Fido Solutions
Encyclopedia
Fido Solutions is a Canadian
cellular telephone service provider currently owned by Rogers Communications
. It was formerly owned by Microcell Telecommunications. Fido does, however, remain a separate entity from Rogers. Although Fido's parent company Rogers Communications
also operates another wireless brand named Rogers Wireless
they remain mostly separate as Fido has retained its own retail chain, customer service call centres, network servers and CEO. Fido pioneered the concept of providing unlimited service in select Canadian cities. Fido was the first carrier in Canada to launch a GSM-based network and the first wireless service provider in North America
to offer General Packet Radio Service
(GPRS) on its network.
USA. Fido was the first provider in Canada to offer a network with the GSM standard. In November 2004, Microcell was bought out by the other competing GSM carrier, Rogers Communications
, for an estimated $1.4 billion. The company's name was changed to Fido Solutions shortly thereafter. Fido has retained its data roaming service with T-Mobile.
Similarly, HSPA+ service is available in 850 MHz and 1900 MHz frequencies. The maximum theoretical download speed is of 21 Mbit/s.
Rogers Wireless has launched their LTE
network in Ottawa
, Montreal
, Toronto
and Vancouver
however Fido customers do not yet have LTE compatible SIM
cards to access the network.
service. The unlimited BBM add-on cannot be combined with any other mobile Internet add-on.
For Quebec City
and Montreal
customers, there is also a $30 per month CityFido plan available. It is identical to the $35 plan, with the only exception being that it offers 2000 minutes billed per second instead of unlimited. Both services are called CitéFido in French.
For prepaid customers, the CityFido Prepaid plan costs $39.75 per month. Unlike CityFido Unlimited, the Prepaid plan only offers 2000 minutes to use for any incoming or local outgoing calls. Additional local minutes cost 40¢ each. Also, text messages sent to a non-Canadian mobile number require an additional fee. Incoming international text messages, however, can be received at no extra cost.
Cities offering CityFido Unlimited and Prepaid plans currently include Quebec City
, Montreal
, Ottawa
, Gatineau
, Toronto
, London, Winnipeg
, Calgary
, Edmonton
, Vancouver
and Victoria.
Additionally, one can add a long distance package to the CityFido Unlimited plan. This allows unlimited calling to certain countries:
For the international long distance package, only landline numbers for the 60 listed countries are included. Mobile-to-mobile calls to these countries costs 55¢ per minute. The United States long distance package excludes Puerto Rico and Mexico. However, calls to both mobile and landline numbers are included. This is also true for the Canadian long distance package.
Due to the success of this package, newer entrants such as Wind Mobile
, Mobilicity
and Vidéotron
also introduced plans similar to CityFido featuring the zone concept. Telus Mobility
's Koodo Mobile
and Clearnet
brands as well Bell Mobility
's Virgin Mobile
and Solo Mobile
brands all have unlimited local calling plans with concepts very similar to CityFido. Koodo and Virgin, however, also offer a "no zones" options for unlimited local calling within any served city in Canada.
from a Fido device or 1-888-481-3436, the toll-free number's last four digits spelling out
FIDO. It is also possible to reach Customer Service through the Contact Us page on the website Fido.ca. Existing customers may also use the Fido Live Chat service, accessible through Fido My Account. Alternatively, customers can access the Fido Forums or the Fido support website for technical support.
and Solo Mobile
with no "system access fee
" or carrier-charged "911 fee". Clients using legacy plans, however, may keep them only if they continue to pay both fees.
As of May 3, 2011, the following Fido postpaid plans are available for customers:
This table excludes CityFido plans, which are only available in select cities.
Solo Mobile
's monthly plans are nearly identical to Fido's postpaid plans, but there are some differences. Virgin, on the other hand, offers plans identical to Fido's $15, $20 and $25 offerings. Both Solo and Virgin include unlimited sent SMS to USA and international mobile numbers in their $25/month plan. Virgin members, however, can also replace the unlimited sent SMS option with the caller ID
and voicemail
features.
Fido has recently improved their plans "in response to Koodo
's new Canada-wide price plans." Fido's $25 and $30 monthly plans previously had 100 and 150 local anytime minutes, respectively. Both plans now have an additional 50 minutes. The evenings and weekends calling period was also changed during weeknights on all Fido plans costing $25 or more per month. Like Koodo, it now begins at 5pm instead of 7pm.
