T-Mobile Service in Canada
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So in the US you can get T-Mobile and once you do you get all of the US, Canada and Mexico as a single entity, all inclusive. And you get 140 other countries with unlimited texting and data and voice service (but you pay for calls.) It's the best service for world travelers. Only service where you can go almost anywhere without having to constantly switch SIMs and have lots of different phone numbers (the only one that allows people to text you without changing numbers every day kind of thing... only one that works with Telegram and WhatsApp and such.)
I have a friend in Canada that needs to get T-Mobile service because he travels all over the world. I know that every country has T-Mobile under a different name. In Romania they are just called "Telekom".
Does anyone of our Canadians know if you can and if so, how, do you get T-Mobile as a Canadian? In the US you just go to the store and buy it and ta da. But in Canada we can't locate a store and they want a US address when you try to go online for it.
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Paging @antonit and @MattSpeller and @cakeis_not_alie
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After about an hour on the phone I have info for you... I also was researching T-Mobile during that time. I asked how someone in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada would get service, or where the nearest brick and mortar store was.
So T-Mobile International AG (headquarters Bonn, Germany) has many subsidiaries in the US, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Europe, and others but not Canada. One of those subs is Telekom Romania which is why you're able to find them with a different name.
Since they have no subsidiaries in Canada, you can't originate your account from Canada, even if you call in to start an account. You can get service in Canada if your account originates from a subsidiary region.
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That's what I was afraid of. I knew that they had a subsidiary here in Romania. They have brick and mortar stores even in Kosovo. Canada just gets the worst of everything.
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@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
That's what I was afraid of. I knew that they had a subsidiary here in Romania. They have brick and mortar stores even in Kosovo. Canada just gets the worst of everything.
I hear good things about their health care...
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@BBigford said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
That's what I was afraid of. I knew that they had a subsidiary here in Romania. They have brick and mortar stores even in Kosovo. Canada just gets the worst of everything.
I hear good things about their health care...
Not compared to Europe, just compared to the US.
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What does your friend use currently? A semi-local Canadian carrier and multiple SIMs with various extra charges?
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@BBigford said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
What does your friend use currently? A semi-local Canadian carrier and multiple SIMs with various extra charges?
Yeah. Has to get local SIMs in every country that he visits. Which is doable, but a pain.
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@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@BBigford said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
What does your friend use currently? A semi-local Canadian carrier and multiple SIMs with various extra charges?
Yeah. Has to get local SIMs in every country that he visits. Which is doable, but a pain.
So T-mobile is great for the traveler, but not for the person trying to reach them if they don't originate from the same country where the traveler originated from. It will likely be long distance if not international long distance to call the traveler for everywhere but the travelers country of purchase origin.
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@Dashrender said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@BBigford said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
What does your friend use currently? A semi-local Canadian carrier and multiple SIMs with various extra charges?
Yeah. Has to get local SIMs in every country that he visits. Which is doable, but a pain.
So T-mobile is great for the traveler, but not for the person trying to reach them if they don't originate from the same country where the traveler originated from. It will likely be long distance if not international long distance to call the traveler for everywhere but the travelers country of purchase origin.
Who calls travellers with numbers from the country that they are in? Basically no one. I've never had that need before. When do you picture that happening? You need calls from people who know your number, not from people whom you have never met.
And if you get a SIM card in a new country you get a new, random number and people never know when you are on which number... which means you have no reliable means to be reached by anyone unless they try several numbers.
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T-Mobile has no coverage anywhere around here, and the one area you can get it it's just EDGE. Every other carrier is LTE around here. T-Mobile is also a "non-standard" GSM because the bands they use aren't in many phones so you have to get a special model to use them.
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@Jason said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
T-Mobile has no coverage anywhere around here, and the one area you can get it it's just EDGE. Every other carrier is LTE around here. T-Mobile is also a "non-standard" GSM because the bands they use aren't in many phones so you have to get a special model to use them.
No special models needed here.
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@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@Dashrender said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@BBigford said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
What does your friend use currently? A semi-local Canadian carrier and multiple SIMs with various extra charges?
