Need help choosing phone/provider for my son's first phone

[Daikaotikao]

Looking for some help from fellow HoFo members...

My son is turning 12 and we are looking to get him a cell phone. It seems to be a common theme for a number of his friends this year and while he wants it so that he can text with his buddies (and girls ) my wife and I are thinking it will be a great way for him to keep in touch with us as he gains more independence and ventures more places without us.

I've been with Rogers for as long as I can remember (and spend $200-$300/ month on my cell bill) and I switched my wife over to them a few years ago from Bell. Having said that, I'm trying to figure out who the best carrier is and what phone to get for his needs. They all have basic packages or pre-paid services but it's hard to figure out which really offers the best solutions/price for this - some have unlimited 3-6pm but not weekends, some have unlimited texting but no data, etc, etc...

Basic needs:
- we live in Toronto
- 100 - 120mins for voice should suffice
- unlimited text (guessing this will be key)
- data? not sure... has gmail, facebook, etc but does he need to access on the phone??
- spends a lot of time over the summer at the cottage so coverage area is important (which effectively kills providers like Wind or Public)
- QWERTY keyboard (keys or virtual?) bc of the texting

Any advice from parents that have gone through this would be greatly appreciated!

[jbabs]

The best carrier is the one that provides the coverage where you need it - where you live, work, travel and play. Device and price should be secondary considerations because a cheap plan with no signal is too expensive in my book.

[computernorcal]

While I agree - that doesn't really narrow things down too much for me...

Rogers, Bell, Telus, Fido, Koodo all have sufficient coverage (As I mentioned in my first post - Public, Wind and Mobilicity won't work during the summer months when my son is at the cottage)

Then it comes back to decifering the the plans and whether it makes sense to go with a prepaid service vs monthly and who offers the best combination of text with some anytime minutes and evening and weekend plans.

As I said, thought I ask for some advice from other members who have gone through this with their kids.

[qtusa]

What about adding him onto your plan, as an add on line?

[Its Hena]

Agreed. Here in the States most carriers allow you to add on another line for an extra $10 a month. It shares in your pool of minutes, and any data will be extra as well.