Canadian iPhone Carriers

[wiewiorowski]

Hello,

Forgive me if this is in the wrong section, but I'm looking for some advice regarding taking my unlocked iPhone 5 to Toronto with me in the new year.

Currently I live in the UK, where it is very cheap to take a sim-only contract or a pay as you go deal, and use your existing handset. When looking online at Canadian offerings, they seem very confusing. I don't need a handset, just data, calls and a few texts.

If anyone can point me in the right direction, that would be great.

Thanks.

 

[wrinkster22]

Basically CRTC laws made it so contracts are only two years. The prices you see are so you can get a subsidized phone. My mother just got an unlocked iPhone 5s. Her plan with Fido is $50 a month (less 10% because she has her own phone so she pays $45 a month. If you contact the carriers (Rogers, Bell, Wind, Fido, Telus) They probably offer X percent off if you provide your own phone.

 

[mvmanolov]

Basically CRTC laws made it so contracts are only two years. The prices you see are so you can get a subsidized phone. My mother just got an unlocked iPhone 5s. Her plan with Fido is $50 a month (less 10% because she has her own phone so she pays $45 a month. If you contact the carriers (Rogers, Bell, Wind, Fido, Telus) They probably offer X percent off if you provide your own phone.

yeah, i'd call around and try to get the best price. the other thing to consider is coverage. check out the coverage maps of the carriers you are contacting...

 

[firedept]

As stated above check around. The 3 biggest carriers are Telus, Rogers & Bell and will have the largest coverage area.

 

[mvmanolov]

the thing is all three major carriers have about the same plans for about the same $$$. but once you get one offer you can try and get another carrier to give you a better off and in a way pit them against eacheother. all 3 of the big ones have a wide variety of incentive related discounts that they can give you.

one last thing, if you talk to a CSR and they are not willing to give you anything, be polite, and insisting but if that does not work, just call back and talk to someone else...

good luck

 

[patent10021]

My mother just got an unlocked iPhone 5s. Her plan with Fido is $50 a month (less 10% because she has her own phone so she pays $45 a month.

My mother wants a new iPhone but doesn't want to buy one because everyone's monthly plans cost about $70.00 even when buying the phone outright. My mum's has no data because there is pretty much wifi everywhere so she pays about $30/month no contract for phone service only. I think she would buy a new iPhone though if she could get by with paying only $50 / month including 250mb etc. How did your mum get that? Data too?

 

[firedept]

My mother wants a new iPhone but doesn't want to buy one because everyone's monthly plans cost about $70.00 even when buying the phone outright. My mum's has no data because there is pretty much wifi everywhere so she pays about $30/month no contract for phone service only. I think she would buy a new iPhone though if she could get by with paying only $50 / month including 250mb etc. How did your mum get that? Data too?

Telus offers a plan just like that. Here is what my current plan is with an iPhone 5 I already own. Plan came with free iPhone 3GS. Pretty good plan for someone who is not constantly browsing on the phone. Other big carriers probably have something similar.

Telus Mobility.

Plan

iPhone 50 - Unlimited msg
200 Weekday Minutes
Cost per month $50.00/mo. CDN. + Tax


Included with my plan

• Unlimited Evenings/Weekends
• Family Calling LD
• Text Messaging Services
• Canadian LD @ $0.50
• MHSI APN Access
• SPARK Sampler
• 500 MB included data
• Unlimited Messaging
• Free Local Birthday Calls
• Family Calling
• 911 Emergency Access Charge
• Visual Voicemail for iPhone
• Conference Calling
• Outbound Call Display On
• Call Waiting
• Voice Mail 3

 

[themumu]

...
Currently I live in the UK, where it is very cheap to take a sim-only contract or a pay as you go deal, and use your existing handset. When looking online at Canadian offerings, they seem very confusing. I don't need a handset, just data, calls and a few texts.
...

I believe they are confusing on purpose. Moreover, they are admittedly ***** 95% of the time. There are two ways to get a good cell plan in Canada (or at least in Ontario, though I doubt it's very different elsewhere):

1. Get lucky and sign up when they are running a good promotion that gives you exactly what you want.
The problem is that if nothing good is offered now, you have no idea when it will change, and in the meantime, you still need service. If that's the case, you may want to stick to most basic plan for a while, don't sign any contracts, and keep checking their websites for new promotions on a weekly basis.

2. Be a tough negotiator and talk your way into a good deal with a rep on the phone.
It does not always work, and it is tougher if you are not yet a customer. That is, if you are already signed up, you can talk them into giving you more stuff for less money, but when you start with their advertised offerings, they can only do so much.