Yeah. Has to get local SIMs in every country that he visits. Which is doable, but a pain.
So T-mobile is great for the traveler, but not for the person trying to reach them if they don't originate from the same country where the traveler originated from. It will likely be long distance if not international long distance to call the traveler for everywhere but the travelers country of purchase origin.
Who calls travellers with numbers from the country that they are in? Basically no one. I've never had that need before. When do you picture that happening? You need calls from people who know your number, not from people whom you have never met.
And if you get a SIM card in a new country you get a new, random number and people never know when you are on which number... which means you have no reliable means to be reached by anyone unless they try several numbers.
You've missed what I was saying.
Say I have a T-Mobile USA number and travel to Germany, hanging out with German friends. When those friends, in Germany want to call me, they now have to call an international long distance number.
You're absolutely right that there is not global solution to this short of ditching phone numbers (more specifically - locality) all together, which of course we already have with the likes of Skype (most mobile platforms) and Facetime (limited to iDevices).
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@Dashrender said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@Dashrender said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@BBigford said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
What does your friend use currently? A semi-local Canadian carrier and multiple SIMs with various extra charges?
Yeah. Has to get local SIMs in every country that he visits. Which is doable, but a pain.
So T-mobile is great for the traveler, but not for the person trying to reach them if they don't originate from the same country where the traveler originated from. It will likely be long distance if not international long distance to call the traveler for everywhere but the travelers country of purchase origin.
Who calls travellers with numbers from the country that they are in? Basically no one. I've never had that need before. When do you picture that happening? You need calls from people who know your number, not from people whom you have never met.
And if you get a SIM card in a new country you get a new, random number and people never know when you are on which number... which means you have no reliable means to be reached by anyone unless they try several numbers.
You've missed what I was saying.
Say I have a T-Mobile USA number and travel to Germany, hanging out with German friends. When those friends, in Germany want to call me, they now have to call an international long distance number.
You're absolutely right that there is not global solution to this short of ditching phone numbers (more specifically - locality) all together, which of course we already have with the likes of Skype (most mobile platforms) and Facetime (limited to iDevices).
I didn't miss it at all. Just pointed out why there isn't an alternative. If you look at what I said, it was in direct response to that. I also pointed out that people you meet in other countries don't call you, that's just not a normal thing. One that people in other countries don't speak your language and phones calls are the most problematic form of communications, two because travellers have time zone issues so phone calling gets reduced for that reason, three because they never know if you are on their SIM or another one so their local number is unreliable as a means of communications and four because you simply rarely need to get calls from people where you are local. I live in places I travel to and this never comes up, for people travelling to a place for a few days it is so much more rare.
People outside of the US have to deal with these issues constantly and use tools like WhatsApp and Telegram to ensure that things are always free.
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@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@Dashrender said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@Dashrender said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@BBigford said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
What does your friend use currently? A semi-local Canadian carrier and multiple SIMs with various extra charges?
Yeah. Has to get local SIMs in every country that he visits. Which is doable, but a pain.
So T-mobile is great for the traveler, but not for the person trying to reach them if they don't originate from the same country where the traveler originated from. It will likely be long distance if not international long distance to call the traveler for everywhere but the travelers country of purchase origin.
Who calls travellers with numbers from the country that they are in? Basically no one. I've never had that need before. When do you picture that happening? You need calls from people who know your number, not from people whom you have never met.
And if you get a SIM card in a new country you get a new, random number and people never know when you are on which number... which means you have no reliable means to be reached by anyone unless they try several numbers.
You've missed what I was saying.
Say I have a T-Mobile USA number and travel to Germany, hanging out with German friends. When those friends, in Germany want to call me, they now have to call an international long distance number.
You're absolutely right that there is not global solution to this short of ditching phone numbers (more specifically - locality) all together, which of course we already have with the likes of Skype (most mobile platforms) and Facetime (limited to iDevices).
