Best Mobile Provider in Canada

bops2042

Hello,

Am looking to buy a smartphone as soon as I arrive in Canada in a few weeks and am wondering what are the best network providers to go with for good deals, especially for ringing/texting home too.

Thanks.

NoelAPM

http://www.comparecellular.com/

bops2042

NoelAPM wrote: »

http://www.comparecellular.com/

I have actually been looking at Telus provider for example and they only do 3 year term contracts. I will be only going to Canada on a year visa, and maybe extend to a second year so that option is no good.. Looks like ill hav to pay full price for a pay as you go phone!

NoelAPM

bops2042 wrote: »

I have actually been looking at Telus provider for example and they only do 3 year term contracts. I will be only going to Canada on a year visa, and maybe extend to a second year so that option is no good.. Looks like ill hav to pay full price for a pay as you go phone!

I can pretty much guarantee that you wont be able get a contract for more than a year. they wont care how long you intend to stay only how long you can stay. I haven't tried to get a phone in Canada but they were very strict in Australia. I think I had to show my Birth Cert and all sorts.

buy an iphone direct from Apple and go month to month PrePay or Pay as you go, you'll probably work out better off after a year or 2.

bops2042

NoelAPM wrote: »

I can pretty much guarantee that you wont be able get a contract for more than a year. they wont care how long you intend to stay only how long you can stay. I haven't tried to get a phone in Canada but they were very strict in Australia. I think I had to show my Birth Cert and all sorts.

buy an iphone direct from Apple and go month to month PrePay or Pay as you go, you'll probably work out better off after a year or 2.

I just checked the apple store there and you can get the i phone 4 for 453 euro. Would i end up spending that anyway in Canada?

NoelAPM

bops2042 wrote: »

NoelAPM wrote: »

I can pretty much guarantee that you wont be able get a contract for more than a year. they wont care how long you intend to stay only how long you can stay. I haven't tried to get a phone in Canada but they were very strict in Australia. I think I had to show my Birth Cert and all sorts.

buy an iphone direct from Apple and go month to month PrePay or Pay as you go, you'll probably work out better off after a year or 2.

I just checked the apple store there and you can get the i phone 4 for 453 euro. Would i end up spending that anyway in Canada?

I don't know till I get to Canada. And of course it depends how you use your phone. But I'm sure you won't be down by much anyway. Considering how much they are charging per month. And now your telling me there 3 year contracts... That adds up to alot!

And a lot of credit after you take away the price of the phone from apple.

jjbrien

If you looking to be able to Text home and not paying roaming outside of the city you live ((yes most providers chagre when you set foot outside your city and call it roaming)) then Virgin mobile is the one to go with.

$50 a month i get unlimited international texts so i can text home all i want
no zones which means no roaming so im free to go explore other citys and not pay roaming fees
i get 200 day time mins and unlimited evenings and weekends
i also get 500 mb of data on it

I looked at all the networks people say wind is good but the signal is bad and they charge you to text ireland and hit you hard if you want to travel outside your city

Virgin is owned by bell which has the best coverage in Canada and you can get an iphone with no contract on a tab plan

PollyMe

jjbrien wrote: »

If you looking to be able to Text home and not paying roaming outside of the city you live ((yes most providers chagre when you set foot outside your city and call it roaming)) then Virgin mobile is the one to go with.

$50 a month i get unlimited international texts so i can text home all i want
no zones which means no roaming so im free to go explore other citys and not pay roaming fees
i get 200 day time mins and unlimited evenings and weekends
i also get 500 mb of data on it

I looked at all the networks people say wind is good but the signal is bad and they charge you to text ireland and hit you hard if you want to travel outside your city

Virgin is owned by bell which has the best coverage in Canada and you can get an iphone with no contract on a tab plan

Are you on month to month plan or did you need to sign contract for longer?

I'm also heading to Canada in a few weeks so could do with advise

retalivity

phone companies in canada are a disgrace...charged to receive calls, extra to see who's calling you, extra again to call outside a city.

I bought an unlocked smartphone on kijiji, and am on the most basic plan with fido.($25 for unlimited txts & minutes at evenings and weekends)
No data plan as there is plenty of free wifi around. Use that to send emails or facebook messages to further afield, and use o2's webtext (i still have my irish phone number) to send texts home.

Rogers own Fido, Bell own Virgin, Telus own Koodoo, Rogers and Bell really are appalling companies with useless service. Fido are alright, not heard too much about koodo or virgin. Wind are semi independent hence why their cheap but have **** coverage.

NoelAPM

I've seen on Craigslist alot of people sell phone plan/contracts with a year or two left from there 3 years. In order to avoid early cancellation fees.

