# eSIM for Canada

Viasimo's Canada eSIM starts at $1.29 for 100 MB over 7 days, running on Rogers Wireless and Telus with 5G where available. Plans last 1 to 180 days, arrive by email in minutes and install from your phone's settings, with no app.

Canonical page: https://viasimo.com/destinations/canada/

## Canada eSIM prices

| Plan | Data | Days | Price | Price per GB |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 GB, 1 day | 1 GB | 1 | $2.79 | $2.79 |
| 1.5 GB, 1 day | 1.5 GB | 1 | $4.00 | $2.67 |
| 2 GB, 1 day | 2 GB | 1 | $4.79 | $2.40 |
| Unlimited, 3 days | Unlimited | 3 | $16.00 | - |
| Unlimited, 5 days | Unlimited | 5 | $25.00 | - |
| 100 MB, 7 days | 100 MB | 7 | $1.29 | $13.21 |
| 500 MB, 7 days | 500 MB | 7 | $2.00 | $4.10 |
| 1 GB, 7 days | 1 GB | 7 | $3.00 | $3.00 |
| Unlimited, 7 days | Unlimited | 7 | $34.00 | - |
| Unlimited, 10 days | Unlimited | 10 | $46.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 15 days | Unlimited | 15 | $69.99 | - |
| 3 GB, 30 days | 3 GB | 30 | $6.99 | $2.33 |
| 5 GB, 30 days | 5 GB | 30 | $10.99 | $2.20 |
| 10 GB, 30 days | 10 GB | 30 | $17.00 | $1.70 |
| 20 GB, 30 days | 20 GB | 30 | $28.99 | $1.45 |
| 75 GB, 30 days | 75 GB | 30 | $48.99 | $0.65 |
| Unlimited, 30 days | Unlimited | 30 | $134.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 60 days | Unlimited | 60 | $259.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 90 days | Unlimited | 90 | $384.99 | - |
| Unlimited, 180 days | Unlimited | 180 | $759.99 | - |

## Which networks does the Canada eSIM use?

- **Rogers Wireless**: 5G
- **Telus**: 5G

Your eSIM picks one automatically; you do not choose or switch between them.

The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM. Verified October 30, 2026.

## eSIM Details

- **Data**: 100 MB – 75 GB or unlimited
- **Validity**: 1–180 days
- **Speed**: 4G LTE / 5G
- **Hotspot / tethering**: Supported on most devices
- **Activation**: Automatic on arrival
- **Speed management**: Roughly 2-3 GB per day at full speed, sometimes less depending on the local carrier, then reduced
- **Top-ups**: Add more data from your account, before the plan expires
- **Text messages (SMS)**: Data only: use an app for verification codes
- **Connects via**: United States
- **Unused validity**: 180 days before it must be installed

## Canada: what to know before you land

Source: https://viasimo.com/destinations/canada/#destination-guide · Researched October 2026 by Viasimo

In Canada this eSIM uses Rogers and Telus, two of the three national networks, with 5G where it has been built. In Opensignal's August 2026 report Telus took the overall best network award and the fastest downloads, while Rogers users spent the most time on 5G. Coverage still drops away on remote highways and in the backcountry.

### Canada: quick facts

| Fact | Canada |
| --- | --- |
| Emergency number | 911 |
| Main airports | Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ); Vancouver International Airport (YVR); Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL); Calgary International Airport (YYC) |
| Plug types | Type A, B (120V) |
| Currency | Canadian dollar (CAD) |
| Apps worth having | Uber, Transit, Google Maps, WhatsApp |

### Telus and Rogers in Opensignal's August 2026 results

(Canada · https://viasimo.com/destinations/canada/#guide-telus-and-rogers-in-opensignal-s-august-2026-results)

Canada's mobile market is dominated by three national operators: Bell, Rogers and Telus. This eSIM connects to **Rogers** and **Telus**, and the independent testing gives a useful picture of what that means.

