Mobile phone/data in Canada?

[dylanear]

I'm pretty reliant on having good data connectivity on the road. I use Verizon and their network is extensive and fast. I also have grandfathered unlimited 4G on my phone which is pretty amazing in this age of capped, expensive data plans.

So I'm going to be living in Vancouver for at least nine months and the prices on data plans I've seen are looking very depressing. I wasn't expecting to get an unlimited plan, or even close. But ouch! And for rural or on the road coverage Verizon is hard to beat, who do you go with if you want the best network coverage on the road? And no contract would be ideal, I can use an phone I alread own or I'd buy one for full price. I just don't like contracts, but a 1 year might be ok too.

Are all/most mobiles GSM up there or is there an extensive CDMA network, being so close to the US?

[glamourpets]

The three big players are Bell, Telus, and Rogers. Rogers is exclusively GSM. I know that Telus and Bell were CDMA, but I think they may have transitioned to GSM too. There are some other smaller players but their coverage is limited outside the major centers. All three of the big companies will try to lock you into a contract, which wont do you much good as you will only use about 9 months of service and the contract will be one, two, or three years. To get around the contract, you can get your existing phone unlocked then all you need is a sim card from your new provider. I hope this helps. Beyond this you will have to just call each of the 3 big players and see what they can offer you. Canada has been criticized as having one of the highest rates for mobile serves in the world. Good luck.

[dylanear]

Thanks for the info. I have a few unlocked GSM phones (I seem to collect phones!!) I can use when I get there, but they will only support basic (2G) data rates I believe. But may look at a new one that supports 4G/LTE on whatever network I choose. My Droid Bionic can be hacked and unlocked to work on non-Verizon GSM networks at 2G speeds as well some report, but I do not think Verizon will unlock the 4G/LTE radios (because they have international roaming plans, they are just REALLY expensive).

I am sad about the rates, but does look better than New Zealand, maybe on par with or a little better than Australia.

I'm wondering who's going to give me the best speeds and coverage in Vancouver, while still giving me good connectivity to voice and basic data in the middle of nowhere?

[David Swinnard]

Mobile phone/data in Canada? = $$$$
There are no deals - at least compared to other civilized countries.

And forget the "middle of nowhere"...coverage is only (and in some areas, barely) along the major highways and in most towns. If you get off the beaten track to far, you are out of coverage. The mountains play havoc with the signals.

In Vancouver, if you talk to people using their mobile devices about their service providers, most of the time they will complain (and even more about their last service provider).

[glamourpets]

Rogers claims to be the first with LTE, but Bell isn't far behind. You will find fans and enemies for each of the major carriers. I doubt you will find a big difference from one to the next.

[Roy in TO]

Try this:
CompareCellular.com - Cell Phones, Rate Plans, User Guides, Coverage Maps, Ringtones and more!

There are other sites that do the same.

[SherryNPaul]

Verizon has a cheap plan to convert your USA minutes to USA NOrth America minutes. Call them. and/or look online. Data plans are much more expensive. In Canada, we depend on local wifi, or live without. Too expensive.
Sherry

[SherryNPaul]

You can change your plan on re-entry day, back to your normal plan. We've done this twice, but not this year, so ask.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by dylanear

I'm wondering who's going to give me the best speeds and coverage in Vancouver, while still giving me good connectivity to voice and basic data in the middle of nowhere?

Yup sad reality that we pay way to much in Canada for a lot of things... cell phones being just one of the big hits.

In regards to Telus and Rodgers up until a few years ago there where areas of the province where you would get better coverage with one carrier than the other. Over the past few years that has changed greatly and I have noticed they are both about the same in regards to coverage - have both a Telus and Rodgers phone and gone are the days when one would notice often that one worked in a certain area that the other would not. Dont think you will find there is any real big advantage to go with one or the other in regards to coverage or speed these days when it comes to Telus vs Rodgers... although Rodgers claims to be faster but you couldn't prove it by me. ;-) As others have indicated you are not going to get coverage in many areas with either carrier due to the mountains - in fact there are many hiking spots only a few miles out of down town Vancouver on the North Shore were you will have very spotty service if you have any at all.