GSM Providers in Toronto

April 21, 2007 8:11 PM

I'm trying to get the best and cheapest GSM service in Toronto with the shortest contract.... Are there any GSM cell service providers here besides Rogers/Fido? Or, are there any companies that offer their own service on Rogers network the way, say, Virgin uses Bell's network? Thank you.
posted by Manhasset to technology (6 comments total)

Cityfone is a reseller of Rogers' service (as Virgin is to Bell). I don't know of any others. There is no other GSM network.
posted by winston at 8:28 PM on April 21, 2007

Thanks winston. Do you have an opinion on Cityfone?
posted by Manhasset at 8:31 PM on April 21, 2007

Other than the fact that they exist, I know absolutely nothing about them
posted by winston at 8:50 PM on April 21, 2007

Petrocan mobile
AFAIK they are also a rogers reseller. I've heard good things but no experience myself.
posted by Umhlangan at 8:27 AM on April 22, 2007

Why not just pick-up an unbranded GSM phone and go month-to-month with Rogers? Only costs me $30 a month. Not sure if you'll get cheaper than that.
posted by purephase at 8:37 AM on April 22, 2007

Well, the cheapest GSM service is Pay-as-You-Go, from either Rogers or Fido, with, as purephase suggested - an unlocked GSM phone. Of course, you don't get a lot of minutes, but you also can't get a shorter contract. Stop paying, and your service ends. The advantages, if you don't make a lot of calls, are the much lower cost ($10 plus tax per month) and the fact that if you continue to pay every month, the unused money carries forward. There are no network access charges, so a few calls a month will result in a significant buffer of funds should you need to make a long call/lots of calls in a short period. You can also top up at anytime to account for short term usage differences.

I've had a FIDO PAYG phone for myself and another for my wife for about 6 years - for less than the cost of a single contract, we've both had cellphones to use (always purchased from eBay - I currently use a Treo 650, she an LG 1400) and they have an automatic renewal system available to remove the worry of forgetting to pay monthly, thus losing the accumulated funds.
posted by birdsquared at 5:58 PM on April 22, 2007