The state of wireless data.

I want an iPhone. Badly. But given the state of wireless data plans in this country, I’ll have to shut off all data transfers that do not occur over WiFi.

My father recently purchased a game from his provider (Bell Mobility) for his phone. The game itself cost $3.99, the data transfer for the game cost him $45. Upon receiving his monthly bill, he quickly cancelled all but the most basic of services on his phone.

When Rogers introduced AOL Instant Messaging on their phones, I was all excited. Being able to contact people on their computers not just on their phones was a big plus to me. After receiving a $10 charge to sign onto AIM, and send a simple “Hi I’m on my phone” message to a friend, I quickly disabled that service.

Now my father, and I have learned our lessons, but I’m betting the wireless providers have not. They’re in it for the quick buck now, not the long haul. They need to start providing sensible data plans, that will keep people subscribed to them. That encourage downloads and open up different venues of revenue.

Sadly, I don’t see any of the current wireless providers catching a clue, affordable mobile internet access may just be a pipe dream.