One of the first tasks that newly arrived immigrants have to solve is connecting to telecommunication services. If only because without a phone and access to the Internet it is quite difficult to get used to an unfamiliar country. How to connect the Internet, mobile communication and television in Canada in 2024.
Companies providing telecommunication services in Canada
The market for telecommunications services in Canada is controlled by a limited number of major players that offer almost the entire range of services. In the province of Ontario, these companies are Rogers, Bell and to some extent Telus. These companies offer a full range of telecommunications services, including landline phone, mobile phone and mobile internet, landline internet and television. All three mentioned companies offer almost a similar set of services and compete with each other.
The telecommunications market belongs to the sphere of national security, therefore there are no foreign operators in the Canadian market, including those from the USA – none of the major American telecommunications companies operate in the Canadian market. Undoubtedly, this reduces competition in the Canadian market, and the cost of telecommunications services in Canada is one of the highest among other developed countries. True, the quality of these services is one of the best in the world.
The main player in this market can be considered the Rogers company, which began its history with broadcasting and the development of cable television. Currently, the company owns almost all cable networks in Greater Toronto, which provide access to the Internet. It is also one of the main mobile operators.
Another telecommunications giant is the Bell company, whose history begins in the telephone service. For a long time, this company held a monopoly position in the province of Ontario in the field of telephone communication. Later, Bell expanded its range of services, and now broadcasts television via satellite, acts as an Internet provider and is one of the largest wireless operators.
Another telecommunications giant is Telus. It began as a telephone operator, which held a monopoly position in the western provinces of Canada. In the province of Ontario, the company is represented as one of the largest wireless operators. These three companies can be considered national as they operate across Canada. Smaller telecommunications companies also operate in certain regions and provinces.
Internet connection in Canada
In Greater Toronto, only two companies provide Internet access – Bell and Rogers. In the first case, DSL communication through telephone wires is used. In the second case, a television cable is used to transmit the signal.
Both technologies have their pros and cons, but in general, both of them provide stable high-speed Internet. You can either buy or rent a modem for connecting to the network from the company through which you connect to the Internet. You can connect to the service of any of these companies in specialized offices located in large shopping centers (malls) or in large plazas (areas where shops are concentrated).
Recently, newly built condominiums in the central part of the city also began to offer Internet from another telecommunications giant, Telus. There are also a number of smaller companies operating within Greater Toronto Area that resell the traffic they buy from Rogers and Bell and sell to their customers.
Internet prices from such companies are usually lower, with virtually the same quality as from Bell and Rogers, but technical support is far from always at the same level as that of large companies. Mobile Internet, which is offered by all wireless operators, is increasingly becoming an alternative to DSL and cable Internet.
Phone connection in Canada
Today, the traditional wired telephone is being actively replaced by mobile communications and IP telephony, and many families and businesses are abandoning the wired telephone. However, many people still continue to use the classic phone, because it has a number of advantages – in particular, it works even when the electricity in the house is removed.
Classic telephone service is provided within Toronto by only one company – Bell.
You can order a phone in any of the offices of this company, which are located, as a rule, in all large shopping centers – malls. When you sign up for Bell phone service, you choose the extra features you’d like to have on your phone. You can also order multiple phone lines (for example, so that individual family members have their own separate phone), multiple phone numbers (for individual family members), etc.
In addition to the classic Bell telephone service, there are also offers from companies that provide IP telephony in the Toronto market. First of all, Rogers, the main competitor of Bell, can be noted among them. There are also a number of smaller companies that offer VoIP communication at lower prices.
You should also be aware that there are several area codes in Greater Toronto Area. In Toronto (i.e. in the municipal urban area), the codes are 416, 647 and 437. In the suburbs that are part of Greater Toronto but not part of the municipal Toronto, the codes are 905, 289 and 365.
Since at first there was only one code for municipal Toronto, 416, and for the suburbs 905, for this reason the city of Toronto is often called the “416 zone” and the suburbs – the “905 zone”. Calls within the “416” area, as well as between the “416 area” and the “905 area” are local, that is, they are free. Calls within the “905” zone are free only if they are made within the same suburb. In the event that calls are made between different suburbs of the “905 zone”.
It should be noted that this rule only applies to wired communications, for mobile communications all calls within Greater Toronto Area are considered local.