Sometimes there are limited deals, like Bell / Virgin have been offering really good plans to go with their expansion into Thunder Bay area. Like this:

http://www.virginmobile.ca/en/support/thunderbay-network-expansion.html?province=ON&geoResult=ON

$50 for 6GB of data and unlimited calling/texting? Cannot be matched by any publicly available plan. Supposedly only available to people with a Thunder Bay postal code, many have been using various loopholes to get that.

But in general, there aren't many industries Canadians love to hate more than cellphone providers.

 

[mvmanolov]

But in general, there aren't many industries Canadians love to hate more than cellphone providers.

That is because the operators are a bunch of colluding monopolists who's sole goal of the very essence of existence is to rob customers of every darn penny we have got!

It is a well known fact that we in the North pay far more for cell phone plans than the rest of the OECD.....

So hate, you say, hate does not even begin to cover it!!!!

 

[themumu]

That is because the operators are a bunch of colluding monopolists who's sole goal of the very essence of existence is to rob customers of every darn penny we have got!

It is a well known fact that we in the North pay far more for cell phone plans than the rest of the OECD.....

So hate, you say, hate does not even begin to cover it!!!!

I'm not trying to excuse their ******* business practices, but there are more important things to worry about. Keep it cool and enjoy life, you loose some, you win some

 

[GoingDark]

Are you moving to Toronto or just visiting?

If you're moving here:
If you are bringing your own phone, do yourself a favour and skip the Big 3 (Bell, Telus, Rogers), and go straight for their "flanker" brands (Virgin, Koodo, Fido). They are wholly owned by the parent "big" carrier (Bell = Virgin, Telus = Koodo, Rogers = Fido) and use exactly the same networks but offer lower rates. All three of them also offer a 10% discount for bringing your own phone.
Koodo has the easiest to understand website and plan selection page. Just ignore any reference to a "Tab" as you will be bringing your own phone.
Unfortunately you will be paying a lot more than you were in the UK no matter who you go with.

If you are just visiting, there are plenty of decent prepaid options that are very affordable for a few weeks of usage, like SpeakOut Wireless (sold through 7-11 and uses the Rogers network).

 

[DeepIn2U]

Wind Mobile

Telus offers a plan just like that. Here is what my current plan is with an iPhone 5 I already own. Plan came with free iPhone 3GS. Pretty good plan for someone who is not constantly browsing on the phone. Other big carriers probably have something similar.

Telus Mobility.

Plan

iPhone 50 - Unlimited msg
200 Weekday Minutes
Cost per month $50.00/mo. CDN. + Tax


Included with my plan

• Unlimited Evenings/Weekends
• Family Calling LD
• Text Messaging Services
• Canadian LD @ $0.50
• MHSI APN Access
• SPARK Sampler
• 500 MB included data
• Unlimited Messaging
• Free Local Birthday Calls
• Family Calling
• 911 Emergency Access Charge
• Visual Voicemail for iPhone
• Conference Calling
• Outbound Call Display On
• Call Waiting
• Voice Mail 3

Coverage is pretty much the same on WindMobile
- Canada wide calling,
350 daytime minutes, unlimited evenings and weekends calling
LOCAL is across the country
UNLIMITED DATA!! Data is Data is Data!!
Go over 6GB you get throttled for slower EDGE like speeds as per fair use policy.

CREDIT: 400 for features or add-ons ... NO CONTRACT!
PayGo also gives you UNLIMITED Data!!

Telus & Rogers & Bell will ALWAYS have you paying more. You're in the GTA Wind will work; some areas maybe lower signal but worth it.

IMPORTANT: Ensure your iPhone 5 supports their AWS 1700Mhz band else it will NOT work.

I've used Wind, Rogers, and Telus both personal or corporate.

 

[GoingDark]

Coverage is pretty much the same on WindMobile

Categorically false. Coverage on Wind Mobile is nowhere near that of the big 3/their flanker brands.

I tried WIND and Mobilicity for 3 months each, and ultimately had to go back to one of the other carriers because of extremely poor indoor service in a lot of places.
If you can deal with the frustrations of unreliable coverage, or you happen to be lucky enough to only ever be in places where their coverage is stable, they are still a good option as their prices are unbeatable, but I would never, ever tell anyone that their coverage is "pretty much the same" as Telus or anyone else.

Anecdotal example: I was at a bar around Keele/St. Clair just last week and a friend on Wind Mobile had his signal completely drop out barely ten feet from the door. He had to go stand by the front window if he wanted to make a call or use data. Meanwhile everyone else had full bars and no signal issues whatsoever.