In Opensignal's August 2026 report:

- **Telus** won the overall best network award and recorded the fastest average download speed, at 91.8 Mbps. It also shared top place for coverage experience, reliability and time on network.
- **Rogers** had the highest 5G availability: its users were connected to 5G 86.6% of the time, ahead of Telus (77.8%) and Bell (72.6%). Rogers also led for upload speeds and games, and tied for reliability and video.
- **Bell**, which this eSIM doesn't use, won only the 5G download speed category outright.

In practice the gaps between the three are small in cities. The bigger factor for travellers is that having two networks available gives your phone a second option in a valley or small town where one of them is weaker. Your handset picks between them automatically; you don't need to choose.

### Signal underground on Toronto's TTC subway

(Canada · https://viasimo.com/destinations/canada/#guide-signal-underground-on-toronto-s-ttc-subway)

Toronto's subway used to be a dead zone between stations. That changed in 2023, when Rogers took over the subway's cellular network and began upgrading it. It first switched on 5G in the busiest downtown stations and tunnels on Lines 1 and 2 first, then extended it to every station.

The federal government then required that customers of other carriers get access too, and since December 2023 Bell and Telus customers have also had calls, texts and data at all TTC subway stations and tunnels. Because this eSIM connects to Rogers and Telus, you can keep checking directions or messaging while you ride, rather than waiting until you surface.

A few practical points for Toronto:

- Signal underground means you can refresh your route mid-journey, but downloading an offline map of the city is still worthwhile for the streetcar network and the islands.
- Underground signal also helps with 911 access: the upgrade was designed partly to make emergency calls more reliable in the tunnels.
- Union Station connects the subway to UP Express trains to Pearson Airport (YYZ), so you can check departures while you are still underground.

### Highway 16 and the new towers in northern British Columbia

(Canada · https://viasimo.com/destinations/canada/#guide-highway-16-and-the-new-towers-in-northern-british-columbia)

Highway 16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert runs for about 720 km through northern British Columbia. Long stretches had no mobile signal at all, which was a serious safety problem on a road also known as the Highway of Tears.

Rogers has been building new masts along the corridor to close the gaps. By the end of December 2024 it had nine of the planned 11 towers working, with 166 km of new 5G coverage in service and a target of 252 km once the final towers are complete. The project is about giving drivers access to 911 as much as data.

That still leaves gaps on the drive, and the same pattern applies on other long northern and mountain routes. Before you set off on Highway 16, or anywhere similar:

- Download offline maps for the whole route, not just your destination.
- Fill up with fuel and check road conditions at the start of each day, while you have signal in town.
- Tell someone your plan and expected arrival time.
- If you are heading truly off-grid, a satellite messenger or a phone with satellite SOS is a sensible back-up to mobile coverage.

### Sources for the Canada guide

- [Canada Mobile Network Experience Report, August 2026 (Opensignal)](https://insights.opensignal.com/reports/2026/08/canada/mobile-network-experience)
- [Rogers 5G mobile users will now have cellular services in TTC tunnels and stations (Mass Transit)](https://www.masstransitmag.com/technology/passenger-info/mobile-applications/press-release/53070362/toronto-transit-commission-ttc-rogers-5g-mobile-users-will-now-have-cellular-services-in-ttc-tunnels-and-stations)
- [Bell and Telus customers can access cellular services at all TTC stations (MobileSyrup)](https://mobilesyrup.com/2023/12/15/bell-and-telus-customers-can-access-cellular-services-at-all-ttc-stations/)
- [Rogers improves public safety and 5G wireless coverage on B.C.'s Highway 16 (Rogers)](https://about.rogers.com/news-ideas/rogers-improves-public-safety-and-5g-wireless-coverage-on-bcs-highway-16/)
- [Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) (Government of Canada)](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/eta.html)

## Seven days in eastern Canada: Toronto, Niagara Falls, Montreal and Quebec City

7-day itinerary · 7 days · Source: https://viasimo.com/destinations/canada/#itinerary

A first-timer's week by rail along the Ontario and Quebec corridor: Toronto's waterfront and neighbourhoods, a day at Niagara Falls, French-speaking Montreal and the walled old town of Quebec City, with no need for a car.

**When to go:** Late May to mid-October is best, with warm summers and autumn colour from late September; winter brings deep cold and snow, though Quebec City's Winter Carnival in February has its own appeal.