Wireless (mobile) communication in Canada
Within Greater Toronto, wireless (mobile) telephone and Internet access services are offered by three major operators – Rogers, Bell and Telus. In fact, all three companies offer a similar service. Each of the three telecom giants has subsidiaries that offer budget service and cheaper plans. Rogers controls Fido, Telus controls Koodo, Bell controls Virgin.
In addition to these three operators, since 2009 Globalive has also been operating on the Canadian market under the Wind brand, but it is significantly inferior to the three giants both in terms of coverage and quality of communication. Cellular also offers a number of large companies that are not in the telecommunications business themselves, but that resell the services of Rogers, Bell and Telus, packaging them in convenient prepaid packages.
In particular, such services as PC Mobile or Petro-Canada Mobility can be mentioned. Promotional SIM-cards of these services can be bought in chain stores or gas stations of these companies.
In that case, if you buy a plan from one or another company, and sign up for 2 years, you can get the most advanced phones at a very deep discount – for example, a phone that costs about $750-$950, you can get it for $200-$250. or free at all. All telephones that the company sells to you, although tied to the services of this company, are all unlocked, that is, they can be used with any other company.
In addition to kiosks of telecommunications companies, you can buy telephones of almost all available models that will work in Canada with local operators, in small specialized stores, especially in Chinese shopping centers. In particular, the best place for this is the Pacific Mall. It is also worth mentioning that when you switch from one company to another, the phone number remains with you, that is, it is fixed to you until you give it up yourself.
Cell phone numbers in the Greater Toronto Area have the same area codes as landline phones. This is also the reason why Torontonians prefer cell phones to traditional phones – even if you live in the suburbs, you can have a number with a 416 area code and be able to call any of the suburbs at long-distance rates.
TV in Canada
Television in Canada operates in a digital format, and the majority of programs are broadcast in the “high definition” format. To receive TV programs, you need either a separate digital receiver (HD receiver to be able to watch programs in High Definition format), or a TV with a built-in receiver. In particular, for at least the last 15 years, all televisions have a built-in HDTV receiver.
The main Canadian programs can be received within the city on a remote antenna. Moreover, we are talking about programs transmitted in HD format.
Other ways of receiving a television signal are cable television and satellite television. Within Greater Toronto, the cable signal is provided by telecommunications giants Rogers and Bell, but Rogers remains the main player in this market. Satellite television, which has long been an alternative to cable television, is now losing popularity, and the only company that continues to provide such a service is Bell, which operates in this segment under the Bell TV brand.
Long distance and international calls
In Toronto, in addition to the actual seven-digit phone number, you must always first dial the area code of the subscriber you are calling. For example, you call a caller with a number of 666-7777 who lives within Toronto in the 416 area, in which case you would dial 416-666-7777.
All of North America has a single telephone area. A call to any city in North America from Toronto (and to Toronto from another city) is considered a long distance call. In order to call any city in North America, you should:
- dial 1 code for North America
- dial the region code
- dial the subscriber’s phone number
For example, to call 666-7777 from New York to Toronto, you would dial 1-416-666-7777.
In order to call another country, you should do the following:
- dial code 011 (exit code outside North America)
- dial the code of the country to which you are calling
- dial the city code to which you are calling
- dial the number of the subscriber
If you need emergency help (medical, police, or fire), you should call 911. Calling 911 from a public phone is free. If you need urgent help, you can also call free of charge from the public phone at number 0. In this case, an operator will talk to you, to whom you can explain your situation.
A number of companies and services in North America have toll-free phone numbers. This means that from any city you did not call, the call will be free for you. Toll-free phones start with the code 8XX. Enter 1 before the area code (example: 1-888-666-8888).
Some toll-free numbers are valid only in Canada or only in the US — that is, you can call the specified number if you are in the US, but you cannot call from Canada. A number of companies have toll-free business numbers for which you must pay special rates (for example, $10 per minute or a one-time charge of $50). Be careful with these phone numbers. Very often, such numbers are used for fraudulent collection of money.
Finally, international tariffs, especially for mobile communications, are quite expensive in Canada. Therefore, it makes sense to use the services of companies that sell time for long-distance negotiations at low prices, with them the cost of a minute can cost only a few cents. Well, of course, it is best to use Internet messengers, in this case you will not have to pay for international negotiations.