Just wanted to share some frustrations and open this up for discussion.
Unlike in Europe or parts of Asia, Canada has virtually no true pay-as-you-go (PAYG) mobile plans. Most so-called “prepaid” or “PAYG” options here are just monthly bundles with expiry dates — not actual usage-based billing. You’re often paying $15–30/month whether you use 100 MB or not at all.
To make things worse:
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The minimum postpaid plan is now often 60 GB or more — which is total overkill for average users who don’t stream or game constantly.
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Vacation suspensions are restricted or unavailable unless you upgrade to expensive plans and limited to a minimum of 30 days.
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Text-to-911 is still not available to the general public, only for those registered as Deaf or hard of hearing — despite many emergency scenarios (hostage, abuse, low signal) where calling isn’t possible.
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CRTC and CCTS don’t help. The CRTC says they can’t intervene in pricing or service terms, and the CCTS (per Section 4.3) won’t challenge carrier policies themselves.
Please note that I’m not asking for charity or free service — just fairer options that reflect actual usage, more flexible policies, and access to emergency support.
Has anyone here had better experiences with MVNOs or alternatives? And why do we seem so far behind compared to other countries?
I agree totally with what you said! . If you don’t search for deals or negotiate, you will get a basic plan, which worth nothing. How about new providers coming in Canada, and a year later or so is leaving or bought by Rogers or Bell. They killed competition and now they control everything! Who is going to control them? This monopoly kills everything.
I also want to add phones, we stuck buying Samsung, Apple, Motorola and One plus, any other phones like the nothing phone, most likely won’t work, because of bands. I want to be able to buy a mid tier phone, and not a crappy Motorola or an expensive Samsung.
edit: And now they going to shut down 3G, because as far I know it costs for them!