Cell Phone in Canada

[Scheinin]

I am going to Alaska by way of Canada. I am on AT&T, but their Canada plan is expensive. I went to T-Mobile who has a good price, but they say my I Phone 6 is not compatible with their system. I find this hard to believe. I am now in Montana. Any one in Montana have T-Mobile using an I Phone 6?

[B and B]

Different band.Will not work. In rural areas you might see 4G but data speeds might be 2G or EDVO speed. In fact ATT was your best choice. I roam for $5 per day on ATT in US for a maximum of $50 a month. My regular phone bill for two phones and 6 gb of data on Robbers is $180 a month. Single phone is $120 a month.

[doc73]

We used verizon last trip into CA. It was $30 for the month I think and everything worked as it should have.

[Jmkjr72]

Unlike the rest for the world where you can swap a card to change carriers each company in thenus pretty much has their own phones. What I used to do was buy unlocked phones from Europe off of eBay that way I could just put the SIM card of the carrier I wanted in

[5er_tom]

We have Verizon. Since we travel a lot, we have the 16GIG data plan. Voice service in Canada is included at no extra charge.

[Carl17]

ROGERS CANADA CELL SERVICE IS ATT U.S. OUR PHONE TURNS OVER AUTOMATICALLY WHEN WE CROSS OVER FROM U.S. TO CANADA . THATS IN ONTARIO CA. TO ,NEW YORK CANT SAY ABOUT REST OF CANADA.

[BandJCarm]

GSM vs. CDMA. Two completely different technologies.

Buy an unlocked phone and stick whoever's SIM card in it, that you want. Then buy their plan. But beware, most plans have a minimum time limit you have to sign up for. You can also get on ATT's website and they'll guide you through how to unlock your own smartphone. It's not 'verbotten' anymore.

Cell phones are highly expensive things.

[rvrobocop]

VZW service has been improving over the last 5 years, at least in Ontario from the border north a few hours.

[Goat Man]

We are hoping to head to Alaska too. I went on AT&T website, and they said I was already covered.

[dahagen]

On my trip up the Alaska Hiway a few years ago I had Verizon. Calls without the Canada plan were pricey. I now have T-mobile (NO contract) with Canada and Mexico at no extra charge. BTW...when I changed from Verizon 15 gig plan to T-mobile unlimited gig 55+ program I saved $40/month. I have two phones and went from flip-phones to smart phones.

[TheGerman]

Sounds like baloney ... There are only two models of the iphone 6 in the US, A1549 works for all carriers except Sprint which uses A1586. A1549 was the model Apple sold unlocked to activate with any carrier (except Sprint...).
In any case both AT&T and T-mobile run GSM networks, it might be that the OPs phone still has a carrier lock although subsidized phones went away around that time.

Correction: A1586 was the unlocked model from Apple which covered all US carriers.
https://appleinsider.com/articles/15...-6-plus-models

[Kaadk]

Originally Posted by Scheinin

I am going to Alaska by way of Canada. I am on AT&T, but their Canada plan is expensive. I went to T-Mobile who has a good price, but they say my I Phone 6 is not compatible with their system. I find this hard to believe. I am now in Montana. Any one in Montana have T-Mobile using an I Phone 6?

This is probably quite true. There are two major cell phone technologies out there, CDMA and GSM. ATT uses GSM.

Apple makes 2 kinds of iPhones, to support the 2 kinds of technology. They have different radios in them to work with the different bands. (Technically, there's more to it than that, but for this discussion, let's refer to them as just two separate phones.) Since you have an ATT phone, it only works on GSM and doesn't have the necessary radioes to work with CDMA.

But, let's step back and look at what you're looking for. Is it just basic cell coverage while you travel through Canada? So, like, maybe a week or two's worth? Perhaps you just need to get ATT to unlock your phone, then you can pick up a pay as you go phone from a compatible provider in Canada. Among the big 3, Rogers is the GSM provider, so take a look here: https://www.rogers.com/web/content/w...er#,Tabset1--1

If it's really just an emergency use thing, then you can go as low as $10 for a month's access.

