Although details are still emerging, it seems as though the news of upgrade pricing for Rogers customers, who have the iPhone 3G is first announcing it's pricing via theRogersHelps twitter account.

Honestly I was not expecting discounts this deep, and have to commend Rogers for creating this offer (still unknown whether I qualify for the full discount or not) but I have to say that the way they handled this was lacklustre and should be used as an example of how not to launch a product in marketing and business schools around the world!

Like Ryan Seacrest, on the final episode of American Idol, there were lengthy pauses between info blasts, but in the end, the news broke this way...

Ready iPhone fans? Here’s the news you’ve been waiting for.

Rogers is happy to announce big savings for our existing iPhone customers looking to upgrade to 3G S.

Rogers Wireless will be discounting the iPhone 3G S to provide savings of between $250 and $500 for current qualifying iPhone customers.

Qualifying Rogers Wireless iPhone owners can acquire the 16GB 3G S for as low as $199 and the 32GB version as low as $299.

Rogers is offering all Rogers Wireless customers who bought an iPhone in 2008 a minimum savings of $250 savings off the no term price

Rogers Wireless customers who bought the device before Sept 30, 2008 and spend $99 a month get a $500 savings off no term price.

Fido a special offer of its own for its existing iPhone customers.

Fido customers can use their FidoDollars towards the purchase of a 3GS. Fido will provide an extra $100 to customers exercising this option

In Grand Rogers Style, info was not complete, and still full of marketing doublespeak, but hopefully a full breakdown of discount eligibility requirements is forthcoming.

Update: Although short on additional details, a full Rogers press release is here

Update 2: Full Details...

There has been a lot of excitement around the new iPhone 3G S and we wanted to recognize the early adopters who helped make the iPhone the hottest-selling handset in Canadian wireless history. We will be discounting the price of the iPhone 3G S by between $250 and $500 to provide savings to many of our iPhone customers.

What this means is that eligible iPhone owners can acquire the iPhone 16GB 3G S for as low as $199 or the 32GB for as low as $299 until July 31, 2009.

For Fido customers, we’re offering the Fido Rewards iPhone 3G S promotion. This enables iPhone customers to redeem FidoDollars towards a new iPhone 3G S with an additional $100 top-up from Fido.

For customers who don’t qualify for these extra savings, we are pleased to offer Rogers Wireless customers the iPhone at our cost on rogers.com. This cost - $580 for the iPhone 3G, $680 for the iPhone 3G S 16GB and $780 for the iPhone 3G S 32GB – represents the price we pay for the device plus a nominal fee for the SIM card. Customers can access these devices at retail locations for just $19 more for the three devices.

We’re also happy to announce that Rogers and Fido are extending the 6GB/$30 data promotion until July 31. This offer is valid for customers on a new or existing iPhone plan or customers buying an Android-powered HTC Magic or HTC Dream.

Five ways to save

1) For Rogers Wireless customers who bought an iPhone 3G between July 11 and Sept. 30, 2008, and with an average monthly spend of at least $100, Rogers will provide $500 off the cost of an iPhone 3G S. This special offer expires July 31, 2009 and comes with the addition of a one-year term to the customer’s existing service agreement.

· 16GB 3GS $199
· 32GB 3GS $299

2) For Rogers Wireless customers who bought an iPhone between July 11 and Dec. 31, 2008, but aren’t eligible for the above offer, Rogers will provide $250 dollars off the purchase of an iPhone 3G S. This special offer expires July 31, 2009 and comes with the addition of a one-year term to the customer’s existing service agreement.

· 16GB 3GS $449
· 32GB 3GS $549

3) All Rogers Wireless customers can upgrade to the iPhone 3GS at our cost at Rogers.com, or for a suggested retail price of just $19 more than our cost through our retail channels.

· 8GB 3G $580/$599
· 16GB 3GS $680/$699
· 32GB 3GS $780/$799

4) Fido customers can take advantage of the Fido Rewards iPhone 3G S promotion:
· Use FidoDollars towards the purchase of a new iPhone 3G S
· Fido will top up the FidoDollars amount by $100
· This promotion does not include an extension or renewal of their service agreement.

5) New and existing iPhone customers can take advantage of a limited-time promotion of 6GB of data for $30, now extended until July 31. Other Rogers and Fido data plans will remain the same, including the only national standalone data plan at $25 per month for 500 MB. We know that this is the right plan for most Canadians – 93 per cent of current iPhone customers on a data plan use less than 500 MB of data per month.

• Darren Mak's blog