Ah, Toronto. Canada’s largest city, North America’s fourth-largest metropolis, and home to 25% of Canada’s population within a 160 km radius.
You’d expect a city this massive to be pretty globally connected, and indeed it is. Over 180 languages are spoken in Toronto, and that diversity is evident when walking through Chinatown, Little Italy or Little Portugal.
This worldliness extends to Toronto’s economy as well. The city is an international centre for business and finance, serving as home to major companies like Sun Life Financial and Hudson’s Bay Company.
And this is to say nothing of the city’s creative scene. Toronto is home to an incredible 70 film festivals, including of course, the world renowned Toronto International Film Festival. This makes sense given that around 25% of Hollywood movies are actually filmed in the city.
All of which is to say, Toronto is a bustling 21st century city—with 21st century technology demands. One of those demands is adequate cell phone coverage, and fortunately the major carriers deliver. Read on to learn the ins and outs of coverage in Toronto.
Coverage in Toronto At-a-Glance
Toronto is a city with a lot to offer, and that includes cell phone coverage. Read on to learn more about coverage in Toronto, and why Hogtown earns a score of 99 out of 100. Here's a guide to coverage for the entirety of Ontario.
What we love
- Bell, Rogers, Freedom and Telus all provide spectacular coverage to Toronto
- Competitive market with lots of choice
- 4G LTE widely available
What could be improved
- Coverage less reliable the further you travel from the city
- Coverage can be tricky in crowded areas or between buildings
99/100
Carrier Network Coverage in Toronto
All four of the major networks perform well throughout Toronto. This means you can join any of them to get great coverage--or the multitude of smaller carriers that run on their networks.
Best Coverage in Toronto by Network
| Network | Covered Area % |
|---|---|
| Bell | 100.00% |
| Rogers | 100.00% |
| Freedom | 99.95% |
| Telus | 100.00% |
Cell Phone Coverage in Toronto by Area
The Toronto region encompasses 618 square kilometers and has full coverage by all three major Canadian networks as well as regional carrier, Freedom Mobile:
Geographic Area Covered in Toronto
Big Carriers vs. Small Carriers in Toronto
When choosing a cell phone providers, there's no need to limit yourself to the big companies. There are dozens of smaller carriers that run on the major networks, but charge a fraction of the price for service. Known as Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs for short), these carriers purchase network service from the major providers at wholesale prices, then pass the savings on to consumers.
Getting the Best Plan & Coverage
WhistleOut's industry-leading coverage check feature supercharges an already robust comparison engine by allowing you to instantly see what coverage is like at your location. Just punch in your address, and we'll do the rest.
In addition to showing you a map of your area with the coverage from all four major carriers, we filter through the available cell phone plans and present only those from carriers who provide good reception to you.
Cell Phone Carriers in Toronto
Here's the full list of wireless carriers (big and small) in Toronto, and the network that each belongs to. Smaller carriers use the networks of the major carriers. Regional carriers from elsewhere in the country use partner networks to provide coverage in Toronto.
| Carrier | Network | Available in Toronto | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bell Mobility | Bell | Yes | |
| BellMTS | Bell/Telus (partner) | Yes | |
| Chatr Wireless | Rogers | Yes | |
| Cityfone | Rogers | Yes | |
| Fido | Rogers | Yes | |
| Freedom Mobile | Freedom | Yes | |
| Koodo Mobile | Telus | Yes | |
| PC Mobile | Bell/Telus | Yes | |
| Petro Canada | Rogers | Yes | |
| Public Mobile | Telus | Yes | |
| Rogers | Rogers | Yes | |
| SaskTel | Bell/Telus (partner) | Yes | |
| Telus | Telus | Yes | |
| Videotron | Rogers (partner) | Yes | |
| Virgin Mobile | Bell | Yes | |
| 7-11 SpeakOut | Rogers | Yes |
One More Thing: Using Public WiFi in Toronto
Toronto offers free WiFi in a variety of public spaces. Check out a few of the places offering free WiFi below. This is handy when you want to save your cellular data.
- TTC Subway Stops
- Toronto Pearson Airport
- Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
- Toronto Public Libraries
- All Subway Stations
- Savoury Grounds
- Starbucks locations
- Tim Hortons locations
- Full Stop Coffee Shop
- The Good Neighbor Coffee Shop
- FIKA
- Soho Metropolitan Hotel
- Balzac's Market Street
- Boxcar Social
- House On Parliament
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