Need help choosing a carrier [Canada]

[sviato]

Hey, so I'm planning on purchasing a new iPhone 4 this week but I'm unsure as to which carrier I should go with. Right now I'm with a carrier that doesn't carry the iPhone so I'd need to switch a new one.

Currently I pay $35+tax for 100 mins, unlimited text, unlimited evenings and weekends after 7pm, caller id and voicemail. The minutes are billed by the second and looking at my past bills, I've rarely gone over that limit.

The choices that I have in Canada are Rogers, Fido, Virgin, and Telus (not considering Bell as many people from my city and abroad have told me about their crappy service.

Here are the options I'm looking at:

Rogers:

200 mins
unlimited evenings/wknd 6pm
unlimited texting
Callerid/voicemail
500 MB Data

$62 (plan +addon) + 2.43 (regulatory fee) +tax = $72.80

Perks: For $5 more I get 1GB of data(=$78.46 total cost); hardware upgrade every 24 months; can turn off 3G and use 2G/edge when 3G coverage not available

Cons: 3 year contract, government regulatory fee (the 2.43$), per minute billing.


Fido:
100 mins
unlimited even/wknd 6pm
unlimited text
voicemail/caller id
access to rogers/fido wireless hotspots
500 MB data

$60 +tax = $67.80

Perks: $5 for 1GB of data ($73.45 total cost), FidoDollars - earn some every month that you can use to pay for a new phone later, per-second billing, can turn off 3G and use 2G/edge when 3G coverage not available

Cons: 3 year contract


Telus:
200 mins
unlimited even/wknd 6pm
unlimited texting
voicemail/caller id
500 MB data

$58 + tax = $65.54

Perks: $5 for 1GB data (flex plan) and unlimited talk and text to 10 numbers(=$71.19), telus sends you various coupons for like popcorn at the movies etc.

Cons: 3 year contract, per minute billing, phone doesn't work if you turn off 3G or if you're in an area with no 3G coverage


Virgin:
200 mins
unlimited evenings/wknd 6pm
unlimited text
caller id/voicemail
500 MB data

$60 + tax = $67.80

Perks: $5 gets you 1 GB data + unlimited talk/text to 10 numbers(=$73.45), no term contract, virgin has various social promotions and contests for events such as concerts etc.

Cons: $450 subsidy but no term contract so you must pay off the phone if you want to leave them (altho 15% of your bills goes to paying it off, it would still take over 3 years), per minute billing



That's about all I know about the carrier at the moment. I'm not sure if all the carrier have additional service charges like the rogers $2.43 fee.

If anyone has experience with any of these carriers in terms of coverage, customer service, retentions, perks (which are good, which aren't) etc or know about any other fees that may apple please feel free to share as I haven't been with any of these carriers.

 

[trekkie604]

I'm on Fido. They are owned by Rogers and share the same HSPA/GSM networks so you get equal coverage. I don't have any problems with their service and they do offer per-second billing. There aren't any additional government regulatory fees added to your bill either.

 

[Cyacene]

Some thoughts:

- I have been with Rogers for about 5 years and am happy enough to not bother switching.

- Rogers has had GSM the longest (Telus and Bell just turned on GSM last year, or maybe early this year)

- Rogers owns fido (so coverage will be the same, I think?)

- Keep in mind Apple will sell you an iPhone factory unlocked in Canada, so you dont need to sign a nasty 3 year contract if you pay up front.

 

[realtycoon]

I would go with Telus or Bell.

The Rogers network is congested and very sub-par in the Toronto area.
I use an iPhone 4 and find that I get an unacceptable number of dropped calls, missed calls and very slow data connections while Bell and Telus iPhone 4 works no problem.

 

[Apple OC]

I have been with Telus since it was called Clearnet ... when most people have had issues with their phone companies ... I have never had nothing but great service from Telus.

IMO ... a very Solid company.

 

[SnowDX]

I might have missed it, but what province are you in? And do you spend anytime in Manitoba or Saskatchewan?

 

[sviato]

I live in Ontario. Spend most of my time in mississauga/toronto.

Thanks a lot for the replies guys


edit: as for buying it unlocked... if i recall correctly you still need to sign a contract to get a data plan

 

[SnowDX]

edit: as for buying it unlocked... if i recall correctly you still need to sign a contract to get a data plan

I can't speak for all carriers, but that's not true with Telus. You can sign up for a voice & data plan without signing a contract. You won't get the bonuses they offer, but you get the rest of the plan features. So, for example, right now you'd get 9pm evenings and weekends instead of 6pm but you'd still get the rest of the plan features. The 6pm bonus is for signing for 3 years.

