Sept. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Rogers Communications Inc., operator of the only wireless network in Canada that uses the same technology as Apple Inc.'s iPhone, said consumers may have a while to wait before the handset goes on sale there.

While Rogers would ``love'' to sell the device, Apple hasn't set a release date in Canada, Rogers Chief Operating Officer Nadir Mohamed said at a conference in Toronto today.

The iPhone may provide another boost for Rogers, Canada's biggest mobile-phone company, whose sales are growing faster than rivals such as Telus Corp. and BCE Inc. The device, which combines an iPod music player with a mobile phone, will probably go on sale in Europe before Canada, Mohamed said.

``Europe is a market that is four or five times the size of the Canadian market'' for Apple, said Neeraj Monga, an analyst at Veritas Investment Research in Toronto, in an interview. He has a ``buy'' rating on Rogers stock. ``I don't think Canada is on their radar screens right now.''

There are no ``current discussions'' between Toronto-based Rogers and Apple, Rogers spokeswoman Jan Innes said. She wouldn't comment on whether the two companies have already held talks about selling the iPhone in Canada.

Rogers shares climbed 47 cents to C$46.59 at 4:10 p.m. in Toronto Stock Exchange trading. They have added 34 percent this year. Apple fell $1.22 to $135.49 in Nasdaq Stock Market trading.

Price Cut

Apple, based in Cupertino, California, cut the price of the iPhone by $200 to $399 last week to spur demand for the holiday shopping season. The handset only works on the global system for mobile communications, or GSM, network. Rogers operates the only network of that kind in Canada, prompting speculation that Apple and Rogers may sell the iPhone together.

There haven't been any problems negotiating the price of the device in Canada, Mohamed said.

``I can categorically tell you that that's not the issue,'' he said.

Apple spokeswoman Jennifer Bowcock declined to comment. The company said yesterday it sold its millionth iPhone.

To contact the reporter on this story: Chris Fournier in Montreal at Cfournier3@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: September 11, 2007 16:27 EDT