Best Cell Phone Service Provider Canada

The most annoying thing when you change cities is the dilemma of a good cell phone service provider. It is very hard to know which network has the best cell phone coverage in your area and which one has the best mobile internet. Along with these important aspects, the mobile service should be affordable and customer service should also be great.

We live in a fast city like Toronto which means we need lightning fast internet and a coverage which is available at as high as the top of the CN tower and as low as a basement of a house. Today we are going to compare some of the big names in mobile service to find the best cell phone service provider in our city.

• Bell

It is one of the big names in cell phone service providers. Also known as Bell Canada, it is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. It also owns Virgin Mobile Canada as of May 2009. Bell also offers home internet and Bell Fibe Tv. Bell could be considered as one of the best in the market due to high reliability of the signals strength at most places. Most of the mobile plans come with unlimited calling, unlimited texting Canada wide.

• Bell Mobility

Like all Mobile network providers, Bell offers 2 kinds of mobile plans

• Bring your phone
• Phone plus plan options
• Check out all the Bell Plans Canada

Right now the best monthly plan if you bring your phone with unlimited Canada wide talk and text is $60 and you can add 1+2 GB data for $25 right now. If you are thinking of getting a phone plus data plan, some of the phones like iPhone 6 or older Samsung models for $0 upfront. For the premium phones, the upfront payment varies for different phone models. A rough estimate is noted in the table below.

This upfront pricing may seem a bit more expensive but you end up paying less than most other carriers. These mobiles come with $95/month with unlimited talk, text and 1+2 GB of data.

• Bell Review

Bell is one of the best mobile networks on the market with coverage extending even to remote areas. On the basis of stats, the call drop ratio is 10 to 1000 which means in 1000 calls only 10 will be dropped due to signal strength. Bell customer service is also good with a few exceptions sometimes depending upon who answers your phone.

The only drawback of Bell is that it is quite expensive and does need to work on the pricing.

• Rogers

Rogers wireless communications with headquarters in Toronto is a big name company with subsidiaries like Fido, Chatr and the Toronto Blue Jays. Like Bell, Rogers also offers home internet and mobility plans. Rogers offers exceptionally high-speed internet plans which let you buffer your videos and songs without a glitch. The signal strength is very good in basements and you can get a signal even in a lift which is mind-boggling for me. Mobile coverage is good covering most of Canada and partnerships with various network providers is a plus point of Rogers. It also offers the same bring your own phone and phone plus plans options. The cheapest plan right now is for $80 which includes unlimited text, talk, and 1+2 GB.

Some of the contract plans:

All these plans come with unlimited call, text and 1 GB data for $110 and an additional 4GB data can be added for $20.

• Rogers Review

Rogers is one of the best and largest network providers in Canada. With subsidiaries like Fido and Chatr they have great signal strength and a great call drop ratio of 10:1000. Rogers is mainly for corporate customers but do offer cheaper options with Fido and Chatr. In other words it is one of the most versatile connections.

• Fido

It is a Canadian mobile service provider and is owned by Rogers. Even though it’s owned by Rogers, Fido operates as a separate entity with its own chain of retail stores, customer service, CEO and most importantly different plans. It was the first to introduce GSM-based network and the first wireless network provider in North America to offer GPRS (General Packet Radio Service).

Rogers has basically repositioned Fido as a mid-range brand, retaining its full brand status. This means that the coverage of Fido is a bit less than Rogers but they do overlap over most of Canada. Fido has a great range of plans for bringing your own device option but has limited options on the phone plus plan option. Fido is very appealing to the millennials as it offers some of the best plans with data more than any other service provider. The best plan right now with unlimited text, talk, and 1+ 3 GB data for $55. This deal is a steal for anybody who is looking for some extra data for minimal cost.

• Fido Plans

Some of the other plans with unlimited talk and text are:

So if you compare Fido with the big names, for $75 it offers 8GB of data, on the other hand, the big companies offer 4GB of data for an additional $10-$15.

• Fido Pulse

Fido has just launched a great scheme which gives you 5 hours of unlimited data every month. You can use one hour per day which is great for the times when Wifi is down and we have to watch Netflix or something.

The other great advantage of Fido is the phone insurance plans. The price is almost similar for each network carrier costing around $11/ month where they replace lost, damaged or stolen phones for a fee. Fido has gone ahead to provide first screen replacement free which is great as the screen is the costliest of all.

Some of the contract phone plans are:

• Fido review

Fido is one of the best networks on the market which is affordable and provides coverage that is no less than the big names. The signal strength is usually strong throughout with some pockets of low signals. On the basis of stats, the call drop ratio is 20:1000 which is the only limitation of Fido. Other than this the data plans and 5 hours of free data every month sound and work great.

