Re: Mobiles in Canada
 

I cant believe they have THREE year contracts, that is ridiculous!

Re: Mobiles in Canada
 

Is it possible to take your UK bought iPhone / Blackberry and get it SIM Carded up in Canada ?

More importantly would it offer any cost savings by this method ?

Re: Mobiles in Canada
 

Are there any 'Sim-only' deals in the market? If there are then I'll just take my iPhone with me unlock it and use it with a canadian sim

Re: Mobiles in Canada
 

In the UK for years they gave hardware away free on one year contracts because it was a land grab strategy and they felt in the longterm they would gain a loyal client base that would pay for itself. However as call costs have tumbled they have started lengthening contracts to 18 months as the free hardware model has become unsustainable. If you want decent hardware and often now you have to pay something ontop.

In Canada there is restricted competition and building a network across a country as wide as Canada is much more expensive so this has meant unless you commit for a long period such as 3 years you are passed pretty much the whole hardware/device cost.

You should be able to take over any Vodaphone or O2 mobile and then just swap the the sim for a Rogers or Fido sim.

Orange and T-mobile would need unlocking.

Re: Mobiles in Canada
 

I'm from Australia so I am very familiar with having the need for a large network to cover such a vast country, we also have limited competition and it seems our "cap plans" that are fully inclusive make the Canadian's look silly, which is very surprising.

Re: Mobiles in Canada
 

Yes that is surprising.

Re: Mobiles in Canada
 

I think the problem is also not just limited companies offering cell phones but also until recently a lot of people just did not have one. There was no supply and demand situation.

UK 60 Million people and most children (so i am told) HAVE to have a mobile after the age of 11 when they go to secondary school so they can phone home when they are in trouble.

Canada 30 million people and 90% of children catch the school bus thus no need to have a cell phone for safety reasons. My eldest son got a phone when he started to drive at 16!. I know the attitude is changing slightly but my friends daughter who is always the most trendy is about to get a cell phone for her 14th Birthday. Which in the UK would be really old.

But taking away the children, when i came in 2002 i had had a cell phone for years and i met new friends and associates who had never had one! Local calls are all free, and if you are not near a public phone box then just go to the local shop and ask to use it.

Canada is slowing catching up in the cell phone useage, but we are still way behind. Canada is not know world wide for trend setting or fashion.

It is one of those things we have to compromise on when we move over here.

Re: Mobiles in Canada
 

You can certainly get a SIM-only package, but you don't really save any money by doing so. You'll still pay the same rates as somebody who took a discounted phone.

As a general point -- we love to bash Canadian cell service. It's certainly more expensive than advertised once you add up all the fees. But value does depend on your usage pattern. Unlimited evenings and weekends is a fairly cheap option, if that's your thing. Also, Canadian carriers are open to negotiation on price, particularly if you've had their service for a while.

The system of paying for incoming calls has its benefits: nobody has to pay extra to call a mobile from a landline or from overseas. And if you really object, you can get unlimited incoming for a monthly fee. Or for free if you complain enough. :)

The real advantage of bringing your own phone is that you'll have a decent handset without having to sign a long contract. We're expecting some new competition in the next year or so, so you'll want the flexibility to jump ship.

Re: Mobiles in Canada
 

I bought a sim card from Rogers (prepaid) and used that in my UK phone when I first arrived. Worked fine for the odd call out and about..

Be aware that if you take any device over from the UK, it will only work on the Rogers/Fido network.

As far as i'm aware, all other mobile/cell providers don't use the GSM network.

Re: Mobiles in Canada
 

...Not even Virgin??

Re: Mobiles in Canada
 

Not Virgin.

There are (at present) three real mobile networks in most of Canada: Bell, Telus, and Rogers. Rogers use GSM technology and SIM cards, so their service is compatible with some British phones. Bell and Telus use a different system, so you can't use a UK phone with them.

Everybody else is a virtual operator: Fido used to be independent, but now they're part of Rogers and use their network. Virgin use Bell's network. There are a couple of other virtuals using Rogers (and therefore GSM): 7-Eleven and Petro-Canada.

Things are changing, though. Bell and Telus are both switching to the international 3G standard. And a new network should be up and running within the next few months. Ask the same question next year and the answer may be very different...