### Day 1 in Canada: Toronto waterfront and the CN Tower

- **Base:** Toronto
- **Getting there:** UP Express from Pearson to Union Station takes about 25 minutes.
- **Plan:** Take the UP Express from Pearson Airport to Union Station. Walk down to the waterfront and ride a ferry to the Toronto Islands for the skyline view, then come back for the CN Tower and its glass-floored observation level. End the day in the Distillery District, a pedestrian quarter of Victorian industrial buildings east of downtown.
- **Mobile signal:** Rogers and Telus both offer 5G across downtown Toronto; on the island ferry and the islands themselves you keep 4G or 5G from the city's masts.

### Day 2 in Canada: Toronto neighbourhoods and the ROM

- **Base:** Toronto
- **Plan:** Spend the morning at the Royal Ontario Museum, which covers natural history and world cultures. Walk south through Queen's Park and the University of Toronto, then into Kensington Market and Chinatown along Spadina Avenue. In the late afternoon, see St Lawrence Market or take the subway to the Art Gallery of Ontario with its Frank Gehry extension.
- **Mobile signal:** TTC subway stations have mobile coverage, and Rogers has extended it into many tunnel sections, so you can usually keep your connection underground on Line 1.

### Day 3 in Canada: Day trip to Niagara Falls

- **Base:** Toronto
- **Getting there:** GO Transit trains from Union Station to Niagara Falls take about 2 hours; services are more frequent in summer and at weekends. Driving takes about 1.5 hours.
- **Plan:** Head to Niagara Falls for the day. Walk the Niagara Parkway promenade from Table Rock to see the Horseshoe Falls, then take the Niagara City Cruises boat into the spray at the base of the falls. If time allows, take a bus or taxi north to Niagara-on-the-Lake, a small town of nineteenth-century houses with wineries on the way, before the return train.
- **Mobile signal:** Good 5G or 4G at the falls; close to the border your phone can occasionally latch on to a US network, so set data roaming to stay on the Canadian network if you can.

### Day 4 in Canada: Train to Montreal and Old Montreal

- **Base:** Montreal
- **Getting there:** VIA Rail Toronto to Montreal takes about 5 hours.
- **Plan:** Take a morning VIA Rail train from Union Station to Montreal. In the afternoon, walk Old Montreal: Place d'Armes, the Notre-Dame Basilica with its blue and gold interior, cobbled Rue Saint-Paul and the Old Port along the St Lawrence. In the evening, walk to Place Jacques-Cartier and the Bonsecours Market as the lights come on.
- **Mobile signal:** Coverage is generally good on the Windsor–Quebec corridor but drops briefly in rural stretches of eastern Ontario; VIA trains have onboard wifi as a back-up.

### Day 5 in Canada: Mount Royal and the Plateau

- **Base:** Montreal
- **Plan:** Climb Mount Royal from Avenue des Pins to the Kondiaronk lookout for a view over downtown. Walk down into the Plateau Mont-Royal, with its outdoor staircases and murals, and on to the Mile End for bagels from one of its long-running bakeries. In the afternoon, visit the Jean-Talon Market or the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts on Sherbrooke Street.
- **Mobile signal:** The whole Montreal metro, all 68 stations and its tunnels, has had 4G LTE since 2020, with Telus and Rogers among the participating operators, so you stay connected underground.

### Day 6 in Canada: Quebec City's walled old town

- **Base:** Quebec City
- **Getting there:** VIA Rail from Montreal to Quebec City takes about 3 hours 15 minutes.
- **Plan:** Take the morning train to Quebec City. Walk up to Dufferin Terrace beside the Château Frontenac, then explore the walled Historic District of Old Québec, a UNESCO site. Ride the funicular down to Quartier Petit-Champlain and Place Royale, then walk the city walls past Porte Saint-Louis and the Citadelle in the late afternoon.
- **Mobile signal:** Strong 5G and 4G throughout Old Québec; the thick stone walls of some buildings can weaken indoor signal, but you will reconnect as soon as you are back outside.

