Canada GSM Band Coverage

[LAT]

Hi All,
I was wondering if anyone knows what the coverage is for the different GSM bands in Canada, Montreal more specifically, and whether you could get away with a 1900mhz only phone?
Also, what carriers in Canada have GSM services?
Thanks
Luis

[mpallo]

Hi All,
I was wondering if anyone knows what the coverage is for the different GSM bands in Canada, Montreal more specifically, and whether you could get away with a 1900mhz only phone?
Also, what carriers in Canada have GSM services?
Thanks
Luis

The two GSM carriers are FIDO (Microcell) and ROGERS. FIDO just recently became part of the ROGERS family.

FIDO is strictly 1900 and ROGERS is both 1900 and 850 GSM. You should be fine with just a 1900 phone in Montreal.

[ZaphodB]

Fido have excellent coverage in Montréal, and they are 1900-only.

Rogers are mostly 1900 in Montréal but there is some 850 in places like Repentigny, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and even some of the traditional dead spots in Laval.

[mpallo]

A bit off-topic, but anyone have a coverage breakdown for Ottawa?

I'll be there in a few weeks on T-Mobile with a 6590i 1900/850 compatible phone.

[LAT]

Thanks for the responses guys...

So what is the rest of Canada like wrt GSM coverage? Do most people use GSM phones or is CDMA much more common?

[Andy]

IMO and in my travel CDMA coverage in Toronto sucked.

[ShoresGuy]

A bit off-topic, but anyone have a coverage breakdown for Ottawa?

I'll be there in a few weeks on T-Mobile with a 6590i 1900/850 compatible phone.

Look here:

http://www.howardforums.com/forumdis...e=365&x=19&y=7

The posts there should give you some idea .

[ZaphodB]

Thanks for the responses guys...

So what is the rest of Canada like wrt GSM coverage? Do most people use GSM phones or is CDMA much more common?

BC: The whole Lower Mainland (i.e., Vancouver Metro), Penticton area, Kamloops/Kelowna area, and a tower in each town outside that area. The TC-1 is NOT covered when it goes through the mountains.

AB: Wonderful, near-total coverage funded by the province's oil money.

SK: Not as wonderful as Alberta, but still well-covered, and good coverage in the cities.

MB: Pretty much anywhere that's inhabited.

ON: The entire peninsula (Windsor, Kitchener, the GTA, St.-Catharine's, etc.) is covered, as is the 401 corridor up to Ottawa. Rural Ontario is covered only in spots, so the TC-1 has wide dead spots until it reaches the lower part of the province. Towns like Thunder Bay, Kenora, Timmins, Sault Ste Marie, Sudbury and Pembroke have coverage and some highway coverage.

PQ: Pretty much just everything along the St.-Lawrence river area and south (which is where everyone lives anyway). Coverage in Rouyn-Noranda (which should be part of Ontario anyway), and up the road to Jonquière. No coverage on the Gaspé, in Baie-Comeau, or anywhere north of Rimouski.

NB: Along the highways, in the thickly-settled parts of the province. This is really CDMA country here.

NS: Along the highways -- no coverage in the centre highlands.

PE: Pretty much just the south shore of the Island, and Charlottetown. You might get some coverage on the North Shore by accident, it's a very flat island.

NF: St. John's area only. No coverage in Labrador.

YT, NT, NU: no coverage.

[ShoresGuy]

So are YT, NT and NU using just analog?

[ZaphodB]

There is some CDMA on NMI Mobility, but it's pretty much limited to the towns up there. There's something like 175,000 people in Northern Canada, and most of them live in the major settlements (Prince Rupert, Hay River, Whitehorse, Ft Nelson, Ft Smith, Four Hundred Mile House, Inuvik, Iqaluit, Yellowknife and Frobisher Bay). If you're out on the roads (and there are damn few of those) you will need analog and there will still be dead spots. If you're out in the bush, you need a satellite phone. There's a LOT of wilderness out there.

Unfortunately NMI Mobility still use follow-me roaming and it costs quite a lot of money -- your provider will even charge you for incoming long-distance telephone calls while you're up there. It's just not pretty, but then again people up there don't use wireless phones for idle gabbing.

Ain't no GSM up there nohow.

[ShoresGuy]

I see, quite a different scenario from what we know.

[EdwardP]

Was in Montreal this past weekend, my T-Mobile roamed on both Fido and Rogers up there. Coverage and call quality were both excellent, T-Zones (mobile web browsing) worked everywhere. The 6010 displayed full signal (7 bars) just about everywhere, including inside the hotel room.

The majority of the time, the phone roamed on Fido, it was dependent on where in Montreal the phone was situated.

[RockLee110]

The two GSM carriers are FIDO (Microcell) and ROGERS. FIDO just recently became part of the ROGERS family.

FIDO is strictly 1900 and ROGERS is both 1900 and 850 GSM. You should be fine with just a 1900 phone in Montreal.

Hi, I was wondering if anybody could help me out here...I am currently in Korea and am planning on buying a phone here. Its the VK200C, and it runs on the GSM broadband. I'm not sure about the specs and I can't seem to find it on the internet.
Would someone be able to tell me weather the phone would work in Alberta, Canada? I know Fido and Rogers are GSM compatible, but if I changed the SIM card, would it work with Telus as well?
Please, any information on this topic would be very greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot

[Charlyee]

Hi, I was wondering if anybody could help me out here...I am currently in Korea and am planning on buying a phone here. Its the VK200C, and it runs on the GSM broadband. I'm not sure about the specs and I can't seem to find it on the internet.
Would someone be able to tell me weather the phone would work in Alberta, Canada? I know Fido and Rogers are GSM compatible, but if I changed the SIM card, would it work with Telus as well?
Please, any information on this topic would be very greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot

Hello and WELCOME to WA.

