On Sat, Sep 6, 2025 at 2:38 PM Karen Lewellen via Talk < talk@lists.gtalug.org> wrote:
As I may have to use them for the phone I am considering, was wondering if anyone has a stance?
I've used all four at one time or another. Rogers, Bell and Telus are all roughly equivalent, and within the tiers I mentioned they are fairly competitive. That is, Virgin Fido and Koodo are very similar in plans and features with each other, as are Lucky, Chatr and Public. Here are their main differences IMO: - Level of support. The Corporate plans all offer access to human support staff and a nationwide network of storefronts and kiosks. At the other extreme are the budget services such as Public which have zero human contact; all transactions are done online and support is provided by a user community (that is incentivized to help with discounts). - Phones and bundles. The top tiers will have all the flagship Apple and Samsung and Pixel toys first. At lower tiers you will see the Motrolas and Samsung A-series and TCLs and brands you don't recognize, and they are fine with you bringing in your phone and they just set up the SIM card. While only Bell Mobility (not Virgin or Lucky) will sell a Sonim <https://www.bell.ca/Mobility/Products/Sonim-XP5Plus> phone as part of a service plan, I believe it is supported on all Canadian carriers if you buy it elsewhere (worth confirming before you commit). - Call tower locations. For many people this may not matter but there are certainly spots in the city in which one carrier has distinctly better coverage than others because of where it has its towers. There are apps and websites that show tower location maps, and the relative strength closest to you might be a factor when choosing. I use Freedom which has fewer towers than the Big Three but one is close to my house and coverage elsewhere is good enough. - Evan