Before you start

Photo identification
A Quebec address
A credit check or a deposit, for postpaid plans
An unlocked handset — all phones sold in Canada have been unlocked since 2017

Step-by-step

1
Compare Vidéotron and Fizz before the national carriers
Vidéotron runs its own network in Quebec and Fizz is its low-cost digital brand. Between them they are why Quebec mobile prices are the lowest in Canada. Start here rather than at a Rogers or Bell counter.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
2
Start on prepaid or a flanker brand if you have no credit file
Fizz, Public Mobile, Fido, Koodo and Virgin avoid the deposit that a flagship postpaid plan will demand from someone with no Canadian history, and cost less regardless.
OnlineWho: You
3
Expect a credit check or a deposit for postpaid
A postpaid plan is a credit product in Canada. Without a file you will be asked for a deposit, often several hundred dollars, refunded after a period of good payment. This is standard rather than a sign of a problem.
In personWho: You
4
Bring your own unlocked handset
Every phone sold in Canada has been unlocked since 2017, and bringing your own avoids a device financing agreement bundled into the plan. Confirm band compatibility for phones bought in Europe or Asia.
OnlineWho: You
5
Check what your building is wired for before choosing internet
Most of Montreal has both Bell fibre and Vidéotron cable available, plus independent resellers on the same infrastructure. In some triplexes and older buildings only one actually reaches the unit. Ask the landlord before signing a service contract.
OnlineWho: You
6
Watch for promotional pricing expiring
Canadian telecom pricing is heavily promotional and reverts quietly after the term. Diarise the end date and call to renegotiate — retention offers are real and asking for them is entirely normal.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Photo identification
Quebec address
Credit check consent or a deposit
Banking details for pre-authorised payment

Things most newcomers don’t know

Quebec has the cheapest mobile prices in Canada, and there is a specific reason.

Vidéotron built and operates its own wireless network in Quebec rather than reselling, which gave the province a genuine fourth competitor at a time when the rest of Canada had three. The national carriers price against it here and not elsewhere. The practical consequence is that a plan in Montreal can cost meaningfully less than the identical plan in Toronto, and newcomers comparing against Canada-wide figures underestimate how much they can save.

Source: community-reported

A postpaid phone plan is a credit product, and without a score you pay a deposit.

This surprises almost everyone arriving from Europe, where a phone contract is just a contract. In Canada the carrier is extending credit and checks for it. Newcomers with no file are asked for a deposit running into hundreds of dollars, refunded after a year. Fizz and the other prepaid-style brands sidestep it entirely and cost less anyway.

Source: community-reported

Which internet provider you can get is a property of the building, not the address.

Montreal's older triplexes and walk-ups are not uniformly wired, and while the street may have both fibre and cable, your particular unit may only be reachable by one. Landlords know and will tell you if asked. Discovering it after moving in leaves you with no leverage and sometimes no realistic second option.

Source: community-reported

Promotional pricing reverting is the largest avoidable cost in Canadian telecom.

Both mobile and internet are sold on promotional rates that expire after a set term and revert to list price with no notification. Calling to renegotiate is completely normal here and retention departments exist for exactly that. Diarising the end date of every promotion is the difference between Canadian telecom being expensive and being absurd.

Source: community-reported