Before you start

Photo identification
A Canadian 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
Start on prepaid or a flanker brand
Public Mobile, Fido, Koodo, Virgin and Lucky Mobile run on the major networks at lower prices and without the credit friction of a flagship postpaid plan. Starting here avoids a deposit and gives you time to build a score.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
2
Expect a credit check or a deposit for postpaid
A postpaid plan is a credit product in Canada. Without history you will be asked for a deposit, often several hundred dollars, refunded after a period of good payment. This is normal rather than a sign of a problem.
In personWho: You
3
If you live in Gatineau, check Quebec pricing
Vidéotron and its digital brand Fizz operate in Quebec and have kept prices there the lowest in Canada. A Gatineau billing address gets you those plans. This is one of the more concrete financial differences between the two sides of the river.
OnlineWho: 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
Ottawa has Bell fibre and Rogers cable across most of the city, plus independent resellers on the same infrastructure. In some buildings only one 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 here.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

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

Things most newcomers don’t know

A Gatineau address gets you Quebec mobile pricing, which is the cheapest in Canada.

Vidéotron built its own wireless network in Quebec, giving that province a genuine fourth competitor at a time when the rest of Canada had three, and the national carriers price against it there and not in Ontario. The billing address is what determines eligibility. For a household already weighing the two sides of the river, it is a small but real item on the Quebec side of the ledger.

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 or Asia, 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. Starting on prepaid or a flanker brand sidesteps it entirely and costs less anyway.

Source: community-reported

The flanker brands run on the same towers as their expensive parents.

Koodo is Telus, Fido is Rogers, Virgin is Bell, and Public Mobile and Lucky sit below them again. Coverage on a flanker brand is the parent network's coverage. Paying flagship prices buys customer service, roaming bundles and device subsidies rather than better signal, and for most people that is not worth the difference.

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