Resources
for both the frequent Canada traveler and the casual tourist. Compare
the roaming abilities of your current phone with those of other
carriers.
Find
the capabilities of your current phone in Canada. Can
you just grab your phone, travel north across the border, and still
make calls, texts and
access your data?
When
traveling in Canada you can use a locally-purchased Canadian phone
or SIM and where you'll get coverage.
If you are
a regular traveler to Canada, get a dedicated Canada
"Roaming" phone. You can choose a prepaid phone or SIM
that roams in Canada, and pay just for what you need.
TELUS
MOBILITY
Telus
is our preferred network for travelers. This GSM carrier offers great
coverage, a huge selection of phones, easily purchased SIM's and
excellent customer service.
BELL
MOBILITY
Bell has a
great selection of phones and do have GSM SIM's available. While Bell's
customer service is a step below our top choice, they have a slight
coverage advantage in rural areas.
ROGERS WIRELESS
Rogers
has good coverage and a large selection of GSM phones. Rogers is an
adequate choice especially if a Rogers store or kiosk is the most
convenient.
FREEDOM MOBILE Freedom
Mobile is the largest of the small carriers with service in most large
Canadian cities except Montreal and Quebec City, with very little rural
coverage. Freedom is the former Wind network which
was acquired by Shaw Communications who has agreed to sell
Freedom Mobile to Videotron.
Regional
Carriers
There
are other
carriers that operate their own network within a single province or
region of Canada. They can be a good choice if your travel is confined
to that specific area and if there is an attractive level of price or
convenience. Coverage of these carriers range from very limited to
extensive. These carriers include:
CHATR Owned by Rogers
Wireless with similar coverage
SASKTEL (Covers all of
Saskatchewan)
VIDEOTRON (Native Coverage
limited to
Ontario but with the acquistion of Freedom Mobile will provide coverage
in several provinces.
There are
also other alternative carriers that have no network of their own and
utilize the networks of the above carriers.