Where can I buy a phone to use with Public Mobile?

[Lachlan_M]

Public Mobile is a new kind of no-frills business, built on simple ideals with a co-operative approach to wireless. We don’t sell phones but don’t worry, there are a number of options available for customers to purchase an affordably priced phone.   

These include retailers as:

• Walmart (Prepaid Phone)
• Best Buy (Prepaid Phone)
• Staples (Prepaid Phone)
• You can also purchase a factory refreshed phone from Orchard at an affordable price.  Find out more about Orchard here.

Direct manufacturers:

1. Apple Store 
2. Google Store 
3. Microsoft Store 
   
4. BlackBerry (BBM)
5. One Plus One
6. Alcatel 

You can also have your friend or family member’s old phone if they are upgrading their phone.

Ensure the phone is unlocked, compatible with our Canada-wide 4G LTE network and IMEI is available for use before completing a purchase. Click here to check phone compatibility and find out the network frequency here.

*To use data, add and select Public Mobile’s APN settings Click here.

[srlawren]

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@Tav wrote:

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@cappaj wrote:

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@Brian68 wrote:

Telus phones and unlocked phones will work as well as some PC mobile and koodo

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In Canada, it doesn't matter what provider's phone you want to use (whether it's in the Telus family, or Rogers or Bell, etc.). You can take any phone purchased through Rogers, for example, and have it unlocked so that you can use it with your Public Mobile SIM. 

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That is not entirely true. The phone has to support certain LTE or 3G bands to be supported and some phones from Rogers do not. 

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@Tav  I thought about pointing this out too.  However, since @cappaj was talking about buying the phone from Rogers, and I don't think they've sold a phone for a very long time that isn't compatible with at least their 3G network (aka only on 2G GSM), I didn't think it was terribly helpful.  If cappaj had asserted that any phone you can use with Rogers as opposed to having purchased from was compatible, well then yes that would need an immediate qualifier similar to what you noted.

[Tav]

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@cappaj wrote:

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@Brian68 wrote:

Telus phones and unlocked phones will work as well as some PC mobile and koodo

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In Canada, it doesn't matter what provider's phone you want to use (whether it's in the Telus family, or Rogers or Bell, etc.). You can take any phone purchased through Rogers, for example, and have it unlocked so that you can use it with your Public Mobile SIM. 

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That is not entirely true. The phone has to support certain LTE or 3G bands to be supported and some phones from Rogers do not. 

[cappaj]

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@Brian68 wrote:

Telus phones and unlocked phones will work as well as some PC mobile and koodo

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In Canada, it doesn't matter what provider's phone you want to use (whether it's in the Telus family, or Rogers or Bell, etc.). You can take any phone purchased through Rogers, for example, and have it unlocked so that you can use it with your Public Mobile SIM. 

[Brian68]

Telus phones and unlocked phones will work as well as some PC mobile and koodo

[Angelface]

Anywhere basically . If you are in Canada we have a law passed making all phones unlocked .And if your phone isn't compatible with public just call the company of the previous  sim card, and they will generate a code to unlock that right over the phone... Be sure to call because they do not do this in adults

Have your phone your going to use ready!!!

Or go anywhere! 

[computergeek541]

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@brr256 wrote:

I'm considering the Xiaomi mi Max 3 with the following:

Supported frequency bands

GSM : B2, B3, B5, B8

WCDMA : B1, B2, B5, B8

TDD-LTE : B34, B38, B39, B40, B41（120M 2535M~2655M）

FDD-LTE : B1, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B20

It should work because it has 4G/LTE bands B4 and B7, correct?

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It should if you get the right version.  There's more to LTE than bands 4 and 7 though.  When these websites list specs in this manner, they sometimes list the specs for multiple versions.  TDD-LTE and FDD-LTE may be two different devices.

[brr256]

I'm considering the Xiaomi mi Max 3 with the following:

Supported frequency bands

GSM : B2, B3, B5, B8

WCDMA : B1, B2, B5, B8

TDD-LTE : B34, B38, B39, B40, B41（120M 2535M~2655M）

FDD-LTE : B1, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B20

It should work because it has 4G/LTE bands B4 and B7, correct?

[computergeek541]

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@brucee76 wrote:

Thanks for the additional info. I bought at Amazon Canada. It is being returned. Amazon is accepting it back  NQA. No shipping fees, and a full refund. Yay.

