Rogers inks agreement to bring cell phone content backup to Canada

Rogers Wireless is now in the business of selling peace of mind, becoming the first wireless service provider in Canada to offer Asurion Corp.'s CellBackup program to Canadian subscribers.CellBackup allows wireless subscribers to backup content such as contacts, pictures, wallpapers and ringtones stored on their mobile device on remote servers. In the case of a device failure or loss, the information remains available to download to another cell phone.Reade Barber, director of new services market launch at Rogers Wireless, says that the design of the program makes the solution virtually fail-proof. The program possesses a three-tiered design that starts at the mobile device. Users must download software to the handset that allows them to choose what content they want backed up. This information is then sent to the program's Web interface. Clients can log on to this site to edit content that is filed, including uploading new contacts to the phone. Information can also be deleted from the device but maintained on the web."If a customer happens to be traveling with their phone but the battery dies, they still have full access to all their contacts, as they can log in to the website and have all their information on their phone available to them," explains Barber.CellBackup also has built-in redundancy, noted Barber, adding that even if the website crashes information is not lost. "The third part is the redundant servers where the information backed up is stored," he says. "When a phone is lost or damaged or an upgrade is done, the user downloads the mobile client on their new device, enters their pin number and performs a restore."However, there are limitations to the program's capabilities. "Only files that can be supported on the new phone will be restored," Barber advises.South of the border, a number of wireless providers have opted to provide their customers similar mobile data backup services - for a fee. Barber says that Rogers will also charge customers for using the service."This is a premium service and as such there is a small monthly fee associated with it," he says. The company will charge customers $2 per month to back up contacts only, but those willing to pay $5 per month can back up both their contact list and their user-generated content, such as ringtones and pictures. However, Barber suggests that the ability to backup entertainment-type content isn't what will draw customers to the new service."The value isn't so much about ringtones so much as it is about contacts," he says. "A lot of people input phone numbers of people they meet directly into their cell phones and never record them anywhere else. Losing the phone means those numbers are gone, and that is where the value comes in."Mainly this application is about peace of mind," adds Barber. "Knowing your information is always available to you and protected is important."Telus Mobility offers mobile data backup options to its customers, but these solutions differ significantly from the Rogers Wireless service. According to Julie Smithers, a representative for the wireless operator, there are four main options for Telus clients wishing to backup data from their mobile devices.The first main option is its mobile vault, which allows clients to store their downloaded content. "Clients can actually backup much of their downloaded content - that is, Telus mobile music and Java games we offer," Smithers tells Report on Wireless. "This is a backup service not housed on the handset but similar to a web service."If they lose their handset or decide to switch up to a new one they can just download that content back onto their handset," she adds. The vault for mobile music was introduced with its launch in March 2006 and the vault for Java games was introduced in 2004. Customers have to pay 60 cents per track or game that they want to store in it.Telus also offers its customers the option of getting a print copy of their contact list for $5, transferring a contact list and non-DRM protected content to another handset for $10, and having the contact list burned to a disc for $15.It's not known whether Bell Mobility offers a data backup service to its subscribers or has plans to introduce such a service in the future. Representatives from the company didn't return phone calls by press time.The agreement gives Rogers Wireless a competitive advantage in the market at a time when the sector is experiencing increased activity on this front due to the arrival of wireless number portability (WNP). While WNP is unlikely to create massive subscriber shifts, the availability of a new service unavailable from the other two national players appears to give Rogers a leg up on its two big rivals.Rogers Wireless' backup feature is also particularly advantageous considering the high replacement rate associated with mobile device use. "Customers on average upgrade their device roughly every 18 and 24 months," says Barber. Despite this, Barber insists that the availability of Asurion's backup program will not change Rogers' handset replacement strategy.The new backup program does have its limitations though. Not all Rogers Wireless customers will be able to receive the new backup service as it only works on a small number of handsets."Currently we have 10 phones supporting this product," says Barber of the limitation, adding this includes devices already in the market and those being launched in the near future. But the company is pushing to improve this condition. "We will be adding new phones monthly with a goal of having more than 50% of devices available through Rogers being supported by the end of the year," he says.

Rogers inks agreement to bring cell phone content backup to Canada

News | 03/27/2007 12:53 pm EDT

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