All plans listed in this table include the call waiting
and conference call
features. Circle Calling is also included, which allows "free [local] calls between people on the same account", with up to a total of five people per account. They also offer a minute tracker, similar to the one used by Virgin Mobile Canada
, to remind customers when they have used 75% and 100% of their monthly minutes.
Optional features include a $10 value pack which bundles Caller ID
with Name Display, an enhanced voicemail
, and the WhoCalled feature which was pioneered by Rogers. There is also a $15 value pack, which includes 50 Canadian long distance minutes, unlimited MMS
and 2500 local call forwarding
minutes plus all the features found in the $10 pack. Both packs include the first month free for new subscribers.
Fido has been heavily criticized for discontinuing its unlimited Internet access plan and options. In response, the company temporarily released several add-ons designed to provide larger data allowances for mobile Internet service on the iPhone. This included $30 per month for 6 GB of data, as well as $80 per month for 8 GB of data. These add-ons were only available for a limited time after the release date of any iPhone device sold by Fido. Although they can unofficially be used with other smartphones, the also required a voice plan and hence cannot be used with an Internet access stick.
The following services were removed after Rogers purchased Microcell:
Only some legacy CityFido plans were grandfathered, and Fido now has new CityFido offerings; see the "CityFido" section above. Sprint Canada and Fido bundles were replaced by Better Choice Bundles after Rogers purchased both companies. All bundles are now discontinued; see the following paragraph. The unlimited mobile Internet access plans were replaced by tiered and rationed Internet access options, although an unlimited plan continues to be available for feature phones; see the "Mobile Internet" section above.
The following services were removed after "The New Fido" re-branding:
None of these services were grandfathered. The Better Choices Bundles once offered up to 15% off a pre-tax Fido monthly bill when combined with one or more Rogers services, but Fido is now listed as a "service[] that do[es]n't qualify for the Better Choice Bundles™ Program.". Couples plans were replaced by Circle Calling in 2011; see "The New Fido" above. Fax messaging was discontinued on September 22, 2009, but fax numbers could be ported out until December 22 of that year, and a similar service is still available at competitor Mike
. Offering over 25 channels via Fido's HSPA network, Mobile TV was discontinued due to a lack of subscribers, but competitor Bell Mobility
and its MVNO
Virgin Mobile Canada
both offer a very similar feature.
, Costco
, Future Shop
, Tbooth
, Walmart and WirelessWave
sell Fido products along with prepaid and postpaid services. Additionally, Loblaw Companies
and Zellers
stores sell prepaid feature phone
s and top-up vouchers. Loblaw stores have a special booth, called The Mobile Shop, where the phones are displayed.
While Shoppers Drug Mart
carried only Rogers Wireless
prepaid phones at one time, the stores temporarily partnered with Rogers. As a result, Shoppers stores added both prepaid and postpaid products and services for Rogers and its two other brands, Fido and Chatr
. Customers could also try out the iPhone 4
. As of March 2011, however, Shoppers stores ended their partnership. They only sell prepaid top-up vouchers for these providers.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
cellular telephone service provider currently owned by Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
. It was formerly owned by Microcell Telecommunications. Fido does, however, remain a separate entity from Rogers. Although Fido's parent company Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
also operates another wireless brand named Rogers Wireless
Rogers Wireless
Rogers Wireless is a wireless telecommunications provider offering mobile phone and data services throughout Canada using Global System for Mobile Communications and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System technology. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rogers Communications...
they remain mostly separate as Fido has retained its own retail chain, customer service call centres, network servers and CEO. Fido pioneered the concept of providing unlimited service in select Canadian cities. Fido was the first carrier in Canada to launch a GSM-based network and the first wireless service provider in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
to offer General Packet Radio Service
General Packet Radio Service
General packet radio service is a packet oriented mobile data service on the 2G and 3G cellular communication system's global system for mobile communications . GPRS was originally standardized by European Telecommunications Standards Institute in response to the earlier CDPD and i-mode...
(GPRS) on its network.
