A cheap cell phone provider with no commitments is Public Mobile. For its inexpensive plans and friendly customer support, Public Mobile has received accolades.
In this article I will examine Public Mobile’s plans, coverage, customer support, and features in my review. I’ll contrast it with other Canadian wireless providers as well.
What Is Public Mobile?
Public Mobile is a prepaid, self-care mobile brand based in Canada. It was launched in 2010 and was part of some Canadian mobile providers that started in 2009 after an initiative by the federal government to promote competition within the mobile wireless sector.
Public Mobile is one of Canada’s most popular providers of prepaid wireless networks.
Who owns Public Mobile?
Telus officially purchased Public Mobile in October 2013 and now operates as a mobile virtual network operator on the Telus mobility network.
The company is now owned by Telus, making it a subsidiary of Telus. It was relaunched to the public under a beta program with free SIM cards being offered to the public.
The original network CDMA of public mobile operated independently without using another carrier’s network. The company has its coverage network centered around Toronto, GTA, and Montreal.
Public Mobile has its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its website is www.publicmobile.ca/en/
Public Mobile Can Be A Worthwhile Choice Under These Conditions:
- If you already own your phone outright
- If 4G speed up to 100 Mbps fulfills your requirements
- If you are tech-savvy enough to handle your account online and address minor troubles
However, Public Mobile May Not Be The Best Fit In The Following Situations:
- If you intend to use the service while roaming in the US
- If you require multiple numbers to be under one account and bill.
Services Offered By Public Mobile
As a telephone company, Public Mobile offers several products to its customers. The main products offered by the company are:
- HSPA
- LTE
- Mobile broadband
- SMS
- Telephony
Where To Buy Public Mobile SIM
If you change your network to Public Mobile, the next step will be finding a SIM card to buy.
You can get a Public Mobile SIM card to purchase in several places. The purchase can be made both online and offline.
The SIM card can be purchased from local convenience stores or online retailers.
You can get a Public SIM card that fits your budget and needs, and you will also be able to take advantage of the several benefits of using the services offered by Public Mobile.
Users must have a working SIM card in their cell phones with their previous provider’s account still active before receiving and responding to an SMS.
Users should ensure to replace their old SIM card with the new Public Mobile SIM card they just purchased when they receive the SMS message.
Buying A Public Mobile SIM In Canada
You can buy your Public Mobile sim card on their official website. After purchasing, the card will be delivered to you.
There are also other places to buy a Public Mobile sim card. All you have to do is visit their Store Locator and type in your location, and you will find the closest retail store around your area or near you.
The SIM cards can also be purchased from retailers and local places such as newsstands, post offices, grocery stores, gas stations and electronic retail vendors.
What Is A SIM Card?
A SIM card is a small card that allows owners to get connected to a cellular service provider.
These small cards are inserted into a user’s mobile device, and through them, users get the necessary connections to provide the user with the cellular network.
How To Activate Public Mobile SIM Card
Activating your new Public Mobile SIM card can be done quickly. One must insert the new SIM inside his mobile device and switch it on.
After the phone is switched on, they follow the instructions to activate the SIM card.
Once the SIM card has been activated, the user can make calls and send SMS messages.
They can also access an internet connection and surf with their favorite browsers.
Users must ensure that the mobile device they insert the Public Mobile SIM is compatible with the Public Mobile network.
Users may also access additional features such as visual voicemail, international calling network, etc.
However, one must activate the Public Mobile SIM card after purchasing it before accessing all these unique and hidden features.
What Network Does Mobile Public Use?
Telus Mobility now owns Public Mobile, which operates on the Telus 4G LTE network.
How To Port Your Number To Public Mobile
You can port your number from your current network over to Public Mobile.
This process can take about two hours to complete. Porting a landline number can take up to three business days before the porting process is complete.
You may also experience mixed services while the process is ongoing until it is completed.
Several prepaid accounts can be ported. However, the service must be active when porting their number.
