Telus Releases an Unlimited Data Plan and It's Better Than Bell or Rogers (Updated)

By Stephen Clark

Last updated 28 June 2019

Article Summary

Telus has responded to Rogers and Bell unlimited data plans with their own limited time offers. On the surface they appear the same, but when we looked closer it's a far better deal. While unlimited data after your monthly cap is slowed down, it's 2x faster than Rogers or Bell's throttled speeds.

On June 12, 2019 Rogers announced they would be introducing unlimited data plans the next day. The three plans offered a fixed amount of data at full-speed LTE downloads with unlimited data after that at reduced speeds. While these plans replace all other Rogers packages, Bell decided to keep the old system and add three competing plans with unlimited data (for a limited time).

Updated June 21, 2019: Telus has gone all-in and offered a 50GB No Overage plan. This matches the biggest unlimited data plans from Rogers and Bell while keeping the 2x faster throttled data. This is the temporary champion for Best Unlimited Plan in Canada, but the offer is only available until July 2, 2019.

Today from Rogers, Telus and Bell you can get;

$75/month plan with 10GB, (Rogers - Bell - Telus)
$95/month plan with 20GB, (Rogers - Bell - Telus)
$125/month plan with 50GB (Rogers - Bell - Telus)

Just like Bell and Rogers, all three Telus plans are $10/month cheaper in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

All plans include full speed LTE data until that cap before all mobile data is slowed to 256Kbps upload/download. That's fast enough to keep browsing, uploading pictures to social media, or stream music but too slow to watch video. However avoiding data overage fees that have become widely hated by mobile consumers across Canada is an appealing concept.

#1	Bell	Bell Student Plan 100GB Unlimited data at download speeds up to 250Mbps $49/mth Go	$49/mth	Go
#2	Bell	Bell Student Plan 100GB Unlimited data at download speeds up to 250Mbps Contract (24 mths) $49/mth Go	$49/mth	Go
#3	Rogers	Rogers Infinite 100GB - Student Plan 100GB full speed data at download speeds up to 250Mbps $49/mth Go	$49/mth	Go
#4	Rogers	Rogers Infinite 100GB - Student Plan 100GB full speed data at download speeds up to 250Mbps Contract (24 mths) $49/mth Go	$49/mth	Go
#5	Telus	Telus Essential Unlimited 100 5G+ Unlimited 100GB at 5G speeds up to 250Mbps Deal: Limited-time Offer! Get $5/mo. off when you activate on this plan and enroll with pre-authorized payments $55/mth Go	$55/mth	Go
#6	Rogers	Rogers Infinite Essential Plan Unlimited 100GB at speeds up to 1Gbps $60/mth Go	$60/mth	Go

Telus wasn't ready to commit to unlimited data plans. Instead, they offered an additional 5GB bonus for 24 months at the same price points. Their $75/month plan included 15GB of data and the $95/month plan included 25GB. However, customers who pass those data caps would find themselves subject to the same data overages they always endured.

If you typically use between 10-15GB (or 20-25GB) of data, the Telus promos were a better deal than Rogers Infinite or Bell Unlimited plans. However, Telus sweetened the pot by switching to unlimited throttled data at 512Kbps; that's 2x faster than Rogers or Bell. Sadly, they removed the 5GB bonus data.

With 512Kbps upload/download you can still browse the internet, upload your pics to Instagram, and even stream music with very little effect. Watching video like YouTube or Netflix may be possible at these speeds with little or no buffering, but it will be very low resolution. Like, we're talking VHS resolution.

Just like the Bell deals, this is a limited time promotion. To take advantage, you can be a new or existing customer but you need to sign a new contract. Prices are for Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP) but you can get a new device on a two year plan starting as low as $85/month.

While the promotion ends July 2, 2019 the existence of unlimited data plans on all three networks marks a significant shift in the industry. In addition to having cheaper mobile plans in the US, carriers typically offer unlimited data instead of data overage charges. We may be seeing the beginning of the end for data overages in the Great White North.

Rogers Infinite vs. Bell Unlimited vs. Telus Summer Sale Plan

Now that we have have all three national carriers in the fight, which is the best?

Most Full Speed Data: Tie

For $125/month from Bell, Rogers and Telus gives you 50GB of full speed data before speed throttling kicks in. Plans are $10/month cheaper in Saskatchewan and Manitobe

Best Value Full Speed Data: Tie

All three carriers offer 10GB data on their $75/month plans. This is good enough for most Canadians when partnered with the security that accidentally going over your data limit won't incur any overage charges.

Best Full Speed Data: Telus

We've looked into who has the best coverage, most reliable network, fastest LTE speeds, and the best customer care and Telus is ahead of Rogers every time. Bell ties them on best coverage and LTE speeds but come in second or third when it comes to reliability and customer care.

Best Unlimited Data Speeds: Telus

Both Rogers and Bell will throttle your uploads and downloads to 256 kbps. That's fast enough to browse the internet and even listen to Spotify, but you may have to turn off high-quality streaming. Telus will give you up to 2x that speed (512 kbps) which is fast enough for the best quality music streams and even some low-resolution video streaming is possible.

Most Flexible Unlimited Plans: Rogers

Telus and Bell offer these plans when buying a new device on two-year plan, so you can take full advantage of all that high speed LTE. However, only Rogers offers the full speed data on shareable plans. The more phone lines you have, the more full speed data you get to access. Just three lines gives you 30GB before you drop down to unlimited data speeds.

More Unlimited Data Plans

In total there are six carriers offering unlimited data plans. While Rogers, Bell and Telus are new to the mix, other regional and prepaid-only carriers have been offering unlimited throttled data for years.

WhistleOut has taken a deeper look at Rogers Infinite and compared it to other unlimited data plans in Canada. We also looked to see if it's better than unlimited data plans in the US (hint: it's not).