Background
The original development of Fido was funded in part by Voicestream, now T-MobileT-Mobile
T-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
USA. Fido was the first provider in Canada to offer a network with the GSM standard. In November 2004, Microcell was bought out by the other competing GSM carrier, Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
, for an estimated $1.4 billion. The company's name was changed to Fido Solutions shortly thereafter. Fido has retained its data roaming service with T-Mobile.
Network
The Fido network runs on GSM 1900 and offers coverage in major urban areas in Canada. It has been so since its inception. After Microcell was purchased by Rogers, the Fido network was available to Rogers customers. The Rogers GSM network operates at 850 MHz, and while a fee was previously required for Fido customers to access the Rogers network, this is no longer the case. The end result is that both Fido and Rogers customers can now access and use either network or both with a single account, device and SIM card. Regardless of which network is accessed, Fido customers will see "Fido" as the network name, and Rogers customers will see "Rogers" as the network name.Similarly, HSPA+ service is available in 850 MHz and 1900 MHz frequencies. The maximum theoretical download speed is of 21 Mbit/s.
Rogers Wireless has launched their LTE
LTE
- Organizations and companies :* London Transport Executive, the organisation responsible for public transport in the Greater London area, UK, between 1948–1962...
network in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
however Fido customers do not yet have LTE compatible SIM
Sim
-Computing and technology:*Scientific Instrument Module, an object used in spacecraft such as in the Apollo Command/Service Module*Security information management, a concept in computer security*Selected ion monitoring, a mass spectrometry scanning mode...
cards to access the network.
Services
Since the company's inception, Fido offered unique services to differentiate itself from its competitors. Notably, its CityFido plans include either multiple or unlimited local calling minutes in certain zones throughout Canada. Fido was also the country's first mobile service provider to bill airtime by the second while other companies typically rounded up calls to the next minute. The FidoDollars program offers a selection of rewards to loyal customers. Fido also offers several plans and add-ons for mobile Internet access.CityFido
The CityFido Unlimited plan costs $35 per month and it is available to customers living in one of eleven select cities throughout Canada. Customers with this plan can make and receive unlimited calls inside any of Fido's eleven city-based coverage zones, but must purchase additional minutes when leaving such zones or making long distance calls without a long distance package. This plan also includes unlimited international text messaging and, for BlackBerry users, unlimited BBMBlackberry Messenger
BlackBerry Messenger is a proprietary Internet-based instant messenger application included on BlackBerry devices which allows messaging between BlackBerry users.It was developed by Research In Motion , maker of the BlackBerry device...
service. The unlimited BBM add-on cannot be combined with any other mobile Internet add-on.
For Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
and Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
customers, there is also a $30 per month CityFido plan available. It is identical to the $35 plan, with the only exception being that it offers 2000 minutes billed per second instead of unlimited. Both services are called CitéFido in French.
For prepaid customers, the CityFido Prepaid plan costs $39.75 per month. Unlike CityFido Unlimited, the Prepaid plan only offers 2000 minutes to use for any incoming or local outgoing calls. Additional local minutes cost 40¢ each. Also, text messages sent to a non-Canadian mobile number require an additional fee. Incoming international text messages, however, can be received at no extra cost.
Cities offering CityFido Unlimited and Prepaid plans currently include Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Gatineau
Gatineau
Gatineau is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is the fourth largest city in the province. It is located on the northern banks of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario, and together they form Canada's National Capital Region. Ottawa and Gatineau comprise a single Census...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, London, Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
and Victoria.
Additionally, one can add a long distance package to the CityFido Unlimited plan. This allows unlimited calling to certain countries:
- $10 per month for unlimited Canadian long distance within CityFido zone
- $20 per month for unlimited international long distance within CityFido zone
- $30 per month for unlimited Canadian and United States long distance within CityFido zone
For the international long distance package, only landline numbers for the 60 listed countries are included. Mobile-to-mobile calls to these countries costs 55¢ per minute. The United States long distance package excludes Puerto Rico and Mexico. However, calls to both mobile and landline numbers are included. This is also true for the Canadian long distance package.
Due to the success of this package, newer entrants such as Wind Mobile
Wind Mobile
Wind Mobile is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider operated by Globalive Communications Corporation. The company initially launched mobile data and voice services in Toronto on December 16, 2009 and two days later in Calgary...