### Day 7 in Canada: Montmorency Falls and departure

- **Base:** Quebec City
- **Getting there:** Montmorency Falls is about 15 minutes' drive or a city bus ride from Old Québec.
- **Plan:** Spend the morning at Montmorency Falls, which at 83 m are higher than Niagara; walk across the suspension bridge over the top or ride the cable car. If you have time, continue to Île d'Orléans for farm stands and views back to the city. Fly home from Jean Lesage International or take the train back to Montreal for an international connection.
- **Mobile signal:** Good coverage at the falls and on Île d'Orléans along the main road; the cable car and stairs are short enough that you won't lose signal for long.

### Staying connected on this Canada route

- Download the VIA Rail app and save your e-tickets offline before day 4 in case you lose signal in rural Ontario.
- Near Niagara Falls, check your phone is on a Canadian network so you don't drift onto a US one across the river.
- Install the TTC and STM transit apps, or use Google Maps transit directions, for live subway and metro times in Toronto and Montreal.

### Sources for the Canada itinerary

- [Montreal's metro now fully connected to the mobile network – STM](https://www.stm.info/en/node/20820)
- [Rogers 5G mobile users now have cellular service in TTC tunnels and stations – Mass Transit](https://www.masstransitmag.com/technology/passenger-info/mobile-applications/press-release/53070362/toronto-transit-commission-ttc-rogers-5g-mobile-users-will-now-have-cellular-services-in-ttc-tunnels-and-stations)
- [Historic District of Old Québec – UNESCO World Heritage Centre](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/300)
- [Canada mobile network experience report, August 2026 – Opensignal](https://insights.opensignal.com/reports/2026/08/canada/mobile-network-experience)

## About this eSIM

Canada gives this eSIM two national networks: Rogers Wireless and Telus. Both run 5G where it has been rolled out, with 4G LTE as the everyday layer. That spread is the reason a Canadian trip rarely goes dark in the places you sleep, and the reason it absolutely can go dark in the places you drive through. The population lives in a thin band near the southern border, and so do the towers.

### Getting online when you land

Install the profile before you leave and keep it inactive. Canadian arrivals halls have free wifi, but so does your kitchen, and the kitchen is where you want to be if something needs a second attempt.

On landing, switch the line on, allow data roaming for that profile, and make it your default data connection. Your home number stays live on your original SIM for calls and codes. Worth doing this before you leave the terminal at Pearson, YVR or Trudeau, because the first thing most people want is a ride app, and those want a working connection while you are still inside.

### The networks you'll be on

You will be handed between the two as you move, and the practical effect is that cities and the southern corridor feel like home. In central Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal you may pick up 5G on either network; elsewhere expect LTE, which is more than enough for anything a traveller does, including streaming on a train.

You do not choose between them; the phone does. What you should take from the list is that Canada is not a one-network country, so a weak spot in one valley is often not a weak spot everywhere.

### Where coverage holds, and where it thins

Solid: Toronto and the Golden Horseshoe, Montreal and the St Lawrence corridor, Ottawa, Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Halifax, and the towns strung along the Trans-Canada. Ski resorts and national park townsites such as Banff and Jasper are covered at village level.

Thin to nonexistent: the long empty runs between them. Northern Ontario along Highway 17 has genuine multi-hour gaps. The Icefields Parkway loses signal for long stretches between townsites, as do the interior of British Columbia, the backcountry of Alberta's Rockies, the Gaspésie coast, inland Newfoundland, and effectively everything north of the provinces. Hiking trails go quiet within minutes of a trailhead. This is not a network failure; it is a country with more land than people.

### What you'll actually use data for here

Navigation and road-trip logistics dominate, because Canadian distances flatter nobody: the drive that looks like an afternoon is a day. Live traffic through Toronto, ferry schedules out of Vancouver and Victoria, park reservation systems that now gate entry to popular sites, and weather that decides whether a mountain pass is a good idea.

In the cities it is transit apps for the TTC and the Montreal Metro, ride-hailing and food delivery, and tapping through Google or Apple Pay, which Canada leans on heavily. Bilingual signage in Quebec sends a lot of visitors to a translation app. And if you are doing anything outdoors, checking conditions and fire or avalanche bulletins before you set off is the single most useful thing your data does all trip.