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That's good to hear. I just wanted to point out that for potential buyers who will be purcahsing, Amazon doesn't offer free return shipping on cell phones.

Yes, if you buy directly from them, they will take it back within the return policy, but the customers is actually responsible for a small return shipping fee.

@brucee76, the reason Amazon didn't charge you likely has to do with reason that you selected for the return from within the online account, or based on what customer service over the put down as the reason.

Whether you are charged for return shipping is automated.  Did Amazon state compatability with Public Mobile and the LTE network?  I fthey did, that's their fault.  But if it's Public Mobile who made the mistake, it's actually Amazon's policy to charge a small shipping fee.  I'm not saying that you did anything wrong, but just that what Amazon's policy is for cell phones.  Return shipping is only supposed to be free if Amazon made a mistake, or if the phone arrived damaged or defective.

[Dunkman]

Buyer beware on any kijiji phones.  Lots of stories about people getting scammed with kijiji phones.  Sometimes, the seller will "blacklist" the phone once it is sold.  Counterfeit phones, etc.  

Just do your research and use your common sense.  If the price is too good to be true, then probably are issues with it....

[Gammie]

Anywhere that sells unlocked phones should have comparable phones.

[Gammie]

Anywhere that sells unlocked phones.

[mimmo]

@tp I would go to walmarf and see what telus/bell/lucky etc  prepaid phones they have for sale. And see if one of those meets your needs.

[Lieux]

I have always buy my phones and those of my family @tp with Kijiji. Just be careful that ‘s an unlock phone and unlock with iCloud from the last owner.

[tp]

I'm thinking of joining the $10/month Prepaid plan of PM. All I need is for making calls (mostly in emergencies) and texts. No surfing the net etc...

Could anyone recommend a cheap but reliable phone 100% compatible for what I need?

[srlawren]

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@brucee76 wrote:

Thanks for the additional info. I bought at Amazon Canada. It is being returned. Amazon is accepting it back  NQA. No shipping fees, and a full refund. Yay.

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@brucee76 that's one of the great things about shopping at Amazon!  I used to try to avoid buying things I wasn't 100% sure about from Amazon since I thought it would be a hassle.  It might vary based on the actual seller, but anything fulfilled by Amazon themselves is very hassle-free to return, as I found out last summer when I couldn't decide between two different sets of headphones and had no other way to try them out, so bought both and returned the one that didn't meet expectations.  

Just a general note though for buying phones on Amazon is to do your homework.  There are many models on Amazon that were intended for other markets, and will have varying amounts of compatibility here, as you've discovered.  For compatibility, always try to use https://www.willmyphonework.net over the IMEI checker on Public Mobile's site, as it is both more accurate and provides more details (3g vs 4g for example).  You will need to know the exact model number (as many models have multiple variants).  Not all devices are in their database, so if in doubt, post here and the community can help verify the specs for compatibility.  

I hope you find something that works well for you and enjoy it.  

[brucee76]

Thanks for the additional info. I bought at Amazon Canada. It is being returned. Amazon is accepting it back  NQA. No shipping fees, and a full refund. Yay.

[brucee76]

Bought the phone at Amazon. Returning it today.Yay

[Tav]

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@brucee76 wrote:

Not imported. Purchased in Canada. Properly vetted. Did the research before purchasing etc. Anyway moving on!!!!

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Are you sure it wasn't imported? Where did you purchase it?

The G6 Plus is not listed on Motorola Canada or Motorola US websites. It can be purchased from Amazon.ca or Bestbuy.ca but it is an international model of the phone. Many of the reviews on Amazon.ca say that the seller has incorrectly listed the 4G bands so its not surprising that it does not work on 4G.

I've been watching the Moto G line closely as my G2 showing its age and wanting to get a new phone. The only G line phones for Canada are the G6 and G6 play and even those come in all sorts of crazy models when looking on Amazon or Bestbuy as they are released in different markets all over the world with different specs. I've been looking into the international model of the G6 play as it comes with 3gb of ram where as the Canadian model just comes with 2gb of ram but may have to look again as the bands might be incorrectly listed for this phone as well.

[sheytoon]

@brucee76, what are the specs on your phone?