, Mobilicity
Mobilicity
Mobilicity is a Canadian wireless telecommunications provider. Its name is a portmanteau of the words "mobility" and "simplicity".-History:...
and Vidéotron
Vidéotron
Vidéotron GP is a Canadian integrated telecommunications company active in cable television, interactive multimedia development, video on demand, cable telephony, wireless communication and Internet access services. Currently, the company primarily serves Quebec, as well as the francophone...
also introduced plans similar to CityFido featuring the zone concept. Telus Mobility
Telus Mobility
Telus Mobility is a division of Telus Communications which sells wireless services in Canada on its numerous networks. They currently have three different networks based on three different technologies: CDMA and HSPA+ on its mainstream networks, plus iDEN via its Mike division...
's Koodo Mobile
Koodo Mobile
Koodo Mobile is a mobile brand in Canada started by Telus in 2008. Koodo differs from its parent Telus by not requiring a fixed term contract. Koodo offers all its services on a month by month basis. Koodo uses the concept of a Tab which allows customers to build credit towards new phones...
and Clearnet
Clearnet (Telus Mobility)
Clearnet is a division of Telus Mobility launched in April 2011 which sells landline and mobile phone bundles in Western Canada. It is a revival of the Clearnet Communications brand name, an independent cellular provider that was merged into Telus Mobility in 2000...
brands as well Bell Mobility
Bell Mobility
Bell Mobility is a CDMA and HSPA+ based wireless network and the division of Bell Canada which sells wireless services in Canada...
's Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile is a brand used by many mobile phone service providers across the globe; its headquarters are based in the United Kingdom. Virgin Mobile has local operations in Australia, Canada, France, India, South Africa, Greece, United Kingdom and the United States. It briefly also had operations...
and Solo Mobile
Solo Mobile
Solo Mobile is a mobile brand in Canada started by Bell Mobility in 2000. Solo is considered a discount wireless brand, offering low price monthly plans with some unlimited options in certain cities...
brands all have unlimited local calling plans with concepts very similar to CityFido. Koodo and Virgin, however, also offer a "no zones" options for unlimited local calling within any served city in Canada.
FidoANSWERS
In 2011, Fido relaunched its phone-based customer service centre by renaming it FidoANSWERS. This service is known as Fido à l'écoute (Fido is listening) in French. The company claims that with this new centre, it is "now easier" for customers "to speak to a real person." This is apparently done by reducing the amount of menus and call transfers. One can obtain this new customer support by calling 6-1-16-1-1
For customers of some telephone companies in Canada and in the U.S., 611 is the abbreviated dialing telephone number used to report a problem with telephone service, or with a payphone...
from a Fido device or 1-888-481-3436, the toll-free number's last four digits spelling out
Phoneword
Phonewords are alphanumeric equivalents of a telephone number. In many countries, there exist letters corresponding to each digit on a telephone keypad...
FIDO. It is also possible to reach Customer Service through the Contact Us page on the website Fido.ca. Existing customers may also use the Fido Live Chat service, accessible through Fido My Account. Alternatively, customers can access the Fido Forums or the Fido support website for technical support.
FidoDollars
Fido has a loyalty rewards program known as FidoDollars. For every Fido monthly bill or prepaid top-up, a customers receives 5% of the pre-tax total in FidoDollars. This currency can be used towards the purchase of a new device, such as a mobile phone or an Internet access stick. They can also be used to temporarily try out new plan features, such as additional minutes, unlimited Canadian long distance, or ½ GB of mobile Internet. Prepaid customers can also use their FidoDollars to purchase top-up credits. FidoDollars have no cash value and are non-transferable.The New Fido
On November 4, 2008, Fido announced a re-branding and subsequent relaunch of their services. This repositioned the company as a discount wireless brand, offering postpaid plans similar or identical to those of Koodo MobileKoodo Mobile
Koodo Mobile is a mobile brand in Canada started by Telus in 2008. Koodo differs from its parent Telus by not requiring a fixed term contract. Koodo offers all its services on a month by month basis. Koodo uses the concept of a Tab which allows customers to build credit towards new phones...
and Solo Mobile
Solo Mobile
Solo Mobile is a mobile brand in Canada started by Bell Mobility in 2000. Solo is considered a discount wireless brand, offering low price monthly plans with some unlimited options in certain cities...
with no "system access fee
System access fee
The System access fee is a non-governmental surcharge imposed by most Canadian telephone companies on their customers' monthly bills . Although it is normally charged for wireless services, Rogers Communications and the now-defunct Sprint Canada also charged its home phone customers a System Access...