Check it out if you want to avoid the rip off that is pay as you go. I even seen 1 add wanting to give someone $100 to take over there contract.

Helix

avoid rogers, bell and telus like the plague

go for koodo if they're available wherever you are going (but note that not all phones will work on that network)

buying a handset outright (even the cheapest one on offer) enables you to go on a month to month contract rather than a 3 year one, that's always the best option if for some reason you decide to go with one of the big 3 (but again, dont)

NoelAPM

Helix wrote: »

avoid rogers, bell and telus like the plague

go for koodo if they're available wherever you are going (but note that not all phones will work on that network)

buying a handset outright (even the cheapest one on offer) enables you to go on a month to month contract rather than a 3 year one, that's always the best option if for some reason you decide to go with one of the big 3 (but again, dont)

Why not the big 3?

I'd be more concerned about the best 3g network and coverage. Than I would be with cost.

So is your answer still avoid the big 3?

retalivity

NoelAPM wrote: »

Why not the big 3?

I'd be more concerned about the best 3g network and coverage. Than I would be with cost.

So is your answer still avoid the big 3?

Horrible customer service, as well as exorbitant rates.

teddybear178

If you are coming to Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, or Toronto, I would look at Mobilicity for your provider. They operate a 3G Network utilising HSDPA 900 / 1700 / 2100. You can use your current Irish mobile phone providing it has these frequencies. I use a Samsung Nexus S from the UK and it works perfectly.

Unlimited Canada and USA calling, caller id, voicemail, call waiting, unlimited global texting, 30 minutes North America roaming and unlimited data for $45 CAD per month. No contract, no credit check.

Their coverage area is smaller than the major players but suits my needs.

www.mobilicity.ca

Helix

NoelAPM wrote: »

Why not the big 3?

I'd be more concerned about the best 3g network and coverage. Than I would be with cost.

So is your answer still avoid the big 3?

yes

avoid like the plague unless you like huge phone bills

koodo is owned by telus but offers unlimited, no long distance calls, unlimited international texts and reasonable data charges with much better 3g speeds than you'll get in ireland. it's much, much better value than telus themselves.

fido is rogers budget brand but you're as well avoiding them to be honest. i was with them before and you can look forward to 3 figure monthly bills for even modest usage

over here you get charged for incoming calls as well as outgoing ones, so there's no getting a prepaid phone and sitting on your credit. basically do NOT sign up with bell, telus or rogers directly unless you have an aversion to saving money

Helix

also, if you're going to be calling home and will have a laptop/desktop, buy a magic jack. not only do you get unlimited free canadian and american calls, but their rates are far better for calls to irish landlines. iirc a $40 top up gets you 2000 minutes

Helix

also, if you're going to be calling home and will have a laptop/desktop, buy a magic jack. not only do you get unlimited free canadian and american calls, but their rates are far better for calls to irish landlines. iirc a $40 top up gets you 2000 minutes

NoelAPM

ok.. so I wont be calling or texting any1 internationally. Ever

I don't know any1 in Canada so wont be using the phone to call or text much. Wont need it much for work either. What I want is at least 200-500mb Data p/m. I have an unlocked Iphone 4 and will have wifi at home so anything international will be Skype or Facetime.

I know what I think but what network do you think would suit me. In your experience?

Helix

NoelAPM wrote: »

ok.. so I wont be calling or texting any1 internationally. Ever

I don't know any1 in Canada so wont be using the phone to call or text much. Wont need it much for work either. What I want is at least 200-500mb Data p/m. I have an unlocked Iphone 4 and will have wifi at home so anything international will be Skype or Facetime.

I know what I think but what network do you think would suit me. In your experience?

mobilicity if the iphone works with them, if not, wind

also, re the wifi at home thing, you want to avoid bell and rogers for that too. 30gb caps, 50c per gb overage charges and other such nonsense

go with an unlimited supplier for as much data as you can use for in the region of $50 a month

Solair

Unfortunately, Canada has one of the least competitive mobile markets in the developed world due to some really poor regulatory decisions allowing various carriers to merge recently and restricting competition in the past.

It's one area where the Canadians really got it badly wrong.

The main reason for faster 3G service in some areas than you've experienced in Ireland is that the Canadian network's data services are relatively lightly used as users are priced out of the market where as 3G broadband in Ireland and elsewhere is heavily used.

Also, with Vodafone on the correct plan, in theory you get up to 42mbit/s using HSPA+ dual carrier tech. I don't think you can generalise about either Ireland or Canada or anywhere else about reception / speed issues. It depends on the carrier, the plan, your device and reception and load factors in your area.

