Unlimited Data Plans in Canada
| Carrier | Unlimited Plan Prices | Best Plan |
|---|
| Rogers | $75-125 /month | Infinite +50 $125/month |
| Bell | $75-125 /month | Unlimited 50 $125/month |
| Telus | $75-125 /month | Peace of Mind Connect Ultra $125/month |
| Freedom Mobile | $15-$100 /month | Talk, Text and 10GB $60/month |
Best Cell Phone Plans
- Koodo 5GB Data, Talk and Text for smartphone plan: $50/month.
- TELUS Peace of Mind Connect for unlimited data plan: $85/month.
- Rogers Infinite +10 for family sharing plans: $205/month for 3 lines.
- Lucky Mobile 750MB Canada-wide for data-only plan: $15/month.
Slow Internet | Troubleshooting Speed Issues
Restart your modem by unplugging the modem power cord (and router power cord if you have one). If you are on WIFI, try moving closer to the modem/router. If you are still experiencing a slow speed or connection issue, please contact us.TELUS is considered a 'premium' carrier. They offer a LOT more options/add-ons/etc than Koodo does. If you don't need those frills, then Koodo is probably a better option.
The cheapest smartphone plan in Canada is the $19 Prepaid Talk + Text + 1.5GB data plan from Freedom Mobile. Why we love it: For a limited time, Freedom Mobile has dropped this nationwide prepaid plan by five dollars. For $19 you get unlimited talk, text and 1.5GB of full-speed LTE data.
Mobile network operators
| Parent company | Brands and subsidiaries |
|---|
| Rogers Communications | Rogers Wireless, Fido Mobile, Chatr Mobile, Cityfone, Primus Wireless, Zoomer Wireless, SimplyConnect |
| Telus Corporation | Telus Mobility, Koodo Mobile, Public Mobile |
| BCE Inc. | Bell Mobility, Virgin Mobile, Lucky Mobile, Solo Mobile, Bell MTS |
The cheapest smartphone plan in Canada is the $24 Prepaid Talk + Text + 1.5GB data plan from Freedom Mobile. Why we love it: For a limited time, Freedom Mobile has dropped this nationwide prepaid plan by five dollars. For $24 you get unlimited talk, text and 1.5GB of full-speed LTE data.
There is not enough competition in Canada for carriers to lower their prices. Canadian telecom companies are among the most profitable in the world, so there's little incentive to change pricing competitiveness. Canadians are still subject to data overage charges while US plans typically include unlimited data.
Verizon has the best cell phone coverage in the country (70%), followed by AT&T (68%), T-Mobile (62%), and Sprint (30%). If you're concerned more with price as opposed to cell phone coverage, Sprint is the carrier to consider.
In a separate J.D. Power study, the 2020 U.S. Wireless Purchase Experience Full-Service Performance Study,
Sprint also ranked lowest of the four major carriers.
This Cellphone Carrier Has the Worst Network Quality, Customers
- T-Mobile: 863 out of 1,000 points.
- Verizon: 838.
- AT&T: 837.
- Sprint: 808.
Verizon has the best coverage in the country, but T-Mobile has faster data speeds. So instead of declaring a winner, we'll go through T-Mobile's and Verizon's plans, performance, and perks to highlight what they do well (and not so well). That way you can choose the plan that's best for you.
You can select the network that interests you most from a dropdown menu, and choose to look at 2G, 3G, 4G or all three. The Network Rank tab at the bottom lets you see which network performs best in the area you're interested in.
Verizon's limited rollout, at its best, was considerably faster than AT&T and T-Mobile's in my tests. Those two carriers have chosen to roll out 5G using typical cell phone airwave bands that don't allow for the highest speeds, but provide far greater coverage areas.
Price-conscious purchasers: T-Mobile has the better deals, especially since its advertised prices include taxes and fees. Data lovers: Get your streaming on with the T-Mobile Magenta plan and 50 GB of unthrottled data each month at highly rated speeds. But for those who want more hotspot data, AT&T offers much more.
