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Which Canadian mobile carrier?

H

hajime

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jul 23, 2007
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Hello, for those living in Ontario Canada, which mobile carrier do you recommend? I have been trying Wind for a day. Although it is cheap, the performance (speed and coverage) is unsatisfactory most of the time.

https://www.windmobile.ca/
 
eXan said:
Koodo (Telus). Good coverage and stable service.
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Thanks. How is the speed?

Wind told me that for the first 3GB, it is fast but after that, the speed drops with unlimited data. However, even on the first day, I got very slow connection. Most of the time, I just see a spinning waiting symbol on the top left of the LCD screen. Most of the time the signal strength is 1 or 2. Even the strength is 4, half of the time I get this long waiting as well. Is this a problem with coverage or speed of the internet?
 
I've heard poor reports from a number of people about Wind, in regards to signal strength and coverage. Their prices seem super attractive, but I've had friends in downtown Toronto losing signal (!!!).

I suggest Fido or Koodo.
 
Koodoo or Telus. If you can walk into a Rogers, Telus, or Bell store and find a happy employee willing to give you a corporate rate for dirty cheap then that's always a good thing.
 
I've been on Fido since 2004 - service has been great, I've had no reason to switch. Nobody seems willing to match my $35 6GB data plan either.
 
You get what you pay for with Wind.

Can't comment on Koodo's speed because I use an older 3G-only phone. No complaints from me
 
Koodo. Coverage and speed are great even in rural Ontario. Have never had a hiccup in service in the 3 years I've been a customer. 86 mbps down and 32 mbps up in downtown Toronto iPhone 5
 
Thanks. I forgot to mention that I have my own sim lock free iPhone 6s+. For Wind, they said that there is no 4G for iPhones. For Wind, I just go prepaid and the sales told me that if I don't like it, I just don't top up my account next month. There is no refund.

I have not found an apartment yet. I just stay with friend. Not sure what wifi service will I use in the new home. Will there be a disadvantage if I sign up a mobile service first and then choose a company/plan for wifi at home? I suppose using the same company might be cheaper.

Also, which plan company/plan offers stable free wifi services in lots of public areas such as the Toronto subway trains, restaurants, McDonald's, Starbucks, etc.?
 
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What is the problem with Bell? I plan to install wifi at future home later.
 
hajime said:
What is the problem with Bell? I plan to install wifi at future home later.
Click to expand...

Bell excellent but pricey at $80/mo (Sim card $9.95, free text, local & LD in Canada). Rate plan charge increases with every new cellphone purchase. Best across Canada coverage.
 
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Thanks. Is Koodo equally good as Bell? For high speed internet at home, should I use Bell? If I use Bell for internet at home, should I get Koodo cell phone plan as some of you recommended?
 
hajime said:
Thanks. Is Koodo equally good as Bell? For high speed internet at home, should I use Bell? If I use Bell for internet at home, should I get Koodo cell phone plan as some of you recommended?
Click to expand...

Koodo is low priced subsidiary of Telus. Telus, Rogers,and Bell about equal in price and cross Canada coverage. I use Primus for internet. Unlimited access included at reasonable cost.
 
I don't live in Ontario, but I live in Quebec which is close enough (and most services are identical in both provinces). I've been using Virgin Mobile since late 2014 (though I used prepaid) and I never had a problem with it. A few things bothered me, but it's unimportant. Of course, I'm a very light mobile user and my phone doesn't even support LTE, but I still get a full 8Mbps on it (tbh, I never would need more).
 
I'm based in the US but do business in Vancouver, Nelson, and Calgary. We use Wind for Vancouver and Calgary, and rely on wifi when in the geographical hole that Nelson is in. My resident employees use Telus. I'm heading to Nelson in a couple of weeks but will be relying on my ATTWS/VZW roaming while there. I did find that iMore's recent summary pretty informative as I'm evaluating our service options, so, FYI:
http://www.imore.com/which-canadian-iphone-carrier-should-you-get
 
Bell and Telus share the same network in Canada. Koodo and Public Mobile are both owned by Telus, and Virgin is owned by Bell, so they all have the exact same coverage in Canada.

