Unlimit Mobile lets international students set up a Canadian phone number before departure

Unlimit Mobile is pitching a pre-arrival mobile setup for international students bound for Canada, letting them activate a Canadian number before they fly. The prepaid service says the move can save students more than CAD 336 a year versus a comparable Bell plan and can also unlock student GIC rewards through ICICI Bank Canada or BMO.

Why it matters: - International students often need a Canadian phone number within days of landing to open a bank account, sign a lease and receive Student GIC payments. - Setting up the number before departure can reduce early-arrival friction and help students start banking, housing and school admin before they travel. - Canada expects to welcome 155,000 new international students in 2026 under the Government of Canada's Immigration Levels Plan 2026–2028.

What happened: - Unlimit Mobile says international students can activate a Canadian number from their home country before flying to Canada. - The service is available on eSIM or physical SIM. - The company says plans are prepaid, with no contract and no credit check. - Founder and CEO Amit Agarwal said students can share their number with their bank, college and landlord before travel.

The details: - Unlimit Mobile runs on the Telus network with 4G LTE and 5G coverage. - Plans include unlimited calls and texts within Canada, hotspot sharing and calling minutes to 34 countries. - Pricing starts at CAD 0.75 a day, or CAD 564 for 12 months with 120 GB of data. - The company says that annual plan is more than CAD 336 less than a year on Bell's 100 GB Select plan. - Bell's 100 GB Select plan costs CAD 85 a month without autopay as of October 2026, plus an activation fee. - Because the plans are prepaid, students can leave at any time without a penalty. - Unlimit Mobile says it serves more than 54,000 customers and has a 4.8 out of 5 rating on its website. - Students who already have a Canadian number can port it to Unlimit Mobile and keep the same number. - Plan details are available at unlimitmobile.com.

Between the lines: - Bell and Rogers no longer offer prepaid plans to new customers, which makes postpaid contracts harder for newcomers with no Canadian credit history. - Airport SIM cards can be a temporary fix, but switching later may force students to change the number they already shared with banks and schools. - The pitch targets a common newcomer pain point: mobile service is being positioned as part of the pre-arrival checklist, not a task for day one in Canada.

What's next: - Students can follow a four-step setup process: confirm the phone is unlocked and eSIM-compatible, choose a Canada plan, install the eSIM using a QR code and share the number before traveling. - Students who open a Student GIC with ICICI Bank Canada or BMO through Unlimit Mobile's referral can receive CAD 60–120 in Unlimit Coins after funding is verified. - The coins can cover up to 50% of the monthly plan cost, but they are promotional credits and cannot be withdrawn as cash. - The ICICI offer applies to students from India, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Morocco, Senegal and Nepal. - The BMO offer applies to residents of India and the Philippines. - Full terms are listed on Unlimit Mobile's banking partners page. - The company says students already in Canada can also switch their existing number to Unlimit Mobile.

The bottom line: - Unlimit Mobile is trying to make a Canadian phone number one less thing international students need to solve after landing, while adding a bank-referral incentive to its mobile plans.