" or carrier-charged "911 fee". Clients using legacy plans, however, may keep them only if they continue to pay both fees.
As of May 3, 2011, the following Fido postpaid plans are available for customers:
| Monthly cost | Local minutes included | Sent SMS SMS SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :... |
Evenings and weekends | Incoming calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $15 | 50 | 50 | ||
| $20 | ||||
| $25 | 150 | |||
| $30 | 200 | |||
| $35 | 350 | |||
| $50 | 750 | |||
| $70 | 2000 |
This table excludes CityFido plans, which are only available in select cities.
Solo Mobile
Solo Mobile
Solo Mobile is a mobile brand in Canada started by Bell Mobility in 2000. Solo is considered a discount wireless brand, offering low price monthly plans with some unlimited options in certain cities...
's monthly plans are nearly identical to Fido's postpaid plans, but there are some differences. Virgin, on the other hand, offers plans identical to Fido's $15, $20 and $25 offerings. Both Solo and Virgin include unlimited sent SMS to USA and international mobile numbers in their $25/month plan. Virgin members, however, can also replace the unlimited sent SMS option with the caller ID
Caller ID
Caller ID , also called calling line identification or calling number identification or Calling Line Identification Presentation , is a telephone service, available in analog and digital phone systems and most Voice over Internet Protocol applications, that transmits a caller's number to...
and voicemail
Voicemail
Voicemail is a computer based system that allows users and subscribers to exchange personal voice messages; to select and deliver voice information; and to process transactions relating to individuals, organizations, products and services, using an ordinary telephone...
features.
Fido has recently improved their plans "in response to Koodo
Koodo Mobile
Koodo Mobile is a mobile brand in Canada started by Telus in 2008. Koodo differs from its parent Telus by not requiring a fixed term contract. Koodo offers all its services on a month by month basis. Koodo uses the concept of a Tab which allows customers to build credit towards new phones...
's new Canada-wide price plans." Fido's $25 and $30 monthly plans previously had 100 and 150 local anytime minutes, respectively. Both plans now have an additional 50 minutes. The evenings and weekends calling period was also changed during weeknights on all Fido plans costing $25 or more per month. Like Koodo, it now begins at 5pm instead of 7pm.
All plans listed in this table include the call waiting
Call waiting
Call waiting , in telephony, is a feature on some telephone networks. If a calling party places a call to a called party which is otherwise engaged, and the called party has the call waiting feature enabled, the called party is able to suspend the current telephone call and switch to the new...
and conference call
Conference call
A conference call is a telephone call in which the calling party wishes to have more than one called party listen in to the audio portion of the call. The conference calls may be designed to allow the called party to participate during the call, or the call may be set up so that the called party...
features. Circle Calling is also included, which allows "free [local] calls between people on the same account", with up to a total of five people per account. They also offer a minute tracker, similar to the one used by Virgin Mobile Canada
Virgin Mobile Canada
Virgin Mobile Canada is a cellular telephone company that was launched on March 1, 2005 as a joint venture between Virgin Group and Bell Canada. Since May 7, 2009, it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Bell Mobility. - Pre-launch :...
, to remind customers when they have used 75% and 100% of their monthly minutes.
Optional features include a $10 value pack which bundles Caller ID
Caller ID
Caller ID , also called calling line identification or calling number identification or Calling Line Identification Presentation , is a telephone service, available in analog and digital phone systems and most Voice over Internet Protocol applications, that transmits a caller's number to...
with Name Display, an enhanced voicemail
Voicemail
Voicemail is a computer based system that allows users and subscribers to exchange personal voice messages; to select and deliver voice information; and to process transactions relating to individuals, organizations, products and services, using an ordinary telephone...