Rogers owns Fido and Chatr.

Wind has their own network, and since they are relatively new, the network is small and only in large cities like Toronto.

Having said all that, Public Mobile is an excellent option. https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/on

You can pay for 3 months worth of service at a time. $155 gives you unlimited Canada wide talk and text, and 6GB of data, which works out to just over $50 a month for 2GB each month. 2GB of data and unlimited talk with Bell, Telus and Rogers is $90 a month, so Public is worth looking at.

The nice thing about Bell and Rogers is that you can bundle with your home services to get a discount, and they offer a few other bells and whistles like mobile TV. Bell, Rogers and Telus also get the best phones if you want to get your device through your carrier on a contract. If you don't care about getting the phone from them, I'd recommend Public Mobile, Fido or Koodo.

If you were living in Quebec, Manitobra, or Saskatchewan, you could get a much better deal with Bell, Telus, Rogers, Virgin or Koodo. But you don't, so you can't. Sorry.
 
I live in Toronto but I do not have a permanent address yet. I just stay in a temporary place. It could take weeks to find a permanent place to stay. Can I get the phone services first and then bundle with home services few weeks later to get a discount? Based on the replies, looks like Koodo/Telus and Bell are good.
 
All Canadian carriers hold their customers hostage for data. I'm on Rogers and every time I turn around they're increasing the price of data and reducing the amount included in their packages. And overage charges are just stupid. I pay $150/month for 15GB -- and overage is $50/GB! God I hate Rogers! But my employer's plan gives me a slight discount so they're still cheaper than anybody else. I would suggest if any marketing grad wants to do their Thesis on companies that make millions by pissing-off their customers, they should look at Rogers, Bell, or Telus.
 
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eRondeau said:
All Canadian carriers hold their customers hostage for data. I'm on Rogers and every time I turn around they're increasing the price of data and reducing the amount included in their packages. And overage charges are just stupid. I pay $150/month for 15GB -- and overage is $50/GB! God I hate Rogers! But my employer's plan gives me a slight discount so they're still cheaper than anybody else. I would suggest if any marketing grad wants to do their Thesis on companies that make millions by pissing-off their customers, they should look at Rogers, Bell, or Telus.
Click to expand...

Out of curiosity: what do you use all this traffic for?
 
hajime said:
I live in Toronto but I do not have a permanent address yet. I just stay in a temporary place. It could take weeks to find a permanent place to stay. Can I get the phone services first and then bundle with home services few weeks later to get a discount? Based on the replies, looks like Koodo/Telus and Bell are good.
Click to expand...
When you go with one of the big telcos, you pay more and when they 'bundle' and give you discounts, you probably pay the same amount from MVNOs. There's lots of competition out there.

Of the big guys, I'd go with Fido (owned by Rogers). However, there is also Speakout Wireless at 7-Evelen (a MVNO that uses the Rogers network). I was with Roger for 20+ years and switched because of the price and my usage. I get 1000 minutes, unlimited CAN/US text, 1GB data for about $45/month. I used to pay more than $80 with Rogers.

You can even go with a data-only plan and use Fongo or Google Voice for about $30/month.
 
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Which carrier also provides the most free wifi access in public places like shopping malls?
 
hajime said:
Which carrier also provides the most free wifi access in public places like shopping malls?
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Errr, none? They are free regardless of whatever carrier you're on.

Realistically, find the one that is the cheapest for you and stick with it. All the service is nearly identical with the exception of occasional and they are all stupidly overpriced. So :/
 
hajime said:
Which carrier also provides the most free wifi access in public places like shopping malls?
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Telus and Shaw (not so much) provide some free hotspots, but they're mostly in BC and AB.

Shopping malls like the Eaton Centre and Sherway Gardens have free wifi because the owner, Cadillac Fairview provides it. Between that and hotspots provided by other businesses like Starbucks, you should have wifi most of the time in public.
 
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