T-
Mobile's
coverage is
the third-best in
the country, behind Verizon and AT&T. Their 4G LTE network covers 62% of
the United States, and is continuing to rapidly expand (especially
the T-
Mobile 5G
coverage area).
T-Mobile: 62% 4G coverage.
| Network | % 3G Coverage | % 4G Coverage |
|---|
| T-Mobile | 21.64 | 58.8 |
| Sprint | 25.6 | 26.89 |
Reliance Jio has the best 4G coverage in India, but Airtel's the fastest
| Operator | 4G availability (%) |
|---|
| Jio | 98.8 |
| Airtel | 90.0 |
| Vodafone | 84.6 |
| Idea | 82.8 |
Best value unlimited plans:
- Best deal: Metro by T-Mobile unlimited plan for $50 (runs on T-Mobile network)
- Alternative pick: Visible (runs on Verizon's 4G LTE network)
- Best offer: T-Mobile Magenta plan for $70.
- Alternative pick: Sprint Unlimited Basic plan for $60.
- Base plan: Verizon Start Unlimited plan for $70.
All three carriers offer nationwide coverage and a comprehensive suite of services. While Bell and Telus have the best network coverage footprint in Canada, testing finds that Telus has better speed and reliability. Not enough to switch carriers if you're happy with Bell, but enough to put them in the lead.
If you are month-to-month with your own phone, Koodo is definitely the way to go. Telus appears to use a lot more bands. They probably share between the networks but Telus customers start off with a much higher base percentage of the combined resources. I've found Koodo much cheaper vis-a-vis size of data plans.
Canada features three major wireless cell phone networks: Bell, Rogers and Telus. Bell Mobility runs on the largest network of cell phone towers in Canada, which it shares with Telus Mobility.
Koodo currently provides postpaid, prepaid, and wireless home phone services. Being a subsidiary of Telus, Koodo has been able to offer extensive coverage and a strong presence in mobile retailers.
Switching from Telus. You can use a referral to get $50 credit after 4-8 weeks. You'll need to sign up for the referral before activating with Koodo.
Telus and possibly Bells because Telus uses some bell towers. @NDesai, BELL & TELUS share towers. Bell builds most of the towers in Eastern Canada and TELUS builds most of the towers in Western Canada. Customers of both networks can roam freely between the two company's towers.
Koodo Mobile is a Canadian mobile flanker brand started by Telus in 2008 and mostly oriented toward younger customers. Koodo differs from its parent Telus by not requiring a fixed term contract. Being a subsidiary of Telus, Koodo has been able to offer extensive coverage and a strong presence in mobile retailers.
Koodo Mobile ranks the highest on the 1000-point grading scale with a score of 798, up from 715 last year. Koodo was followed by Videotron with a score of 790, whereas larger providers like Rogers and Bell came in last amongst those ranked with scores of 707 and 706. The industry average was a score of 738.
Mobile network operators
| Parent company | Brands and subsidiaries |
|---|
| Rogers Communications | Rogers Wireless, Fido Mobile, Chatr Mobile, Cityfone, Primus Wireless, Zoomer Wireless, SimplyConnect |
| Telus Corporation | Telus Mobility, Koodo Mobile, Public Mobile |
| BCE Inc. | Bell Mobility, Virgin Mobile, Lucky Mobile, Solo Mobile, Bell MTS |
Buying outright means you pay in full, own the phone and are free to select your preferred carrier. Buying on a plan makes it easy to put that new phone in your pocket with no money down, because it spreads the phone's cost over 24 months.
Each of the big three carriers owns a subsidiary that typically offers lower-cost options by way of a tab system, similar to what the big three are using. Rogers owns Fido. Bell owns Virgin Mobile. TELUS owns Koodo.
The cheapest smartphone plan in Canada is the $24 Prepaid Talk + Text + 1.5GB data plan from Freedom Mobile. Why we love it: For a limited time, Freedom Mobile has dropped this nationwide prepaid plan by five dollars. For $24 you get unlimited talk, text and 1.5GB of full-speed LTE data.
