Cell Phones in Canada

[ClakarEQ]

Question for the Canadians out there re: cell phones. I'm a bit struck in how different things are in this space compared to the US. I would have thought things were "better" but the more I dig into it for the worse it seems to be.

There is a contract in place with Bell (it appears most of these cell phone companies request 3 year contracts??). They appear to be one of 2 vendors (rogers the other) for iPhones (management is all hung up on that shit).

It seems as though there is no subsidy for the "phones" and you end up paying near MSRP for the device yet get locked into 2-3 year contracts with all sorts of penalties should you want to term early or jump ship to another carrier.

Questions would be, is what I'm finding out pretty accurate (locked in for 2-3 years, with big fines to leave early, near MSRP for devices costs)?
What would be a typical type setup for folks (is rogers better than bell, what other carriers are available)?

Just looking to gather some basic information so I don't get snowballed by the carrier / reps when they start talking. I know the US stuff fairly well and have gotten big discounts from ATT and VW the two primary carriers I use in the states.

[Tikker]

bring lube, most of the cell companies are a big fan of anal rapage

you can do pay as you go, but expect contracts