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
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, particularly for phones bought in Europe or Asia.
OnlineWho: You
4
Check what your building is wired for before choosing an internet provider
In much of Vancouver you can choose between Telus fibre, Shaw or Rogers cable, and a set of independent resellers on the same infrastructure. In some buildings only one of those actually reaches the suite. Ask the landlord or the strata before signing a service contract.
OnlineWho: You
5
Look at the independent internet resellers
Smaller providers resell wholesale access on the incumbent networks at meaningfully lower prices with comparable speeds. They are less known and require slightly more self-service, and they are the standard way to avoid overpaying for home internet in Canada.
OnlineWho: You
6
Watch for promotional pricing expiring
Canadian telecom pricing is heavily promotional and reverts quietly after the promotional 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 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 a phone contract. In Canada the carrier is extending you credit and will check for it. Newcomers with no file are asked for a deposit that can run into hundreds of dollars, refunded after a year of payments. Starting on prepaid or a flanker brand sidesteps this 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

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

Vancouver looks competitive on paper — fibre, cable and a set of resellers. In practice a given apartment building may only be wired for one of them, and strata rules can prevent a new provider running cable. Ask the landlord or the strata council which providers currently serve the suite before signing anything, because discovering it after moving in leaves you with no leverage.

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 without any notification. Calling to renegotiate at that point is completely normal here and retention departments exist precisely for it. Diarising the end date of every promotion is the difference between Canadian telecom being expensive and being absurd.

Source: community-reported