One cellphone or two? What's your experience?
 

I have really never had to own a personal cellphone. All my employers have allowed me to use my work phone for personal use. So I have never had to juggle two phones.

But as a Canadian who spends 150 days in the US on business, (working as an employee of a US company) I am thinking of taking on two phones. All the electronic nannies on my Canadian phone interfere with smooth roaming and my connectivity is terrible, for both mobile networks and data. (Wifi connectivity is better lately, for now.)

So if I had a US based phone to use stateside I know this would go away. None of our US employees have issues. But other Canadidans travelling here have the same challenges, and they appear insoluble as the security software is what it is.

If you had a choice, would you put up with two phones, or terrible connection issues?

A phone that doesn't work is far more annoying than carrying a second phone. If your Canadian phone doesn't work well in the US, get a US phone.

I guess I'm still not clear on what exactly is causing the issues though. If it's security software, would you not have the same security software on your US phone? Why would it be different?

I have always used two phones, one work and one personal, and I always will. I enjoy the separation of business and personal data. I don't want a company's MDM on my personal phone. I don't want to give out my personal cell number to work contacts. If the phone rings at 11 PM on a Saturday, it's not an automatic "no", but at least I know if it's work or personal to make a decision on whether I answer. So I'm inclined to answer two phones regardless, but especially so if you think your Canadian phone is not working well.

No-one can tell. But I suspect it is because Canadian phones are "tethered" to our Canadian provider, Telus. So as soon as it roams, things are being throttled. It may actually be an attempt to reduce data and roaming charges, but if so, it is coming from a bundle of software being provided by a couple of providers. It seems impossible to unpack.

How do you keep your Canadian phone number on a USA Phone ?

and have you tried your Telus sim card on an Unlocked phone ?

I have a UK phone and a US phone, which I carry only while in the US. It's a pain carrying two phones, especially when one rings and you're not quite sure which one it is, etc. However, it's not impossible and it certainly saves a bunch. My two main issues are: 1) remembering which phone to make any particular call from; and b) syncing contacts as one is an iPhone and one an Android.

If your data is tethered, there is security software on your employer's phone, or if the number "belongs" to the employer and you want the freedom to port it if you change jobs, then simply pick up the same phone (for convenience) on the US side and change the ringtone. You can also forward the Canadian phone to the US# when traveling and vice-a-versa when in Canada, so that you don't have to worry about who calls what number.

Roaming should not be an issue as it might be for someone with an EU phone as most of the major providers in the US include Canada in the plan.

Now is a great time of year as the holiday sales mean dirt cheap prices on phones if you are willing to commit to a carrier.

while roaming, if its throttled on network side (think T-mobile USA and their free 2G 64kbit/s international roaming) - get a dualsim phone

if you are lucky and can use eSIM with iPhone (plus another physical sim), or buy the rare dualphysical-sim iPhones

Dual SIM is the way to go.

Agreed. I have a One Plus phone and they are great and are dual sim, but I assume most here are on iPhones.

Have always had two phones, work phone and a personal phone, crazy to mix. I've thought about dual sim but with all the security software running for work phone to get email and other things didn't even want to touch that.

Another consideration when you make your personal phone your work phone ( and say work pays for it ) do they take the phone and number when you leave that employer? Having the distasteful experience of working a quarter century and getting walked with an hour's notice and turning in my laptop and phone on short notice I vowed NEVER mix personal with work.

I have always kept my personal phones separate from employer/client-provided phones because I know how quickly deprived some people can be from employer/client-supplied electronics. But even for just my personal phones, I segregate devices when it comes to some cross-border travel purposes. The ability to use eSIMs has made life a lot easier in ways when it comes to using one or more phones.

2G doesn't work in some places, for instance Alaska and South Korea.

For years I had a USA phone (CDMA only, but small and lightweight) and an international phone (much heavier and somewhat larger, dual GSM and CDMA, but not a satellite phone) on a family plan that pooled minutes and data usage. One of the phones deliberately did not have a camera so that I could take it to places that prohibited cameras, such as some laboratories and factories. Now I keep a second more basic phone as a backup, but mostly use an iPhone wherever I am, and I'm thinking of dropping the second line and going for a new plan.

dual-sim phone
no way will i lug around 2 phones, 2 things to charge, etc

Depends.
Could you just get one dual-SIM professionnal phone, and load the company-supplied Canadian and company-supplied US SIMs on it?
If not, well, carrying 2 phones can be a PITA but can't be avoided in your case.

I personnally have 2 phones one is my personal phone used for both personal use and work, the second is a French line to call friends and families for cheap. This French number is shared between me and my wife, hence the need to have 2 phones.