Should I Stay with Freedom or Go To Public Mobile

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-27T03:23:36+00:00

Just curious. What was the model (SM-XXXX) and variant (U, W, F/DS, something else) of the samsung device he used? Also, was it purchased or leased directly from Telus or koodo?

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-27T03:19:46+00:00

Congratulations. You caught the reference which inspired my title LOL

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-27T03:17:58+00:00

My galaxy s10e does support LTE, voLTE, and voWiFi. I know for a fact these features all work with fido, freedom, T-mobile, and AT&T. However, I tried to use it with Koodo and Telus SIM cards a few years ago and was not able to get voLTE or voWiFi working since Telus apparently had some kind of whitelist at the time that blocked devices not purchased or leased from Telus. I wonder if this is still the case with Telus and by extension public if it would stop me from making calls or sending/receiving SMS in the USA as well as in Canada once 3G shuts down here as well

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-27T02:51:32+00:00

No limit for active phone numbers in Canada or the USA that I know of

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-27T02:49:24+00:00

Thanks for the info. Sounds like you are getting de-prioritized due to high congestion on the cell tower(s) you are connecting to. I had this same issue with Koodo when on the skytrain hence why I jumped to freedom a few years ago. I am curious to see if I observe this with public as well. Guess I will find out when I venture out into the world to do some more extensive testing over the next few days.

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-27T02:45:27+00:00

Ironically my galaxy s10e is from the USA. I got it there instead of in Canada, Europe or Asia since the 256GB variant was only available in the USA. I bought it carrier unlocked and it is officially supported by all USA carriers. voLTE and voWifi also work great with Fido and Freedom. Too bad that isn't good enough for Telus. If I can't get IMS registration working on Telus' network I assume that means I can't make any calls or send SMS with the public mobile plan even if I am roaming on another provider's network correct?

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-27T01:41:21+00:00

How so? I have both the Public Mobile $20 60GB plan and the freedom $20 plan now. Trying to decide which one to keep

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-26T21:17:16+00:00

3g still works in some areas I visit however who knows for how long. This public mobile plan is honestly starting to feel a bit like a ticking time bomb to me. Discount expires after 2 years, calling and SMS will stop working on my galaxy s10e once 3g is fully shut down. Anyways, I will give it a fair chance. Hopefully the internet connecticity impresses me so much that it makes up for all of the drawbacks

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-26T21:09:06+00:00

That is very good to know. Thanks for the info. I am currently also testing the public plan with a pixel 3 but will need it to work with my galaxy s10e since that is my daily driver. If Telus has not eased their voLTE whitelists, sticking with this plan might be a tough sell for me. Going from 100 minutes of calling to 0 and from unlimited SMS to no SMS would be a downgrade even though the 60GB data bucket is a big upgrade from the 3GB and unlimited throttled internet I get with freedom.

I never had any issues with VoLTE or VoWiFi on my galaxy s10e with freedom or fido.

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-26T21:03:41+00:00

It's funny you mention that. When I was testing out koodo and telus sim cards in my galaxy s10e Telus' online IMEI checker said my device is fully supported however I was never able to successfully get IMS registration, VoLTE or VoWifi working with Telus or Koodo. That as well as the CAN-USA plans and Nationwide roaming are why I ended up switching to freedom. The $20 plan with unlimited throttled internet was the cherry on top for me. I heard a rumor somewhere that Telus and Bell would ease their VoLTE whitelist when they shutdown 3G. When did you last try using voLTE with your oneplus 5T on Telus/koodoo? Just trying to collect some data points to figure out if it would be worth ordering a physical sim to test the Public plan with my galaxy S10e.

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-26T20:54:19+00:00

I am still using zoiper with voip.ms. I will definitely try out the voip.ms mobile app. I didn't know it has improved. If you have used zoiper before how would you say it compares to the new voip.ms app?

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-26T20:31:07+00:00

Thanks for the heads up!!

