r/CellPhoneCanada

Current deals at Public Mobile. For a $10 credit to your account at activation and free esim use ref code: 55z508

Other plans: $35 - 25 GB, $40 - 75 GB, $45 - 125 GB, $50 - 175 GB

publicmobile.ca

Fizz is expanding further into physical retail through a new partnership with EB Games Canada, launching an exclusive starter pack today at 140 participating stores.

The pack costs $25 and is aimed at new Fizz customers activating their first wireless plan. It includes a $75 credit toward the first bill, a one-time 100GB data bonus valid for 12 months, immediate access to Level 2 of Fizz's loyalty program, plus both a physical SIM card and an eSIM. Fizz says the total package represents more than $100 in value.

This isn't a traditional carrier-store setup. Customers buy the kit at EB Games, but still customize their plan and complete the activation themselves online. Fizz remains a fully digital carrier without in-store account activation or customer service.

There is also an important geographic limitation. Although EB Games operates nationally, Fizz mobile subscriptions are currently available only in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia, and customers still need to live within an eligible Fizz subscription area.

Fizz already sells regular SIM cards through retailers including Circle K, Couche-Tard and Jean Coutu. The EB Games deal goes considerably further by turning the retail package itself into a customer-acquisition offer, clearly targeting gamers and younger wireless customers rather than simply providing another place to buy a SIM.

Sources & more: Fizz / CNW

VirginMobile is cancelling prepaid service in Jan 2027. I'm on a yearly plan prepaid and that's what I'm looking for. I've searched around and Koodo prepaid $100/365 days is the cheapest option I could find (Freedom and SpeakOut are not available to me).

1. How is Koodo cell service in Quebec (not concerned about data, I don't use data)?
2. How is Koodo customer service? It seems like it's nearly impossible to get a hold of them. For some reason, customer me service online chat does not load for me.
3. Do unused talk and text carry over or rollover to the renewed plan?
4. How do I port a number safely without losing my number?
5. Is there any hidden fee I should be aware of as a new customer, other than buying a Koodo SIM card (sad that my phone doesn't support eSIM)? Ex: activation fee? porting fee? Other weird fees?
6. Is Black Friday the best time to look for the best deals?
7. Is there a better option for me put there without other providers? I'm looking for a yearly prepaid plan.

The CRTC has rejected a request from Ztar Mobile Canada to regain access to Rogers' phone-number porting system, potentially closing one of the last paths for former SpeakOut, Good2Go Mobile and Ztar Mobile customers who failed to move their numbers before the old service was disconnected.

Ztar historically operated those prepaid brands using Rogers' network. Rogers first notified Ztar in late 2024 that their resale agreement would end, and after several extensions finally disconnected Ztar from its network on December 11, 2025. Rogers temporarily kept Ztar's porting-system access available until January 22, 2026.

Ztar later asked the CRTC to force Rogers to restore that access, arguing that as many as 30,000 to 40,000 disconnected numbers could still be affected. Without the old porting pathway, customers who didn't migrate in time may no longer be able to transfer or recover the number they previously used.

The CRTC rejected that request. It found that Rogers gave Ztar sufficient notice, fulfilled its contractual obligations and followed Canada's existing number-porting rules, which generally require a phone number to remain active when a customer initiates a transfer.

There is an important complication: some of those disconnected numbers may already have returned to Rogers' inventory or been reassigned. Rogers also told the CRTC that the vast majority had seen no calls, texts or data activity during the 90 days before disconnection, so the Commission concluded that preserving tens of thousands of numbers indefinitely would create its own problems.

The decision does not mean current SpeakOut customers are being disconnected. SpeakOut has moved to an upgraded network and continues to offer migration for eligible customers. This ruling primarily affects people who remained on the former Rogers-based service and did not successfully migrate or port their number before the old connection disappeared.

Sources & more: CRTC 2026-211 / SpeakOut Wireless

A new Best Buy Canada study suggests second-life electronics are becoming mainstream: 63% of Canadians say they purchased refurbished, open-box or traded-in technology in the past year.

There is an important distinction in that number. The 63% figure combines three different categories , refurbished products, open-box items and trade-ins ,so it should not be read as saying that nearly two-thirds of Canadians specifically bought refurbished devices.

Younger Canadians are leading the shift. Best Buy says 71% of Gen Z purchased some form of recirculated technology in the past year, compared with 65% of millennials and Gen X and 55% of boomers. Saving money was the biggest reason across generations, while environmental impact ranked particularly high among Gen Z and millennials.

For refurbished products specifically, wireless devices were the most popular category, followed by laptops, computers, tablets and game consoles. Best Buy says refurbished electronics typically save around 40% compared with original retail pricing, while open-box products average around 28% savings.

The survey also points to a stronger back-to-school angle. Quebec and Ontario respondents were the most price-conscious in Canada, and 84% of parents said they had either traded in technology or considered doing so when replacing a device.

The numbers come from a Best Buy Canada survey of 1,500 adult members of the Angus Reid Forum conducted July 17–21, 2026. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of that size would carry a margin of error of ±2.53 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Sources & more: Best Buy Canada / Business Wire

That’s a pretty good deal, check your bell accounts.

Canada's phone-locking fight just took a major turn. The CRTC has officially launched Telecom Notice of Consultation 2026-210, opening a new public proceeding over device unlocking and carrier compliance with the Wireless Code.

But the biggest immediate change is already in effect: the CRTC has temporarily suspended part of the rule requiring phones to be sold unlocked. Any Canadian wireless provider can now sell a device in a locked state, provided it is automatically unlocked within two business days of purchase. Customers must also be able to request an immediate unlock at no charge.

That is very different from the 60-day model being pursued by TELUS and already used by Bell. The CRTC is specifically requiring Bell to show cause why its practice of locking devices for 60 days from April 23, 2025 through August 14, 2026 should not be considered a violation of the Wireless Code.

If the CRTC ultimately finds Bell in violation, the Commission says it will also consider enforcement measures. Under the Telecommunications Act, a corporation can face an administrative monetary penalty of up to $10 million for a violation, with additional potential liability for directors or officers involved.

TELUS's separate application for permission to introduce a 60-day lock has not been approved. Instead, the CRTC is asking TELUS to confirm by August 21 whether it still wants to pursue that application in light of today's new proceeding and temporary industry-wide rules.

Public interventions in CRTC 2026-210 are due September 14, with replies due September 24. The temporary two-business-day locking regime will remain in place until the CRTC reaches a decision in its broader proceeding to harmonize Canada's consumer protection codes.

Sources & more: CRTC 2026-210 / CRTC staff letter on TELUS's 60-day application / CRTC Wireless Code