• Chatr

Another subsidiary of Rogers Communications is a go-to for prepaid plans. It has lower to middle range brand status due to limited coverage areas. But the strong point of Chatr is that although the coverage area is limited it does offer strong signal strength in its coverage area. Rogers introduced Chatr to target entry-level customers. Chatr is now available in most urban cities in Canada which means the coverage map has increased manyfold.

Chatr Plans

Plans start from as low as $20 which include local unlimited talk. The most popular plan right now with Chatr is $40/month which includes unlimited Canada wide calling, texting and 2 GB of data at 3G speed. Add another $5 to this plan and you can get an additional 2 GB of data.

Chatr does not offer contract plans but you can buy some basic smartphones like LG K4, Samsung J3 and ZTE for their shelf price.

• Chatr Review

Chatr is no doubt the cheapest cell phone service provider. It offers good coverage in most areas but the only drawback is that it has 3G data and is limited to urban cities in Canada. But for an entry level customer, a plan like this is steel. If compared to Freedom which is it’s the main competitor it offers a larger coverage area and lesser dropped calls if you live in a basement or on the higher floors.

• Freedom Mobile

Also known as wind mobile, it is the only cell phone service provider in Canada which offer unlimited data plans. Freedom mobile recently changed names from wind mobile after acquisition by Shaw Communications. Started from the GTA area it has expanded to most of southern Ontario, Calgary, and Vancouver. It is now even offering LTE at the same prices of 3G which has been a great booster in the sales of Freedom.

• Freedom Plans

The cheapest plan right now with unlimited Canada wide talk, text and 10GB of LTE data+ unlimited 3G data after that is $60. If you purchase the plan right now then you get an additional 3GB bonus LTE.

Add another $15 to this and get an additional 5GB LTE of data.

Freedom has been the go mobile service provider for most entry-level customers due to the huge data allowances that they offer.

They basically offer cellular freedom which is a need for most teenagers and youngsters right now.

They also offer contract phones which gives them a nudge over Chatr as their major competitors is Chatr. Some of the contract phone deals:

These plans can be added to any plan which $50+/month. These are the cheapest plans you can get on the market but the only drawback is that they don’t offer phone insurance yet.

• Freedom review

Freedom is the cheapest cell phone service provider available on market, they offer unlimited data options which has increased their customer base manifold. The only problem with Freedom is that they have signal issues in basements or on high up floors. So sometimes your friends will not be able to get through to you. But for a price this good, we can handle a call drop ratio of 25/1000.

• Telus

The third largest cell phone service provider in Canada is headquartered in Vancouver, BC. Telus partners with Bell mobility to provide HSPA+ and LTE service in Canada. Telus and Bell share their network towers which means the coverage and signal strength of both carriers is similar. Telus is also a highly reliable network when it comes to mobile coverage, they cover 98% Canadian population with LTE network. There are some gaps in coverage in some remote areas.

• Telus Mobility plans

The cheapest plan with unlimited text, talk, and 1+2 GB data is $85 which is quite similar to that of Bell as you would expect. But adding data options is a bit cheaper as by paying an additional $20 you can get 4GB extra. The website of Telus is highly interactive and you can build your own plan on the basis of your needs.

They also offer contract phone plans.

All these phones come with a $105/month plan which includes unlimited local calling, texting and 1+2 GB of data. By paying an extra $5 you can add Canada wide calling.

• Telus Review

Telus is a great cell phone service provider but is expensive for college students or entry level customers. It is much preferred by the corporate industry and other similar type professions. The signal strength and coverage are great and the call drop ratio is also similar to Bell.

• Koodo

A subsidiary of Telus Mobility was introduced in competition with Freedom, Chatr and Fido to attract college students and entry-level customers. But unlike Chatr, Freedom and Fido, Koodo has best cell phone coverage throughout Canada and the signal strength is also great. They were the first one to drop 911 and system access fees.

• Koodo plans

The most popular plan that comes with unlimited talk, text and 1+3GB of data is $55/month. By just adding another $20 you can get an additional 4GB of data(5GB+ 3GB). You can choose a variety of plans from the Koodo website based on your usage.

They also offer contract plan options.

All these phones come with a Tab large plan which costs around $84/month + tab fees ($21) which includes unlimited talk, text and 5+3GB data. There is an extra $30 fee for activation of sim card.

• Koodo review

Koodo offers some great deals when you bring your own phone but the contract option is still a bit costly. They do have the one of the best cell phone coverage supported by Bell and Telus. The call drop ratio is also similar. The signal stench is consistent at almost all places.

Also, Check Out Top 2018 Phones

• Suggestion

Whenever you are shopping around at bell or any other stores do ask for discounts. Due to the highly competitive nature of the market bell plans can be purchased for much lower prices by little bargaining. Most of the places will knock down a few bucks on the upfront payment by giving you gift cards or cash back.