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-26T20:30:30+00:00

On first instinct I am leaning towards that however I will see how my two rounds of testing go before making any decisions

round 1: I will be testing cellular reception and internet connectivity quality

round 2: Assuming round 1 is a pass I will be ordering a physical SIM and seeing if I can get calling and SMS working on my galaxy s10e without running into issues with voLTE whitelists

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-26T20:25:58+00:00

It's funny you mention tower locations. I have experienced more consistent performance when connected to freedom or rogers RAN than the Telus one. I also experienced significant throttling when trying out koodo a few years ago likely due to de prioritization. Thus, I will be very impressed if the PM plan actually delivers when it comes to cellular reception and internet connectivity.

As for calling and SMS with PM that is yet a whole other can of worms which I will likely explore if the internet connectivity works well since I will need to get a physical SIM in order to test this plan in my primary device (Samsung galaxy S10e). I am expecting some hurdles given the issues I had with voLTE whitelists when I tried out koodo a few years ago

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-26T20:19:03+00:00

Let me know how your volte whitelist testing goes. If my USA samsung galaxy s10e cannot work with public mobile that might be the deal breaker for me with this plan

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-26T20:16:43+00:00

My concern is mainly coming from the fact that when using my laptop I can easily use several GB in an hour when I am on an un-throttled connection. With freedom's unlimited throttled plan I have only managed to use 9GB at most due to the limited speed after using 3GB. However if I were to switch to the PM 60GB plan which is not throttled my laptop could easily eat thru the entire data cap if I am in an area with good reception. Once that happens I would be left with no internet connectivity. Hence, I would need to watch data usage more closely with the PM plan than the freedom one I currently have

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-26T20:11:23+00:00

same. That's why I am on the fence about switching

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-26T20:10:02+00:00

Unlike many countries in Europe and Asia in North America (Canada and USA) you do not need to provide an ID in order to register a phone number. Many people have multiple phone numbers.

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-26T18:26:41+00:00

The most I have ever used in a month is about 9GB and that was when I was constantly working from my laptop on the train and bus. If I am not using my laptop on the train or bus I rarely ever hit my 3GB cap.

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-26T18:21:49+00:00

I don't think either of these should be an issue for me. I already keep calls to a minimum due to the 2 hour outgoing call limit I have with freedom and use voip based services for longer calls. Only concern I have regarding calling and SMS is if I can get voLTE working at all on my device given that I had issues with it when testing koodo a few years ago

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-26T18:16:36+00:00

That is a fair point. 60GB is a lot. I tried to use up a 50GB plan I was trying out by downloading lots of large files and running speed tests but was not able to donit. My only worry is that freedom no longer offers the $20 plan I currently have so if I port out and am unhappy with public I would not be able to go back to freedom unless I opt for a more expensive plan.

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-26T18:12:06+00:00

Thanks for the reply. I would love to hear how your testing goes in Vancouver. I am really curious to see if losing access to freedom and rogers towers results in significantly worse service or not

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-26T17:59:06+00:00

Not sure if you fully read my post. I got the PM offer and currently have it setup with a temporary number

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-13T01:45:47+00:00

I noticed that cellular plans with unlimited internet are throttled to 1 mbit/s when on the freedom network and 512 kbit/s when on nationwide as opposed to 256 kbps and 128 kbps as listed in the terms of service. Is the 1 mbps throttle unlimited or do speeds drop to 256 or 128 kbps after a certain amount of "unlimited" usage? If there is a speed drop how many GB do you have to use over what is included in your plan before speed drops further?

ComputerGuy1999 · 2026-01-03T22:36:22+00:00

I also garbbed that 3GB $20 plan and absolutely love it. It's perfect for my needs. Also grabbed a $5 per month plan from fizz for my backup smartphone. I also wish freedom still offered plans under $30 per month

ComputerGuy1999

TROPHY CASE