Canada’s three big wireless carriers don’t seem to have big expectations for the LTE version of RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook.
Announced last week, the 32 Gb tablet began being sold today by BCE Inc.’s Bell Mobility, Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp However, their debuts were quiet: The carriers didn’t issue press releases announcing availability and pricing of the devices, which they do for many of their other handsets and tablets.
According to the Bell and Rogers Web sites, LTE PlayBooks are being sold for $349.95 if subscribers buy a three-year plan. Without a plan the tablet will cost $549.95. Telus is selling the device for only $549.95 — no annual contract offered. But it does say subscribers can share data plans between the tablets and a smart phone.
Bell offers a $20 a month wireless plan with includes 500 MB of data. Monthly charges go up if more data is used. Roges has a $22 a month plan that includes 500 MB of data, as well as a $5 a month 10 MB plan.
The LTE PlayBook is identical to the Wi-Fi version with one exception: The cellular version has a 1.5 Ghz dual-core processor compared to the 1.0 Ghz CPU in the older model.