 

[firedept]

Categorically false. Coverage on Wind Mobile is nowhere near that of the big 3/their flanker brands.

I tried WIND and Mobilicity for 3 months each, and ultimately had to go back to one of the other carriers because of extremely poor indoor service in a lot of places.
If you can deal with the frustrations of unreliable coverage, or you happen to be lucky enough to only ever be in places where their coverage is stable, they are still a good option as their prices are unbeatable, but I would never, ever tell anyone that their coverage is "pretty much the same" as Telus or anyone else.

Anecdotal example: I was at a bar around Keele/St. Clair just last week and a friend on Wind Mobile had his signal completely drop out barely ten feet from the door. He had to go stand by the front window if he wanted to make a call or use data. Meanwhile everyone else had full bars and no signal issues whatsoever.

Have to agree with you on this point. My son was on Fido for 2 years and complained all the time about dropped calls. This was not only on indoor service, but outdoors in some cases. He is now on Telus and never has a problem.

 

[Consultant]

Some of the larger canadian carriers also have Pay As You Go plans. But if you want both voice and data you are not saving much, especially if you need decent amount of data.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Categorically false. Coverage on Wind Mobile is nowhere near that of the big 3/their flanker brands.

I tried WIND and Mobilicity for 3 months each, and ultimately had to go back to one of the other carriers because of extremely poor indoor service in a lot of places.
If you can deal with the frustrations of unreliable coverage, or you happen to be lucky enough to only ever be in places where their coverage is stable, they are still a good option as their prices are unbeatable, but I would never, ever tell anyone that their coverage is "pretty much the same" as Telus or anyone else.

Anecdotal example: I was at a bar around Keele/St. Clair just last week and a friend on Wind Mobile had his signal completely drop out barely ten feet from the door. He had to go stand by the front window if he wanted to make a call or use data. Meanwhile everyone else had full bars and no signal issues whatsoever.

Many factors!

Building, placement of towers etc. Generically speaking in Toronto Wind has sufficient coverage if you're outside, and most buildings inside.

What damn bar are you at Keele & St. Clair?!! I wouldn't call anything in that area a REAL bar. There is one several blocks West of the Rona/FutureShop (but I think that its past Runnymede plaza area). Heading East ... very small restaurants so i highly doubt that matches your description.

Also what phone was your friend using? Dropped? Either way I'm not saying Wind mobile has THE BEST but to be honest their not bad with coverage.

Signal strength greatly depends on the distance of the towers apart from each other, being relative to your location, and your phones ability to have a good amount of allowed wattage to reach the towers signal as it sends out it's own. phones vary in the latter regard.

If you mention the bar's address & name I'll take you up on that challenge this weekend or next weekend and test with my HTC One on Wind Mobile to see if I far better signal

 

[GoingDark]

Also what phone was your friend using? Dropped? Either way I'm not saying Wind mobile has THE BEST but to be honest their not bad with coverage.

It was a Samsung Galaxy Note 2, and while I agree with you that their coverage might be "not bad," that's still completely different from saying their coverage is "pretty much the same" as any of the major carriers.

If you mention the bar's address & name I'll take you up on that challenge this weekend or next weekend and test with my HTC One on Wind Mobile to see if I far better signal

It was at the Junction Brewery. They close fairly early on weekends as they often rent out the place for private parties late at night, but you're more than welcome to head up to the bar, order a drink, and then try to pull up a website on your phone. Let us know if you have any luck without having to be permanently perched next to the large window by the entrance.

 

[DeepIn2U]

It was a Samsung Galaxy Note 2, and while I agree with you that their coverage might be "not bad," that's still completely different from saying their coverage is "pretty much the same" as any of the major carriers.


It was at the Junction Brewery. They close fairly early on weekends as they often rent out the place for private parties late at night, but you're more than welcome to head up to the bar, order a drink, and then try to pull up a website on your phone. Let us know if you have any luck without having to be permanently perched next to the large window by the entrance.

Cool. I'll see what I can middle seating area or at the back.
Since I gave my son my HTC One, I'll be using a BB Z10 (STL-100-3) on Wind (which actually has much poorer signal response). It'll take me about 2/3 days.

Cheers.

 

[linds15]

i went from rogers to wind. yes the service isnt as good, yes going from LTE to 3G sucked, BUT, for me, im on wifi for so much of the day, that the couple inconveniences a month that happen in random places don't bother me, considering the amount im saving. my daily routine has no problems, so its only in random outings that i find i loose service