FP3+ in Canada: 4G? With which operators?

Hello everyone,

I live in Canada and I would love to purchase a FP3+ while I’m in France, and use it in Canada.
I live in Montréal (densely populated) but sometimes (rarely) go out in rural neighbourhoods or remote areas.
I would like to be able to use 4G most of the time, close to what I could get with a phone that gets all 4G bands.

I found this post and associated link, but I couldn’t answer my questions with that information.

I understand the FP3+ covers all 2G and 3G bands, but not all 4G bands. I also understand that some operators in Canada use mostly bands the FP3 is compatible with, others operators less so.
Currently I’m with Fizz. But I’m ready to switch phone operator if the FP3+ is more compatible with another operator. I think only Band 4 ((Band 4 (AWS 1700/2100MHz))) would work with the FP3+ on Fizz? Which doesn’t sound great.

I found this website: kimovil, https://www.kimovil.com/en/frequency-checker/CA/fairphone-3, which tells which some operators will support the FP3+ best.
Can I trust this website and its results?

Is there a technical spreadsheet I should send operators in order to ask them whether the FP3 will work (or how well it will work) with their service.

I know the FP3+ is modular. Is there a chance I could easily replace the antenna part with one that is compatible with all 4G bands in Canada?

Many thanks!

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Hi and welcome to the forum.

Sadly there is no module to change the antenna and that would not resolve the frequency bands that are available.

I wouldn’t use the word trust in any situation but you can expect some of the detail to be useful, you can ask the available networks that are available what frequency bands they use and compare to Fairphone’s Spec. Expand the Network section

And for detailed info on 4G LTE see

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Hi!

regarding the kimovil homepage, I can at least say, that the bands/frequencies they are stating will work with the FP3 in Canada are listed on the specifications page for the FP3(+).
Though I have no idea regarding the accuracy of the bands/frequencies of the providers, I would guess, they are more or less correct (as they might change). E.g. I could not find the info on the “Telus” homepage, though they seem to have the most hits regarding 4G bands of the FP3(+).


Though I really love my Fairphone, I always “warn” buyers from overseas, that they should be aware of the risk they are taking.
No support at hand. Servicing the phone will always require sending it back to Europe.
Spare parts will always have to be shipped as well, extending repair-times (and costs) a bit.
Batteries might be hard to come by, as most sellers in Europe don’t ship them cross-border.

So, it is at least adviseable to have a bit of an adventurous streak and to not be afraid of doing some tinkering on your own (or you know someone who does :wink: ).
Don’t get me wrong, the chance, that you will run into trouble, is (from my experience) not higher than with every other phone. It’s just, should this happen, there will be only few people around in Canada, that know or even have heard of this phone.

Edit: just some error correction.

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Hello amoun,

Sadly there is no module to change the antenna and that would not resolve the frequency bands that are available.

Ok, good to know.

you can ask the available networks that are available what frequency bands they use and compare to Fairphone’s Spec.

Right… So I should ask the carrier directly if I want to be sure, otherwise I can’t be certain.
Thanks a lot for your information on 4G LTE! I’m afraid it’s a bit too detailed for me unfortunately.

Would you happen to know a good service to ship Fairphone to Canada? I’ve only ever seen Ship to UK + Forward2me (https://www.forward2me.com/), from this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/fairphone/comments/dtjb64/hi_im_an_american_and_i_would_like_to_know_how_to/

Thanks a lot for your answers!

Hello Bert!

That’s great! I think I’ll stay on amoun’s advice, as in, will need to check with the phone carrier.

Thanks a lot. It’s a good point. I had not considered that. Shipping every time does sound like a hassle, and it decreases the interest for the ecological part of the phone (extra gas&CO2 travel and shipping every time I need support or repairs doesn’t sound this good)

I asked amoun too but:

Thanks a lot to both of you for your advice. I think I will still proceed with the purchase (FP3+ + its accessories). I’m just not in a hurry, as I will need to find a suitable carrier first. And it’s not a small expense.

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From what I have learned on this forum, the cheapest way to come by a Fairphone overseas is
Clove in the UK.
They do ship worldwide and do charge less than Vireo in Germany.
Clove even offers the possibility to show prices in CAD and other currencies. :wink:
And they have a page with “International Customers FAQ”.
(And I am in no way connected to them.)

And you can communicate in English.
But - since prices and services can change - it won’t do any harm to ask both resellers for shipping conditions.

Other service like the one you mentioned are even more expensive, if I do recall so correctly.

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Thanks a lot Bert!

May I ask if Clove is reliable? According to people who have used it to ship Fairphones on this forum?
I assume yes, if people use it to ship half a thousand euros fairphone, but I might need to be sure, if I’m shipping such an expensive phone ^^

Sorry for the very late reply.

Thanks a lot for your help

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Here Clove was used. There might be more examples, you can just search for Clove here in the forum

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Hello yvmuell!
That is a very good idea, I should have thought of that…

Thanks a lot for the information quoted!

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