Rogers Cell Phone Contract FAQ

The Information Management (IM) department has created this guide to help facilitate the change from Michener’s old cell phone provider to the new contract with Rogers. This FAQ should answer any questions you may have. If your questions are not answered within this guide please contact helpdesk.

Q: What are the details of Michener’s new contract?

A: Michener’s old contract with Telus expires in October. Rogers, the provincial government’s selected vendor of record (VOR), will be the new provider. The contract will be a 2 year term. The term will reset when Michener obtains new subsidised devices next fiscal year.

Q: What is different from Michener’s old contract?

A: Michener’s new contract will have three key changes.

1. The biggest change is the move from pooled data to flex data. With our old contract, Michener had a combined pool of data that each staff member accessed. Moving forward each staff member will have their own data and this will default each month to the lowest amount ($14.30 for 300mb) and automatically increase based on use (max of unlimited data for $45).
2. The second change, is to long distance calling. With our old contract Michener had pooled long distance minutes that all staff accessed. With the new contract each user will have their own tracked long distance. IM worked to set the requirements of each user, but it is important to note that the long distance packages can be changed, per month, as needed.
3. Visual voice mail is not offered in the new contract and will have to be removed. The Rogers voicemail system will be business as usual for the majority of Michener users, as very few had visual voicemail. The Roger’s system requires users to call their voicemail and use the in call commands to access their voicemails.

Q: Will there be any Telus cancellation fees?

A: The short answer is yes, however Michener will be able to recoup some of the costs from Rogers. 

The additional fees are as follow:

1. All phones will require an unlocking fee of ~$50
2. Most phones will require an early termination penalty. The exact amount will depend on the start date of the contract. The vast majority come off the Telus contract in October.

It is important to note that these fees will show up on your department monthly invoices from Telus.

It is also possible that some users may experience a bill from both Rogers and Telus during the initial month(s). This would be due to crossover/overlap between billing periods.

By the end of November all fees should be present and accounted for. At that time, IM and Finance will work to review and reconcile all fees involved in the transfer process.

Q: Are there any penalties for cancelling the new (Rogers) contracts early?

A: Yes, there are cancellation fees and each department will be responsible for their own cancellation costs. The cost, per line cancelled before the end of the contract, is the greater amount of either; $200 or $8.33 per month remaining on the contract (to a maximum of 200 + Taxes). 

Q: How will staff handle travel packages under the new contract?

A: The process for obtaining a travel pack will not change. Users must submit a request to Helpdesk via the ticketing system. IM will provide quotes and, after approval, order the package. The fees will then be charged to the requester’s budget.

Q:Will Staff be receiving new devices and who will pay for them?

A: Cell phone users will have the option to purchase a new device immediately upon transferring to rogers or they can opt to wait. If the user opts to wait they will not be able to update their device until at least one billing period (30 days) has past. Each department is responsible for the costs of upgrading their devices and any costs will come out of their respective budget(s). Rogers will provide a one time hardware discount during the 24 month term. Upon purchase of a subsidized device, the two year contract term will refresh. This means that if you update one of your devices, the two year term will start anew from the device purchase date. IM will work with department leads and chairs to determine the new supported phone model. Rocket sticks and iPads will not be eligible for an upgrade.

Q: What does this provider transfer mean for staff (with Devices)?

A: From a physical standpoint, each staff member with a cell phone, cell enabled tablet, or rocket stick, will have to bring their device to IM to receive a new sim card. Helpdesk will reach out to all cell phone users with a support ticket outlining the process they must follow to switch service providers. Our previous contract is set to expire by October and all devices will be transferred over before that point.