, and the WhoCalled feature which was pioneered by Rogers. There is also a $15 value pack, which includes 50 Canadian long distance minutes, unlimited MMS
Multimedia Messaging Service
Multimedia Messaging Service, or MMS, is a standard way to send messages that include multimedia content to and from mobile phones. It extends the core SMS capability that allowed exchange of text messages only up to 160 characters in length.The most popular use is to send photographs from...
and 2500 local call forwarding
Call forwarding
Call forwarding , in telephony, is a feature on some telephone networks allowing an incoming call to a called party to be redirected to a third party. For example, the third party may be a mobile telephone, voicemail box or other telephone number where the desired called party is situated. It was...
minutes plus all the features found in the $10 pack. Both packs include the first month free for new subscribers.
Mobile Internet
Fido offers several plans and add-ons for customers wishing to access Internet content via its mobile network. Each device is limited to only one of these plans, and certain plans are only available for certain devices:| Monthly cost | Data included | Available for |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | Unlimited BBM Blackberry Messenger BlackBerry Messenger is a proprietary Internet-based instant messenger application included on BlackBerry devices which allows messaging between BlackBerry users.It was developed by Research In Motion , maker of the BlackBerry device... |
BlackBerry BlackBerry BlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more... |
| $10 | 100 MB (less than ¹/₁₀ GB) | Smartphone Smartphone A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera... s and feature phone Feature phone A feature phone is a mobile phone that, like smartphones, combines the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone.Today's models typically also serve as portable media players and camera phones with touchscreen, GPS navigation, Wi-Fi and mobile broadband access.Feature phones is... s |
| $10 | Unlimited social & IM | BlackBerry |
| $10 | Unlimited email & IM | |
| $25 | 500 MB (less than ½ GB) | |
| $25 | Smartphone Smartphone A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera... s and feature phone Feature phone A feature phone is a mobile phone that, like smartphones, combines the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone.Today's models typically also serve as portable media players and camera phones with touchscreen, GPS navigation, Wi-Fi and mobile broadband access.Feature phones is... s |
|
| $32 | Mobile broadband modems | |
| $37 | 1 GB | |
| $52 | 2 GB | |
| $67 | 5 GB |
Fido has been heavily criticized for discontinuing its unlimited Internet access plan and options. In response, the company temporarily released several add-ons designed to provide larger data allowances for mobile Internet service on the iPhone. This included $30 per month for 6 GB of data, as well as $80 per month for 8 GB of data. These add-ons were only available for a limited time after the release date of any iPhone device sold by Fido. Although they can unofficially be used with other smartphones, the also required a voice plan and hence cannot be used with an Internet access stick.
Legacy
Fido once offered a wide range of products and services which are no longer available on the market.The following services were removed after Rogers purchased Microcell:
- Several CityFido plans
- Sprint CanadaSprint CanadaSprint Canada was a Canadian telecommunications service provider from 1993 to 2005, when was acquired by Rogers Communications. Sprint offered both residential and business services. It was a key company in the long distance wars of Canada.-Services:...
home phone and Fido Wireless bundles - Unlimited mobile Internet access in Canada for devices other than feature phoneFeature phoneA feature phone is a mobile phone that, like smartphones, combines the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone.Today's models typically also serve as portable media players and camera phones with touchscreen, GPS navigation, Wi-Fi and mobile broadband access.Feature phones is...
s - Unlimited mobile Internet access in Canada and the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Only some legacy CityFido plans were grandfathered, and Fido now has new CityFido offerings; see the "CityFido" section above. Sprint Canada and Fido bundles were replaced by Better Choice Bundles after Rogers purchased both companies. All bundles are now discontinued; see the following paragraph. The unlimited mobile Internet access plans were replaced by tiered and rationed Internet access options, although an unlimited plan continues to be available for feature phones; see the "Mobile Internet" section above.
The following services were removed after "The New Fido" re-branding:
- Better Choice Bundles
- Couples plans
- Danger Hiptop service
- Fax messaging
- Mobile TV
None of these services were grandfathered. The Better Choices Bundles once offered up to 15% off a pre-tax Fido monthly bill when combined with one or more Rogers services, but Fido is now listed as a "service[] that do[es]n't qualify for the Better Choice Bundles™ Program.". Couples plans were replaced by Circle Calling in 2011; see "The New Fido" above. Fax messaging was discontinued on September 22, 2009, but fax numbers could be ported out until December 22 of that year, and a similar service is still available at competitor Mike
Mike (cellular network)
Mike is a Canadian mobile phone and push-to-talk network, launched in 1996 using the proprietary iDEN platform from Motorola. The network was initially launched by Clearnet in the Windsor to Québec corridor, while its roll-out in western Canada followed in 1997...