Numbers cannot be ported to an existing line. The porting will only work when activating a new line with a carrier.
Here Are Some Things To Know Before Porting Your Number To Public Mobile
- Porting can be done only by authorized account holders
- Porting cannot be done between two Public Mobile numbers
- Previous accounts should be active before the porting process works. The previous account would then be automatically deactivated after the process is done
- You should check your old information since it has to be correct before the porting process can be completed
Here Is How To Port Your Number To Public Mobile
Please Follow the Simple steps below:
- Send the word ‘PORT’ followed by a ‘space’ and your ten-digit phone number to 1900. (Please make sure that the word port is all in capital letters)
- The UPC will then be received by SMS on the mobile device of the subscriber
Below is an SMS you can expect to receive from Public Mobile.
“Public Mobile msg: You have requested to move your phone number to Public Mobile. A message was sent earlier to authorize the number transfer. We have not received your response. To reinitiate the request, please reply ‘1’ to this text, and a NEW message will be sent to authorize the number transfer. Please call our Porting Team if you need more help.”
Phone numbers can be changed up to 4 times every 30 days after the number has been activated. Please follow the steps below to change or port a phone number.
- Tap on the ‘plans and addons’ tab
- Now tap on ‘change phone number.’
- Choose the new phone number. You can also transfer a wireless or wireline phone number from a different network provider
This is the same process when porting a number from Telus Prepaid, Telus Postpaid or Koodo.
If you decide to port your phone number from Public Mobile to another carrier, an SMS message will be sent to ensure that you are initiating the porting process.
This is usually done to ensure that fraudulent activity is not occurring on the subscriber’s mobile device. Public Mobile will send you an SMS that will read as follows:
“Public Mobile message: We’ve received a request to transfer this phone number to another service provider. To approve this request, please reply ‘yes.’ If you did not request this transfer, please reply ‘no.’ Please note that you must respond within 90 minutes. The request will be automatically canceled unless we receive a response within this time. For any issues with this number transfer, contact our Porting Team. Thank you”
Public Mobile VS. Kodoo
| Feature | Public Mobile | Koodo |
|---|---|---|
| Network Coverage | Utilizes TELUS network | Utilizes TELUS network |
| Plan Options | Prepaid only | Prepaid and Postpaid |
| Price | Generally lower-cost plans | Slightly higher cost plans |
| Data Speed | Up to 4G LTE | Up to 4G LTE |
| Customer Support | Community-based support forums | Phone, chat, and in-store support available |
| Roaming | Limited international roaming | International roaming available |
| Extras | Fewer additional features | Additional features available |
Frequently Asked Questions
Telus Mobility now owns the public after it was acquired in 2013. Public Mobile was initially launched in 2010 due to a move by the Canadian government to encourage competition within the wireless network sector in Canada.
Yes. Porting your phone number from your current service provider to Public mobile is possible, and the process is easy.
You can refer to the article on how to get this done. The porting process can take about 2 hours before the whole process gets completed.
Public Mobile is one of the best wireless service providers in Canada since it uses the Telus Mobility 4G network; Telus has been touted as one of the most extensive network providers in Canada.
This certainly makes Public Mobile one of Canada’s best wireless service providers.
A Public Mobile SIM card can be purchased online and offline. You can get it at newsstands, grocery stores, and even gas stations all over Canada.
People living in Australia can also purchase the SIM card from retail vendors.
Conclusion
The prepaid SIM card one can get now is from Telus Mobility, the parent company of Public Mobile.
Telus offers the best-prepaid cards in Canada based on its pay-as-you-go deals and those from other wireless service providers.
This means that getting a Public Mobile SIM card is one of the best ways to access the Telus Mobility network so you can enjoy all the great benefits of Telus.
We hope this article on Public Mobile has been beneficial, and you can now decide if you want to port over to Public Mobile. For Public Mobile alternatives in Canada, you can also check out Freedom Mobile.