I didn't miss it at all. Just pointed out why there isn't an alternative. If you look at what I said, it was in direct response to that. I also pointed out that people you meet in other countries don't call you, that's just not a normal thing. One that people in other countries don't speak your language and phones calls are the most problematic form of communications, two because travellers have time zone issues so phone calling gets reduced for that reason, three because they never know if you are on their SIM or another one so their local number is unreliable as a means of communications and four because you simply rarely need to get calls from people where you are local. I live in places I travel to and this never comes up, for people travelling to a place for a few days it is so much more rare.
People outside of the US have to deal with these issues constantly and use tools like WhatsApp and Telegram to ensure that things are always free.
I'll give you that voice communication is probably rare, but for me personally, most everyone I deal with, and certainly those who I want/need to stay in communications with while I'm the traveler, speak the same language as me. So while we might not use voice, we'll use texting - but that's solvable with any number of instant messaging apps out there, assuming you use one in common.
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@Dashrender said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@Dashrender said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@Dashrender said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@BBigford said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
What does your friend use currently? A semi-local Canadian carrier and multiple SIMs with various extra charges?
Yeah. Has to get local SIMs in every country that he visits. Which is doable, but a pain.
So T-mobile is great for the traveler, but not for the person trying to reach them if they don't originate from the same country where the traveler originated from. It will likely be long distance if not international long distance to call the traveler for everywhere but the travelers country of purchase origin.
Who calls travellers with numbers from the country that they are in? Basically no one. I've never had that need before. When do you picture that happening? You need calls from people who know your number, not from people whom you have never met.
And if you get a SIM card in a new country you get a new, random number and people never know when you are on which number... which means you have no reliable means to be reached by anyone unless they try several numbers.
You've missed what I was saying.
Say I have a T-Mobile USA number and travel to Germany, hanging out with German friends. When those friends, in Germany want to call me, they now have to call an international long distance number.
You're absolutely right that there is not global solution to this short of ditching phone numbers (more specifically - locality) all together, which of course we already have with the likes of Skype (most mobile platforms) and Facetime (limited to iDevices).
I didn't miss it at all. Just pointed out why there isn't an alternative. If you look at what I said, it was in direct response to that. I also pointed out that people you meet in other countries don't call you, that's just not a normal thing. One that people in other countries don't speak your language and phones calls are the most problematic form of communications, two because travellers have time zone issues so phone calling gets reduced for that reason, three because they never know if you are on their SIM or another one so their local number is unreliable as a means of communications and four because you simply rarely need to get calls from people where you are local. I live in places I travel to and this never comes up, for people travelling to a place for a few days it is so much more rare.
People outside of the US have to deal with these issues constantly and use tools like WhatsApp and Telegram to ensure that things are always free.
I'll give you that voice communication is probably rare, but for me personally, most everyone I deal with, and certainly those who I want/need to stay in communications with while I'm the traveler, speak the same language as me. So while we might not use voice, we'll use texting - but that's solvable with any number of instant messaging apps out there, assuming you use one in common.
Texting is free with T-Mobile, though. So as long as you don't want to do voice, you are covered with them.
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@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@Dashrender said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@Dashrender said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@Dashrender said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@BBigford said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
What does your friend use currently? A semi-local Canadian carrier and multiple SIMs with various extra charges?
Yeah. Has to get local SIMs in every country that he visits. Which is doable, but a pain.
So T-mobile is great for the traveler, but not for the person trying to reach them if they don't originate from the same country where the traveler originated from. It will likely be long distance if not international long distance to call the traveler for everywhere but the travelers country of purchase origin.
Who calls travellers with numbers from the country that they are in? Basically no one. I've never had that need before. When do you picture that happening? You need calls from people who know your number, not from people whom you have never met.
And if you get a SIM card in a new country you get a new, random number and people never know when you are on which number... which means you have no reliable means to be reached by anyone unless they try several numbers.
You've missed what I was saying.
Say I have a T-Mobile USA number and travel to Germany, hanging out with German friends. When those friends, in Germany want to call me, they now have to call an international long distance number.
You're absolutely right that there is not global solution to this short of ditching phone numbers (more specifically - locality) all together, which of course we already have with the likes of Skype (most mobile platforms) and Facetime (limited to iDevices).
