NOT going to seek out this phone. The average customer needs to see this phone and its amazing camera alongside the Androids and iPhones when they go shopping to upgrade. As history has shown, the Windows Phone OS alone is not enough to cause people familiar with Android or IOS to switch, but the Lumia 920 camera is a very easy thing to demonstrate and THAT may be enough. Most people don't really understand in the store exactly how a phone OS is going to affect them, but a beautiful, low-light, stabilized photo is pretty straightforward.
Bell, Telus, Fido etc should get the HTC and Samsung series phone's thats alot better than nothing. I'm not down with Nokia's moves come on Black L920 why not launch Cyan, Yellow, Red etc horrible move I'm tired of Black phones.
In my opinion Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 and the tight integration and the single ecosystem vision can open peoples minds atleast away from Android.
Finally, confirmation. Colour is simply not important to me. At least I now know I can (easily) get the phone I want.
Did they announce what colours will be available, or are they pulling the same black-only BS like they did for the 900?
No color availability was announced.
If you take a gander at the Nokia Canada website it says black only. I think even the phone itself is in mourning that it's stuck on Rogers.
+1
Yeah but the Nokia Canada site also says it only has 1000MB of internal memory...I wouldn't speculate too much until the actual launch. That really blows that only Rogers is getting it though. I don't even get service in 9/10 of the goddamn province.
I get service in Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta. Where the hell are you going?
That's 3 out of 10, mate. They have nothing worth mentioning in Saskatchewan, for starters...
Looks like another L900 BS. It will first launch in black and after couple of months most likely yellow or red if cyan is only exclusive to AT&T.
Looks like another site had Nokia confirm that it is only black at launch (mobilesyrup). I guess i'll be hunting for unlocked or waiting for more colours...
Disappointing to say the least, and only in black? I know there's still a massive lack of information, but can anyone suggest any options for someone who would like to use this phone on the Bell network with a little bit of colour? I know it means buying it outright but if that's what it comes down to then so be it.
This. I'm looking for red on Telus if anyone knows anything.
you're only option would be as follows: buy one outright, and then unlock it, and put in a bell sim. that's your ONLY choice. Bell has already confirmed they're not getting the 920. sucks, cause rogers is OMG HORRIBLE and i wanted the 920. i know 3 other guys who were going to buy it, now they're not. Nokia is the stupid with this.
I'm just worried with all the horror stories from people doing the same with the Lumia 900. Having never gone the route of unlocking I'm apprehensive to say the least.
Unlocking a Lumia is very easy. Possibly easier than a BlackBerry. The tough part is finding someone with the code - its not impossible - and the fact that you pay more for a code than a standard Nokia or BlackBerry code.
Seriously, Exclusive to Rogers, and only in Black. I beginning to wonder if Rogers is just trying to completely torpedo Nokia in Canada.
You may be right :(
I understand AT&T more than I understand Rogers. AT&T advertised the crap out of the 900. Rogers did nothing. Plus their network and service are a joke everywhere but the GTA. (Greater Toronto Area)
Awesome! I'm with Telus but I'm happy to see a Canadian provider announce a WP8 device.