Phone service in Canada has long been amongst the most expensive in the world.
This is mostly because there are only 3 main companies!
Bell, Rogers, Telus.
It’s expected they act together to raise prices at the same time.
Also, you always had to call in, and sit on the phone for a long time. And people complained a lot about the wait times. It’s just not a good way of doing things, it wastes everyone’s time honestly.
Well around ten years ago, there was a great idea to make a phone company that is completely self-service. That meant NO call center, with the promise that any and all issues were to be resolved ONLINE.
And so Public Mobile was born in 2009.
I’ve used Public Mobile since 2017, and been loving it.
So much that I convinced my family and relatives, that’s over 20 people!
Table of Contents
Pros & Cons
- Affordable plans and easy to switch
- Great coverage Telus network
- 5G speed up to 250mbps
- No contract
- No surprise data charge, because prepaid
- Everything is online, you're in control
- No wifi calling yet (Public Mobile is working on it!)
- Customer Support could be easier to navigate
- No phones offered
Pricing
Prices are pretty competitive, especially since 2023. Boxing day 2023 deals were very strong, offering 30GB for $29.
While other providers try to nickel and dime you (I recall Fido charging $5 only for caller ID, that was such a rip-off), Public Mobile plans mostly include everything else like Canada-wide calling, texting, voicemail and caller ID.
Promotions, Promo Codes, Discount Codes and Referral Codes
While Public Mobile does not usually offer promo codes, they have a referral program where you can get $10 credit when you signup. It is applied 24 hours after you sign up, so it goes towards your second bill.
In the past, it did happen that Public Mobile offered $25 instead of $10. But I believe it’s been over a year since that’s happen.
Otherwise, Public Mobile has mostly focused on offering very competitive plans.
I’ve seen Public Mobile match Fido and Freedom offers in 2023, so I expect them to remain competitive in 2024.
Customer Service
Everything is online, mostly self-serve: managing your plan, billing, etc.
Personally, I find that awesome, because I don’t need to call in and wait on the phone for hours.
Plus I don’t like being dependent on someone else, sometimes for things as trivial as a plan change. I love being in control, and having a fully-functional dashboard gives me control.
For the few times I needed support, I found the way to obtain it, and my issues were resolved efficiently.
Though for certain people that can’t figure it out, this is a pain point, of course.
Go more in-depth on how to get quick customer service at Public Mobile.
Features
Pretty much all standard features are available on every plan:
- Call Display, Voicemail, Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, and Conference Calling
- Unlimited Canada-wide minutes
- Unlimited USA-wide minutes (optional)
- SMS + MMS + international SMS
- USA roaming (optional)
Most 5G plans come with unlimited data, which actually means that when you run through all your allotted data, you can still use data, but at a reduced speed of 512kbps. At least I can check email and even watch YouTube at 360p! It’s kind of like a data insurance, making sure you won’t be left high and dry!
Wifi Calling is not currently available, but I hear Public Mobile is actively working on developing the feature. ETA is currently in the later half of 2024, but that could change.
Network
The network is great, as this is the exact same network as Telus. 4G/LTE is provided mostly everywhere in Canada. 5G is offered in large cities like Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal. Of course, eventually 5G will replace 4G.
In mid-2023, Public Mobile rolled out a big update with new branding and 5G technology.
A note on Speed: 4G/LTE and 5G
Public Mobile refers to technical terms like 4GLTE and 5G, saying 4GLTE is limited 100mbps, while 5G is limited to 250mbps.
Well, that is solely the limits they imposed on their plans (because otherwise 4GLTE and 5G can both reach speeds upwards of 500mbps!)
Did you know that only 20mbps is needed to stream 4K on YouTube?
This is why I recommend 4GLTE for 99% of people.
