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What can you say about Fido's service?

I got a Fido and I'm not sure if I should switch companies or not. Everybody usually has something bad or good to say about each other carrier so, I'm just curious to know what anybody else would think?




I have been with fido for 6 years and live in Collingwood, 90 miles N/W of Toronto, it works great, the unlimited package 65/ month is all I need, my friends have rogers and telus, and Bell and they all get dropped calls where I live, we just need a new tower.


I've been a subscriber of Rogers, Bell, and Telus in the last 3 years, but Rogers is the only one I have kept throughout the 3 year period. I know of Fido so I think I can speak to it as well.

Fido on its own has traditionally been better in the Metro Toronto but not much beyond that, Mississauga excluded. This may change now that it has been merged with Rogers. Fido operates primarily on a 1900 Mhz frequency... that means good quality signal. Because the higher you go the shorter distance the signal can travel under the same power, a smaller frequency is also enabled at 900 Mhz to cover areas the 1900 cannot reach.

Rogers uses 850 Mhz/1900 Mhz with what is my experience an emphasis on 850... this is likely to ensure that they have larger network coverage (you need fewer towers as 850 is more far-reaching). With the Fido takeover/merger, Rogers is using at no extra cost to its customers the Fido network as well, which is largely 1900. This means that you have the best overall network in Canada. I can be 3 levels in an underground parking lot and still maintain a steady conversation. Rogers' network's main weakness seems to be a combination of environmental and network overuse. Rogers is so big that at busy times of the day (both rush hours), it is harder to make calls. They eventually and usually get through but once in awhile you have to try afew times before you get a call to call out... even with 100% signal. It is somewhat analgous to hotmail... try logging on around 3pm... I have found that Rogers are pretty good with you so long as you treat them with respect, and ensure to follow-up on issues you've escalated. I have complained about network weaknesses many a time in areas where it is important to me and within a month there are small improvements and within 6 months the network is seamless in the areas I've complained about. As for customer service, they used to be very bad but in the last year I have had very few unpleasant calls.

Because Rogers & Fido use GSM phones, the phones take up less power to provide a greater experience. This means that their phones can have very large talk times, as much as 14 hours in some cases.

Remember! You build the network as much as your provider does!

What I liked about Bell's service was how loud and clear voices sounded over their network. Very impressive. Technically, CDMA (their network technology) is superior to GSM. The problems that I've had with them however is a greater number of dropped calls and smaller coverage area (than that of Rogers). In the heart of a large industrial/commercial area along the 404 if I put a Rogers & Bell phone side-by-side, the Rogers one will have 4 or 5 bars and the Bell one announces that it is going in and out of service. Because CDMA is a more powerful service, it is also more power-hungry. This means that CDMA phones will not have long talktimes as a whole.

Telus I can't speak to too much because it's been a few years now, but they use the same technology as Bell and my guess is that they offer a similar experience.

Sprint/Primus - These are operating off of the Microcell (Fido) network.
Virgin - Operating off of Bell's network.
In all 3 of these cases I have no experience but because they are leasing network usage, traditionally they have 2nd priority on the network over their providers' mainstay customers. That means that if there are 100 slots available on a Bell tower, and there are 100 Bell callers in the area, Virgin customers would be out of luck. This is how it used to be for Telus when it used to use the Bell network... I do not know if this is still the case with Virgin.

Recommedations:

Cheap phone, basic usage - Sprint, Primus, or Virgin
Voice Quality is your thing - Bell (possibly Telus too)
Battery life, long talktime is important - Rogers (or Fido to a lesser extent)
Overall coverage - varies, but generally Rogers.


"SUCKER said:
DO NOT GO WITH ROGERS IF YOU like quailty customer service ive been with other providers and their custmer service is 1000x better their customer service sucks it is run by rude unhappy ex cons and they overcharge on everything not up front of course they like to surprise you when your bill comes in."


DO NOT GO WITH ROGERS IF YOU like quailty customer service ive been with other providers and their custmer service is 1000x better their customer service sucks it is run by rude unhappy ex cons and they overcharge on everything not up front of course they like to suprise you when your bill comes in.


I was with bell for 5 years and switched to rogers. Big mistake. Do not deal with rogers. Everything new there is GSM which sucks. Go with Bell or Fido over Robbers AT&T


I have been with Rogers since 2001. Prior to that I was with FIDO. I switched to Rogers because of dropped calls/network difficulties with FIDO - at the time a fairly new carrier.

I am as of last night trying out BOTH Bell and Telus with similar phones (Bell Samsung A660 and Telus Samsung 650). They have equal network service - BOTH drop calls in the basement where my Motorola V60T with Rogers DOES NOT. Rogers has been amazing everywhere BUT on the duo-mode/tri-band service. I tried GSM with them last year and it was terrible - all calls dropped.

I have to say the price plans are almost identical with the 3 so it really is a matter of preference. My top choice would be Rogers; second choice Bell. The only reason I would leave Rogers now would be because of the phone - they're switching ALL phones to GSM. GSM isn't that reliable in north america yet.

Good luck!



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