 

[walie]

Telus Student 55 flex

200 daytime
unlim eve @ 6 & weekends
unlim text
10 nationwide numbers
1 gig flex data
voicemail 3

don't have to be a student, expires Dec. 31

plan wise, nothing comes close, other things (coverage, customer service) is another matter

 

[sviato]

Telus Student 55 flex

200 daytime
unlim eve @ 6 & weekends
unlim text
10 nationwide numbers
1 gig flex data
voicemail 3

don't have to be a student, expires Dec. 31

plan wise, nothing comes close, other things (coverage, customer service) is another matter

yeah that's the plan I was referring to when I said add $5 etc.

it's a good plan but one of my friends is with telus and she said that if you turn off 3G or are in an area with no 3G coverage then your phone doesn't work either. I'd like to be able to at least call and text if I'm at the cottage or the beach (away from the main urban areas).

For those with Fido, can you please clarify for me exactly how the fido dollars accumulate? The site says that 5% of your bill gets turned to fido dollars, but that you also earn them by using the service, what exactly does the latter part mean? How many dollars on average could I expect to get with a $60 plan?


edit: and exactly how bad is the rogers/fido network saturation right now?

 

[SnowDX]

it's a good plan but one of my friends is with telus and she said that if you turn off 3G or are in an area with no 3G coverage then your phone doesn't work either. I'd like to be able to at least call and text if I'm at the cottage or the beach (away from the main urban areas).

That's because the Telus/Bell network is only HSPA. Is the network not still expanding out in Ontario? In my province the HSPA network now has more coverage than the CDMA network.

Remember that Virgin's coverage will be the same as Telus/Bell since Virgin uses the same network. (can't recall, does Bell own Virgin?) Koodoo will also share that network.

Personally, I'd look at coverage maps and go with who has coverage where you plan to be. I used to be with Rogers whose coverage sucks where I am and never had service at the lake which was frustrating for those coming to see us and for us if we needed them to bring something. So of Rogers/Fido covers the cottage, I'd go with them. But, if Telus/Bell have plans to cover the cottage, I'd pick them over crappy 2G coverage with Rogers (if Rogers only has 2G at the cottage).

 

[sviato]

That's because the Telus/Bell network is only HSPA. Is the network not still expanding out in Ontario? In my province the HSPA network now has more coverage than the CDMA network.

Remember that Virgin's coverage will be the same as Telus/Bell since Virgin uses the same network. (can't recall, does Bell own Virgin?) Koodoo will also share that network.

Personally, I'd look at coverage maps and go with who has coverage where you plan to be. I used to be with Rogers whose coverage sucks where I am and never had service at the lake which was frustrating for those coming to see us and for us if we needed them to bring something. So of Rogers/Fido covers the cottage, I'd go with them. But, if Telus/Bell have plans to cover the cottage, I'd pick them over crappy 2G coverage with Rogers (if Rogers only has 2G at the cottage).

Are you with telus? is it a nuisance at all that the phone doesnt work in a non 3g zone?

 

[Apple OC]

Telus also owns Koodoo

 

[SnowDX]

Are you with telus? is it a nuisance at all that the phone doesnt work in a non 3g zone?

Yes I am with Telus. It's not a nuisance for me at all. Like I said, were I live, HSPA coverage is better than the prior CDMA coverage. In my province, if you don't have 3G coverage with Telus, it's likely you don't have any coverage with any provider.

Have you checked the coverage maps? I just looked at Ontario and Telus' coverage looks pretty darn good. Compare it with the Rogers maps and see if you'd be missing coverage anywhere you travel.

 

[cobrasneverdie]

yeah that's the plan I was referring to when I said add $5 etc.

it's a good plan but one of my friends is with telus and she said that if you turn off 3G or are in an area with no 3G coverage then your phone doesn't work either. I'd like to be able to at least call and text if I'm at the cottage or the beach (away from the main urban areas).

For those with Fido, can you please clarify for me exactly how the fido dollars accumulate? The site says that 5% of your bill gets turned to fido dollars, but that you also earn them by using the service, what exactly does the latter part mean? How many dollars on average could I expect to get with a $60 plan?


edit: and exactly how bad is the rogers/fido network saturation right now?

never did the math on this, I'm with fido but I do know that if you go over your limit on your bill (i.e. your bill comes to 82 and you end up paying 102) they give you a bit more than they regularly do. I ended up with 15 fido dollars for going over my bill limit which was nice I'd say but not so much on my wallet.
I don't know how much of this is true. Fido dollars sure came in handy when I bought my iphone 4. I don't think rogers has this kind of feature

 

[Leet Apple]

I'd say go Fido because of the coverage and reliability, I would not go Rogers unless your willing to get screwed over...Bell Telus and Virgin connection ut off in elevators (Experienced it myself and when calling people who are using those) but on the other hand Bells 3G is superfast now but Fido and Rogers won't be any significant difference