Some residents of the Saint John Region have both landline phone service as well as a mobile phone. But, more and more, people are choosing to disconnect their landline and use only a mobile phone. As a new resident, you are likely going to be OK choosing to have just a mobile phone for your communication needs. Especially if you spend most of your time in developed and urban areas, where signal strength is strong and reliable.
Finding a mobile phone provider
There are many mobile phone providers to choose from, three of which are major telephone service providers that also offer cable and internet services packages. Some providers may also offer specific discounts for new residents:
Bell
Chatr Mobile — Rogers virtual network
fido — owned by Rogers
Koodo — Telus is its parent organization
Telus
Public — owned by Telus
Virgin Plus
Lucky Mobile — subsidiary of Bell Canada
Rogers
Eastlink
911 service fee
In North America, the emergency phone number is 911 (in other countries, the emergency phone number is often three different digits). You will notice a small charge on every telephone bill for the ability to use 911. This mandatory charge supports the emergency services available to you by calling 911.
1-800 vs 1-900 numbers
Be careful about the numbers you dial, because it can be confusing. Numbers that begin with 1-800, 1-866, 1-877 or 1-888 are toll free (no charge). But numbers that begin with 1-900 have a per-minute charge that can be very high, and can lead to very expensive calls.