[brucee76]

Over to you TELUS!!! Fix it!!!!

[brucee76]

Not imported. Purchased in Canada. Properly vetted. Did the research before purchasing etc. Anyway moving on!!!!

[srlawren]

@brucee76 you're right, I didn't read carefully enough.  My eyes got as far as the G6 Plus not working on Public Mobile and skipped right over the 4G part.  My brain jumped to you saying it wans't compatible at all, which I figured was incorrect and I thought there was something else at play.  My bad, but no need to be snarky with your reponse.

Did you import this phone from another region?  The only variants I can find online specify they were for the European, Indian, or Brazilian markets.  Indeed, Motorola Canada's G-family page only lists the regular G6 and G6 Play, not the Plus: https://www.motorola.ca/products/moto-g-family.  Whenever you use a phone from another region, you're generally going to get less compability than one intended for Canada or the USA.  In your case, the phone has full 3G compatibility, for which you should consider yourself lucky:  many devices sold for overseas markets don't support 850 + 1900MHz 3G at all, since it's not used overseas.  

[Anonymous]

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@ShawnC13 wrote:
When you did the check you probably got the answer similar to "Your phone should work on PM"  Well it does work on PM.  Did you pick a LTE Data plan?

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Yeah sure that phone has our 3G voice freq's it'll work. Neglecting to add that it won't do LTE. Or yeah sure that'll do our LTE freq's. Neglecting to add that it won't do voice.

But hey...it's compatible.

This is the problem with that checker...it only says it's compatible.

[Tav]

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@ShawnC13 wrote:

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@brucee76 wrote:

It doesn't work on PM 4G. Please reread the original post. It works on 3G fine. But I signed up for a 4G plan and checked the IMEI to be sure. PM phone checker says it's compatible however the Koodoo/Telus website says it is NOT. Not impressed

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@brucee76, the IMEI checker only checks to see if the phone has been reported lost or stolen and even at that has given back false results a better site to use next time is www.willmyphonework.net.  When you did the check you probably got the answer similar to "Your phone should work on PM"  Well it does work on PM.  Did you pick a LTE Data plan?

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That site seems to be missing a lot of models. 

[ShawnC13]

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@brucee76 wrote:

It doesn't work on PM 4G. Please reread the original post. It works on 3G fine. But I signed up for a 4G plan and checked the IMEI to be sure. PM phone checker says it's compatible however the Koodoo/Telus website says it is NOT. Not impressed

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@brucee76, the IMEI checker only checks to see if the phone has been reported lost or stolen and even at that has given back false results a better site to use next time is www.willmyphonework.net.  When you did the check you probably got the answer similar to "Your phone should work on PM"  Well it does work on PM.  Did you pick a LTE Data plan?

[brucee76]

Does it work on 4G LTE?

[brucee76]

It doesn't work on PM 4G. Please reread the original post. It works on 3G fine. But I signed up for a 4G plan and checked the IMEI to be sure. PM phone checker says it's compatible however the Koodoo/Telus website says it is NOT. Not impressed

[srlawren]

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@brucee76 wrote:

Notice.... Motorola G6 Plus does not work on PM 4G even though the check IMEI says it it does. Beware. 

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@brucee76 according to gsmarena, all the variations I can see contain the required 850MHz and 1900MHz 3G frequencies needed to work with Public Mobile.  What is the specific model number of your unit?  (started with XT and then some numbers).  We can help confirm compatibility if you provide that. 

What issue are you experiencing with it?  Did you get it from a carrier?  If so, it could be locked to them and you will need to contact them for an unlock code.  EDIT: did you purchase it second-hand?  If so, please check the IMEI here https://www.devicecheck.ca/check-status-device-canada/ to see if it's on the national blacklist.

[brucee76]

Notice.... Motorola G6 Plus does not work on PM 4G even though the check IMEI says it it does. Beware. 

[ZapplePi]

I signed up for Public Mobility at London Drugs.  The rep was fantastic. He didn't try to upsell an unlocked Andriod phone (SKY).  Instead, he suggested I try a very old iPhone that I had. He told me to call Bell to unlock the phone which they did with ease.  The phone however wasn't very good (battery problems, slow!), so I bought an Android SKY phone, popped the SIM card in and all went well!  The website for Public Mobility is so simple and much much better than service providers in the past.