ksct97

Simple question, which is the best network to get? obviously depends on where you're living right?, so in my case it will be Montreal... but like to be travelling around Quebec, and maybe into the US. Are their networks with decent cross-over?... or am i going to have to roam and pay extortionate fees?

Are their pay-as-you go deals, subscriptions etc...? how does it all work? in UK, you can get a free handset with a contract, is that the same as in canada? can i just buy a sim card (i know my phone is tri-band) already...

Tiaribbon

You can buy a sim card in Canada for $25 and just slip it into your tri-band phone, however it is not always wonderfully compatible. You can get cheap phones over there with your contract and contracts usually go for 1 -3 years. We have a cellphone over there and it is quad-band and it works well, having said that so does my tri-band UK cellphone with the UK AND Canadian sim! LOL!!

I always use Rogers as they are by far the best in our Area of Ontario.

simonhouse

Your SIM card should technically work, although some providers are 'funny' about putting a card in a foreign phone, and may not activate it. Fido springs to mind there.

Free phones + contracts are hard to come by - and when they are available, they are usually big ugly dated phones. Expect to pay a couple of hundred dollars for a decent phone - any of the major networks in Canada should be okay, just check the coverage and roaming fees.

www.telusmobility.com
www.fido.ca
www.bellmobility.ca
www.rogers.ca

ksct97

Thanks for that Simon... but could you clarify this point, can i just go into a store and buy a sim card with a contract? then stick this in my phone? or better to just get the sim plus free phone package and still just stick the sim in my old phone?

will the sim work? or are they like orange here in UK, with specific handsets to enable activation of the phone.

simonhouse

I'm not entirely sure.

I think Fido is the most Orange-like when it comes to SIM/phone compatibility. Might be worth firing each of the providers an email before you come over asking if its possible.

You should be able to activate your purchased SIM card on either a prepaid plan or a monthly subscription plan. Be aware that they will probably do a credit check for the latter.

ksct97

cheers again simon

Ed_and_Karen

I took my Orange phone to a Rogers shop here in Edmonton. They tried fitting a SIM but the phone had been blocked by Orange. I found it incredibly difficult to get hold of Orange from Canada, so gave up on the idea!!

Tiaribbon

I guess you must have missed my post. As previously said, you can go and buy a sim card for $25 from most cellphone shops and put it in your UK phone. It will work providing your phone is not blocked. I have a Nokia and it works fine.

mikejw

hi
if you have a u.k. tri or quad band phone and want to put a pre paid sim from Canada in it, you will have to have it unblocked.
All you have to do is go to an independent phone shop or one of the people who sell phone covers down the high street and they will do so for £10 - £20.......should be o.k. then.