. Offering over 25 channels via Fido's HSPA network, Mobile TV was discontinued due to a lack of subscribers, but competitor Bell Mobility
Bell Mobility
Bell Mobility is a CDMA and HSPA+ based wireless network and the division of Bell Canada which sells wireless services in Canada...
and its MVNO
Mobile virtual network operator
A mobile virtual network operator is a company that provides mobile phone services but does not have its own licensed frequency allocation of radio spectrum, nor does it necessarily have all of the infrastructure required to provide mobile telephone service...
Virgin Mobile Canada
Virgin Mobile Canada
Virgin Mobile Canada is a cellular telephone company that was launched on March 1, 2005 as a joint venture between Virgin Group and Bell Canada. Since May 7, 2009, it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Bell Mobility. - Pre-launch :...
both offer a very similar feature.
Retail presence
Fido has its own corporate retail stores, and also allows third parties to become exclusive dealers. For example, Best BuyBest Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
, Costco
Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...
, Future Shop
Future Shop
Future Shop is Canada's largest consumer electronics retailer. Future Shop currently operates a total of 146 stores across all of Canada's provinces as of December 2008....
, Tbooth
Tbooth Wireless
Tbooth Wireless/la cabine T sans fil is a subsidiary of GLENTEL Inc., the largest independent mobile phone retailer in Canada. GLENTEL operates more than 280 locations across Canada under the brandnames WIRELESSWAVE/WAVE SANS FIL, Tbooth wireless/la cabine T sans fil and WIRELESS etc./SANS FIL etc...
, Walmart and WirelessWave
WirelessWave
WirelessWave is a subsidiary of Glentel, a provider of telecommunications services and mobile phones in North America.-History:WirelessWave opened its first mall-based store in the Metropolis at Metrotown mall in Burnaby, British Columbia.-Services:...
sell Fido products along with prepaid and postpaid services. Additionally, Loblaw Companies
Loblaw Companies
Loblaw Companies Limited is the largest food retailer in Canada, with over 1,400 supermarkets operating under a variety of regional banners, including the namesake Loblaws. LCL is headquartered in Brampton, Ontario...
and Zellers
Zellers
Zellers Inc. is Canada's second-largest chain of mass merchandise discount stores, with locations in communities across Canada. A subsidiary of the Hudson's Bay Company , it has 273 locations across the country....
stores sell prepaid feature phone
Feature phone
A feature phone is a mobile phone that, like smartphones, combines the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone.Today's models typically also serve as portable media players and camera phones with touchscreen, GPS navigation, Wi-Fi and mobile broadband access.Feature phones is...
s and top-up vouchers. Loblaw stores have a special booth, called The Mobile Shop, where the phones are displayed.
While Shoppers Drug Mart
Shoppers Drug Mart
Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation is Canada's largest pharmacy chain with more than 1,241 stores operating under the names Shoppers Drug Mart in nine provinces and two territories and Pharmaprix in Quebec as well as in Hawkesbury, Ontario....
carried only Rogers Wireless
Rogers Wireless
Rogers Wireless is a wireless telecommunications provider offering mobile phone and data services throughout Canada using Global System for Mobile Communications and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System technology. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rogers Communications...
prepaid phones at one time, the stores temporarily partnered with Rogers. As a result, Shoppers stores added both prepaid and postpaid products and services for Rogers and its two other brands, Fido and Chatr
Chatr
Chatr is a Canadian wireless service provider targeting price-conscious customers It is the third wireless service network owned by Rogers Communications, after Rogers Wireless and Fido Solutions. The provider launched their network in Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and now Montreal ...
. Customers could also try out the iPhone 4
IPhone 4
The iPhone 4 is a touchscreen slate smartphone developed by Apple Inc. It is the fourth generation iPhone, and successor to the iPhone 3GS. It is particularly marketed for video calling , consumption of media such as books and periodicals, movies, music, and games, and for general web and e-mail...
. As of March 2011, however, Shoppers stores ended their partnership. They only sell prepaid top-up vouchers for these providers.