### Before you fly

Download offline maps for every province you will drive in, not just the cities. Do the same for any hiking route, and tell someone your plan, because in the backcountry your phone is a camera and a clock, not a lifeline.

Bring a car mount and a charger if you are renting; navigation on a full day of driving will flatten a phone. Check whether your park passes and campsite bookings can be saved offline, and screenshot them if not. Pack for the fact that cold kills battery life fast in winter, so keep the phone in an inside pocket rather than on the dashboard. Keep your home SIM active for voice, and expect long silences on the road between towns rather than being surprised by them.

## Before you travel to Canada

Canada has no SIM-registration requirement; the government considered one and decided against it. Nothing to register with a travel eSIM.

Local SIM-registration rules apply to buying a SIM in the country. A travel eSIM is a foreign profile roaming onto the local network, so you are not registering anything locally and there is no counter to queue at.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does an eSIM work in Canada?

Yes. Your Canada eSIM connects automatically the moment you arrive, with no roaming fees and nothing to set up at the airport. The host networks it can use are Rogers Wireless, Telus. Coverage runs on 4G LTE and 5G where the network has rolled it out, and falls back to 4G elsewhere.

### Do I get 5G in Canada?

Yes, where it has been deployed. 5G runs on Rogers Wireless, Telus in Canada, and your eSIM uses it automatically on a 5G-capable phone, dropping back to 4G LTE outside covered areas. No country is covered everywhere, so 5G availability varies by location.

### Which is the best mobile network in Canada?

In Opensignal's August 2026 report Telus won the overall best network award and the fastest average download speed (91.8 Mbps), while Rogers led on 5G availability, with users on 5G 86.6% of the time. This eSIM uses both Rogers and Telus, so your phone can switch to whichever gives the stronger signal.

### Is there cell service on the Toronto subway?

Yes. Rogers runs the cellular network on the TTC subway, and since December 2023 calls, texts and data have worked at all subway stations and in the tunnels for Rogers, Bell and Telus customers. As this eSIM connects to Rogers and Telus, you can use data while riding Lines 1 and 2.

### Is there phone signal on Highway 16 in British Columbia?

More than there used to be, but not everywhere. Rogers has been adding masts along the 720 km between Prince George and Prince Rupert, and by late 2024 nine of 11 planned towers were working, adding 166 km of 5G coverage. Gaps remain, so download offline maps and tell someone your route.

### Do I need an eTA to fly to Canada?

Most visa-exempt travellers flying to or through Canada need an electronic travel authorisation, which costs CA$7 on the Government of Canada's official page. US citizens and travellers who need a visa follow different rules. Apply on the official site rather than through third-party agencies, which charge extra.

### Can I call 911 with a data-only eSIM in Canada?

This eSIM has no phone number, so use your home SIM for voice calls, including to 911, which covers police, fire and ambulance across Canada. Keep your home line switched on alongside the eSIM, especially when driving remote routes, so you can make a voice call if you need help.

### How much data do I need for 7 days in Canada?

For 7 days in Canada, Viasimo sells 100 MB for $1.29, 500 MB for $2.00, 1 GB for $3.00, and unlimited data for $34.00. Our sizing recommendation, not a measurement: maps, messaging and the occasional lookup, about 1 GB a week; maps, social, photos and some browsing, about 3 to 7 GB a week. The data calculator on this site works it out from how you actually use your phone.

## Information and verification

- **Prices and plans**: Every price and allowance on this page is read from the live catalog, not typed in. Verified October 30, 2026.
- **Host networks**: The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM. Verified October 30, 2026.
- **Local rules**: SIM registration and device rules, checked against the sources below. Verified September 23, 2026. Source: [gsma.com](https://www.gsma.com/publicpolicy/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/GSMA_White-Paper_Mandatory-Registration-of-Prepaid-SIM-Users_32pgWEBv3.pdf), [privacyinternational.org](https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/3018/timeline-sim-card-registration-laws)