I didn't miss it at all. Just pointed out why there isn't an alternative. If you look at what I said, it was in direct response to that. I also pointed out that people you meet in other countries don't call you, that's just not a normal thing. One that people in other countries don't speak your language and phones calls are the most problematic form of communications, two because travellers have time zone issues so phone calling gets reduced for that reason, three because they never know if you are on their SIM or another one so their local number is unreliable as a means of communications and four because you simply rarely need to get calls from people where you are local. I live in places I travel to and this never comes up, for people travelling to a place for a few days it is so much more rare.
People outside of the US have to deal with these issues constantly and use tools like WhatsApp and Telegram to ensure that things are always free.
I'll give you that voice communication is probably rare, but for me personally, most everyone I deal with, and certainly those who I want/need to stay in communications with while I'm the traveler, speak the same language as me. So while we might not use voice, we'll use texting - but that's solvable with any number of instant messaging apps out there, assuming you use one in common.
Texting is free with T-Mobile, though. So as long as you don't want to do voice, you are covered with them.
LOL, the whole point was that it's not free for non T-Mobile users.
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@Dashrender said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@Dashrender said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@Dashrender said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@Dashrender said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@scottalanmiller said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
@BBigford said in T-Mobile Service in Canada:
What does your friend use currently? A semi-local Canadian carrier and multiple SIMs with various extra charges?
Yeah. Has to get local SIMs in every country that he visits. Which is doable, but a pain.
So T-mobile is great for the traveler, but not for the person trying to reach them if they don't originate from the same country where the traveler originated from. It will likely be long distance if not international long distance to call the traveler for everywhere but the travelers country of purchase origin.
Who calls travellers with numbers from the country that they are in? Basically no one. I've never had that need before. When do you picture that happening? You need calls from people who know your number, not from people whom you have never met.
And if you get a SIM card in a new country you get a new, random number and people never know when you are on which number... which means you have no reliable means to be reached by anyone unless they try several numbers.
You've missed what I was saying.
Say I have a T-Mobile USA number and travel to Germany, hanging out with German friends. When those friends, in Germany want to call me, they now have to call an international long distance number.
You're absolutely right that there is not global solution to this short of ditching phone numbers (more specifically - locality) all together, which of course we already have with the likes of Skype (most mobile platforms) and Facetime (limited to iDevices).
I didn't miss it at all. Just pointed out why there isn't an alternative. If you look at what I said, it was in direct response to that. I also pointed out that people you meet in other countries don't call you, that's just not a normal thing. One that people in other countries don't speak your language and phones calls are the most problematic form of communications, two because travellers have time zone issues so phone calling gets reduced for that reason, three because they never know if you are on their SIM or another one so their local number is unreliable as a means of communications and four because you simply rarely need to get calls from people where you are local. I live in places I travel to and this never comes up, for people travelling to a place for a few days it is so much more rare.
People outside of the US have to deal with these issues constantly and use tools like WhatsApp and Telegram to ensure that things are always free.
I'll give you that voice communication is probably rare, but for me personally, most everyone I deal with, and certainly those who I want/need to stay in communications with while I'm the traveler, speak the same language as me. So while we might not use voice, we'll use texting - but that's solvable with any number of instant messaging apps out there, assuming you use one in common.
Texting is free with T-Mobile, though. So as long as you don't want to do voice, you are covered with them.
LOL, the whole point was that it's not free for non T-Mobile users.
But people OUTSIDE of the US already use free text alternatives because they have this problem with everyone. Using actual texting is really just a US (and sub saharan Africa) thing.
So it only applies to situations where it is free for T-Mobile users.
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Your point was that you felt that the T-Mobile solution was not great for people trying to reach them from non-T-Mobile countries. And my point is that it is, as the things you are thinking of do not apply. people in those countries generally deal with this every day, even as non-travellers, and have it solved. It's only communications "back home" that the phone number components are useful and they work great.
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Yeah - I hadn't considered that most users in Europe would have already solved this problem because as you mention the likeliness of needing international contact is so much higher there.
That also explains why What's App adoption is SOO much higher in Europe than the US.
