Not all services are available everywhere, which means that in some areas you may be stuck with only one option (usually dial up). However, if you live in a large city such as Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver you will have plenty of options to choose from.
If you happen to live in a apartment or house that had a high-speed internet service in the past, the connection time by your ISP should be fairly quick (even within 24hrs). If not, it may take a few days to get high-speed internet service connection.
If you have a portable computer, some establishments such as airports, four and five star hotels, and cafés such as “Starbucks” and “Second Cup” may have Wi-Fi connections available for a fee. Even though these are not widely available yet, they offer an alternative to Internet cafes.
Dial-up access
Dial-up is the most basic of the Internet Services and is available everywhere there is a phone line. If you choose a dial-up service, ensure that the number you dial to get connected is either a toll free number (i.e. 1-800) or a local call in your area. If not, you will be paying long distance charges every time you access it. Most dial-up services offer flat rates of about CAD$ 20 or less per month and some of them may offer additional features such as email addresses, website space, etc.
High-speed access
There are many options and packages available with High-speed Internet in major cities. You may be able to get High-speed Internet through your phone service provider or through your cable TV operator.
The slowest of the high-speed services are in the range of 128kbps – 256kbps and cost around CAD$ 30 per month. Depending on your area the current fastest ADSL and cable speeds are around 10Mbps and such service is about CAD$ 55 per month including taxes.
Sometimes you may be able to bundle your Internet service with your TV and/or wireless service and you could save between 10% and 20% of the costs of buying each service separately.