The VK200C, is actually a CDMA2000 1X (ITU approved 3G wireless communications standard that provides voice and data capabilities within a standard 1.25 MHz CDMA channel) phone.

Here are the Specifications for it.
Very nice phone btw.

Hope this helps.

[RockLee110]

Hello and WELCOME to WA.

The VK200C, is actually a CDMA2000 1X (ITU approved 3G wireless communications standard that provides voice and data capabilities within a standard 1.25 MHz CDMA channel) phone.

Here are the Specifications for it.
Very nice phone btw.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, it really helps especially now that I know its a CDMA phone. I was looking at the VK900, which is a GSM phone and apparantly got confused.
Just one more question though...does anyone know what broadband Telus Alberta uses? Im pretty sure its CDMA, because I know Fido and Rogers (the only other 2 companies in Alberta) have GSM support. Or is there another mode that im not aware of? Because if Telus has CDMA, I got use the VK200 with Telus in Canada, right? That would be the most ideal situation.

[Charlyee]

Here is the Telus Alberta website. Yes, they are CDMA and considering they say "Digital PCS", I am assuming they use the 1900 Mhz. band.


Since a CDMA phone is not be as easy as GSM phone where, if you get a unlocked phone you can use it with any GSM provider worlwide, you should check with Telus first before you get the phone to make sure it is compatible with their system.

Let us know what you decide.

HTH

[RockLee110]

Here is the Telus Alberta website. Yes, they are CDMA and considering they say "Digital PCS", I am assuming they use the 1900 Mhz. band.


Since a CDMA phone is not be as easy as GSM phone where, if you get a unlocked phone you can use it with any GSM provider worlwide, you should check with Telus first before you get the phone to make sure it is compatible with their system.

Let us know what you decide.

HTH

Hi again Charlyee, and once again thanks for the help. I'll probably buy the phone because its real cheap right now and I recently came into (coincidentally) the exact amount of money the phone costs.
But I do have a few more questions, if you or anybody on this forum would be able to help with. First, will Telus allow me to set up a plan with them knowing that the VK200C is not one of their exclusive phones, or will I have to go to Fido or Rogers? Do Fido and Rogers even have CDMA on top of the GSM support?
Since I'm on contract with Telus (but able to switch phones within the contract) the most ideal situation would be to pay the switch fee and use my VK200C while still within my Telus contract. However, I realize that's asking for quite a bit. The next best thing would be staying with Telus, but in reality, I don't care where I go just as long as I know my phone would work in Alberta, with any company.
Thanks for your help guys and girls

[Charlyee]

Hi again Charlyee, and once again thanks for the help. I'll probably buy the phone because its real cheap right now and I recently came into (coincidentally) the exact amount of money the phone costs.
But I do have a few more questions, if you or anybody on this forum would be able to help with. First, will Telus allow me to set up a plan with them knowing that the VK200C is not one of their exclusive phones, or will I have to go to Fido or Rogers? Do Fido and Rogers even have CDMA on top of the GSM support? ...........................Thanks for your help guys and girls

Hi RockLee110, I am glad I was able to help a little. About your questions:

!. You have to contact Telus directly, unless someone on the board is very familiar with Telus, I don't think anyone here can help with the answer. I know in the US the the cell providers can get real picky. I had a lot of problems getting Verizon to accept my Korean bought CDMA phone. I was eventually able to put in on Verizon but never got the web sessions fully implemented and so gave up and sold the phone on E Bay.

2. As far as I know Fido and Rogers are GSM only providers so no you will not be able to use the VK200C with either of them.

Telus is your only alternative for the VK200C, contact them and see what happens.

HTH

[ShoresGuy]

Hi again Charlyee, and once again thanks for the help. I'll probably buy the phone because its real cheap right now and I recently came into (coincidentally) the exact amount of money the phone costs.
But I do have a few more questions, if you or anybody on this forum would be able to help with. First, will Telus allow me to set up a plan with them knowing that the VK200C is not one of their exclusive phones, or will I have to go to Fido or Rogers? Do Fido and Rogers even have CDMA on top of the GSM support?
Since I'm on contract with Telus (but able to switch phones within the contract) the most ideal situation would be to pay the switch fee and use my VK200C while still within my Telus contract. However, I realize that's asking for quite a bit. The next best thing would be staying with Telus, but in reality, I don't care where I go just as long as I know my phone would work in Alberta, with any company.
Thanks for your help guys and girls

Hi RockLee,

Perhaps you could also get some help over at HoFo (Howard's Forums). If you haven't heard of it, it's a Canadian/US forum based in the GTA and there is a dedicated Telus forum over there as well.

http://telusmobility.howardforums.com

[Charlyee]

Hi RockLee,

Perhaps you could also get some help over at HoFo (Howard's Forums). If you haven't heard of it, it's a Canadian/US forum based in the GTA and there is a dedicated Telus forum over there as well.

http://telusmobility.howardforums.com

Excellent suggestion ShoresGuy, HoFo does have a Telus forum, which should be of great help.