Definitely look at the MVNOs and small carriers in Canada. Just be ware however that the smaller players often roam on the other networks outside their limited coverage areas, so you can get seriously stung with heavy charges when you're traveling around.

Also remember that North American carriers use the term "4G" very loosely. E.g.MobiliCity (Dave Wireless) markets up to 21mbit/s HSPA+ as "4G". In Europe that kind of branding is not permitted as there are far more serious specs for what can be classified as 4G.

Helix

ignore anything mentioning 4g in canada - LTE is what you're looking for in that regard, and it's very limited in who provides it and where

bops2042

Is there any provider or plan that does not charge for incoming calls or texts? :eek:

retalivity

bops2042 wrote: »

Is there any provider or plan that does not charge for incoming calls or texts? :eek:

I dont know of any that charge for incoming texts...most charge for incoming calls, or are used up in your minutes as part of a plan

Helix

bops2042 wrote: »

Is there any provider or plan that does not charge for incoming calls or texts? :eek:

avoid the big 3 and you'll get unlimited incoming and outgoing with pretty much everyone else so you won't need to worry about incoming call charges

in my time here ive been with rogers, fido, mobilicity and koodo. finding koodo the best all round so far

Sledgejammer

teddybear178 wrote: »

If you are coming to Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, or Toronto, I would look at Mobilicity for your provider. They operate a 3G Network utilising HSDPA 900 / 1700 / 2100. You can use your current Irish mobile phone providing it has these frequencies. I use a Samsung Nexus S from the UK and it works perfectly.

Unlimited Canada and USA calling, caller id, voicemail, call waiting, unlimited global texting, 30 minutes North America roaming and unlimited data for $45 CAD per month. No contract, no credit check.

Their coverage area is smaller than the major players but suits my needs.

www.mobilicity.ca

Not only all this but they also often have promotions on so you can get on this deal for cheaper, I'm paying 22.50 a month for unlimited absolutely everything including global texts on a no term contract. Probably best to shop around when you get here and see who's running what promotions, but I'd be especially focused on Wind and Mobilicity as their deals are generally the best.

clio_16v

bops2042 wrote: »

Hello,

Am looking to buy a smartphone as soon as I arrive in Canada in a few weeks and am wondering what are the best network providers to go with for good deals, especially for ringing/texting home too.

Thanks.

I have an iphone contract in Canada that I need to get rid of if you fancy taking it over? Its and iphone 4 16gb. It's in immaculate condition with the box / manuals / cables. You would be saving yourself 1 year of a contract and 200 dollars.

clio_16v

Helix wrote: »

mobilicity if the iphone works with them,

Iphone doesn't work with Moblicity. Also, my buddy was with Moblicity when he first arrived and was constantly missing calls about jobs / interviews etc due to lack of reception. There was one place in the entire house that he'd have reception but it'd come and go.

bops2042

clio_16v wrote: »

I have an iphone contract in Canada that I need to get rid of if you fancy taking it over? Its and iphone 4 16gb. It's in immaculate condition with the box / manuals / cables. You would be saving yourself 1 year of a contract and 200 dollars.

So you want me to take over the contract that includes the phone also for 200 dollars? what network is it on and what are the details of th contract - as in minutes, texts etc?

memaul

hi folks,

we're moving to edmonton in september and i'm looking at this plan with mobilicity. it looks good to me but i'm wondering is there anything i'm missing.

For only $35/month, get:

• Unlimited Data
• Unlimited North American Talk
• Unlimited Global Text
• 30 Minutes North American Voice Roaming
• Voicemail, Caller ID and Call Features

http://mobilicity.ca/promotions/back-school-35-plan/

clio_16v

bops2042 wrote: »

So you want me to take over the contract that includes the phone also for 200 dollars? what network is it on and what are the details of th contract - as in minutes, texts etc?

Unlimited calls / texts / international texts and I think it's 1gb of data a month. I don't want any money for it to be honest. I just want to get out of my contract and leave on good terms. It's on Fido who are a sister company to Rogers which is probably the biggest provider in Canada. The bill is around 65 a month i think.

retalivity

memaul wrote: »

hi folks,

we're moving to edmonton in september and i'm looking at this plan with mobilicity. it looks good to me but i'm wondering is there anything i'm missing.

For only $35/month, get:

• Unlimited Data
• Unlimited North American Talk
• Unlimited Global Text
• 30 Minutes North American Voice Roaming
• Voicemail, Caller ID and Call Features

http://mobilicity.ca/promotions/back-school-35-plan/

is this restricted to edmonton? So once youre outside the city you get hit with roaming charges?