[Jeff from Burlington Ont]

I am in Canada and travel into the US.. as soon as I go over the border it switches from Rogers to ATT.. it then sends me text where i can get a US usage plan.. But with Rogers, we pay a little more ($30) for the month we are traveling. It is called "Roam Like Home" and we just use the smart phones normally and everything is coverd

Call ATT in advance and ask them what plans they have.

[JerryR]

You've been given bad info from someone it T-Mobile. As others have said, both T-Mobile and AT&T use GSM technology, at least in the states. A look at https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phones...7QGF8N5L3B5877 tells me that the T-Mobile offers an iPhone 6s, at least for their new USA customers. I used an iPhone 4s a couple of years ago... it was an old one from AT&T and I got a cheap plan from Rogers (or one of their subsidiaries, I am not sure cuz I looked at serveral plans) for the month or so I was in and about New Brunswick, since AT&T wanted me to pay extra (a LOT) to be able to make calls for $1 a minute or something stupid like that.

[Cypressloser]

If you're in MT and are planning to travel to AK you will probably drive through Alberta, (Northern) BC and Yukon.
Most likely the best reception will be on Telus and Bell, Rogers sucks outside the the big cities, don't put to much trust in the coverage maps.
Your best bet is, unless your phone is unlocked, to buy a cheap unlocked phone and find out what Bell and Telus have to offer in no contract, pay as you go plans. You may also want to invest in a cell signal booster since service is weak in remote areas and in the mountains.

[wnelsonfl]

Use t-mobile in Canada no extra charges. I have a GSM Phone. ATT tried to bankrupt me that's why I switched.

PS $50 per month all-in. Unlimited everything

[B and B]

Originally Posted by Cypressloser

If you're in MT and are planning to travel to AK you will probably drive through Alberta, (Northern) BC and Yukon.
Most likely the best reception will be on Telus and Bell, Rogers sucks outside the the big cities, don't put to much trust in the coverage maps.
Your best bet is, unless your phone is unlocked, to buy a cheap unlocked phone and find out what Bell and Telus have to offer in no contract, pay as you go plans. You may also want to invest in a cell signal booster since service is weak in remote areas and in the mountains.

Exactly, Tmobile roaming is a bottom feeder and Telus/Bell is CDMA mostly. ATT has the best agreement in Canada for US carriers

[Cypressloser]

Originally Posted by B and B

Exactly, Tmobile roaming is a bottom feeder and Telus/Bell is CDMA mostly. ATT has the best agreement in Canada for US carriers

Our Bell (LG5 & LG6) phones are both GSM by default, set to auto switch to CDMA where GSM is not available.
My understanding is that the major carriers have converted to GSM some time ago.

https://www.whistleout.ca/CellPhones...ll-phone-plans

This is where my limited knowledge regarding cellphone technology ends

[gordonsick]

I live in Canada and have Fido/Rogers for my phone.

But, I have T-mobile for my iPad on a monthly pay as you go. I buy as much as I want when I travel. I use the T-mobile in the US and Canada and it works better in Canada than the US, because there are some places in the US where there is no T-Mobile service. But, when I use T-Mobile in Canada, it will use whatever network it can find, not just one network.

When the T-Mobile is using Bell or Telus in Canada, it is on 3GS or LTE. I'm not sure, but I think that CDMA is only 2G and lower. LTE is definitely the same on a CDMA or GSM phone, and it may also be that 3GS is as well.

BTW, I can also tether my other devices to the T-mobile on the iPad, which is something that the T-mobile rep told me wouldn't work. So, don't trust the limitations that they claim.

–Gordon

[formerFR]

just change your service plan to Unlimited Plus and you'll have unlimited service while you are there, and can change back to your 'regular' plan, if you wish, when you return... works great. Went all thru Canada, Alaska, and back into the states via Montana and Idaho before returning to GA... liked it so much we just kept it!