You can ask oxio for an earlier activation date, but only once two things have happened: your equipment has arrived, and oxio has emailed you a confirmed date. Then you contact Customer Care with your activation method and three alternative dates. The earlier date is a request, not a promise, so plan around the original date until you get a new one.
Why can't oxio just switch you on today?
oxio rents the line to your home from the network company that owns it, so that company handles the activation, not oxio. oxio's help centre explains that this is how it works for a provider like oxio, and that the steps below only aim for the earliest date available (oxio Help Centre: How do I move up my activation date?). In practice that means Videotron, Rogers or Cogeco depending on where you live, and their calendars set the pace.
Here is the normal timeline from oxio's own help articles:
- The clock starts when you finish checkout.
- You should hear back with a confirmed activation date or technician appointment within 2 to 5 business days, by automated email and by SMS if you turned notifications on (oxio Help Centre: When will I get my activation date?).
- Equipment ships the next business day and usually arrives in 3 to 7 business days, depending on your province.
- Overall, service can take 7 to 14 days from signup (oxio Help Centre: How long does it take to get oxio internet?).
If five business days pass after checkout with no confirmation, oxio's help centre says to contact support and the team will look into the delay.
A worked example with real dates
Say you check out on Monday, October 19, 2026, and you live in Quebec on a Videotron address.
- Monday, October 19: checkout is done. The 7 to 14 day range points to an activation between October 26 and November 2.
- By Monday, October 26 at the latest: you should have your confirmation, since 2 to 5 business days from checkout lands between October 21 and October 26.
- Tuesday, October 20: the equipment ships. At 3 to 7 business days, it arrives between Friday, October 23 and Thursday, October 29.
- Say the box arrives on October 23 and your confirmed date is November 2. You now meet both conditions, so you contact Customer Care that day.
- oxio's turnaround estimate for Videotron in Quebec is 1 to 3 business days. If you ask on Friday, October 23, you would expect an answer by Wednesday, October 28.
The dates are my arithmetic from oxio's published ranges, not a promise for your address. The point is that you can lay out your own version in two minutes and know when to ask and when to expect a reply.
What to send Customer Care
oxio's article lists exactly what the agent needs. Have it ready before you open the chat:
- Confirm the equipment arrived. The request only works once the box is in your hands.
- Find your confirmation email. It states your activation method: a technician appointment or a remote transfer.
- Pick three alternative dates you can actually be home or reachable for.
- Pick a time of day: AM, PM or EVE. Or ask for ASAP.
- Contact oxio Customer Care and send the method, the three dates and the time preference in one message.
- Wait for oxio to contact you once a new date is confirmed. The agent submits your request to the network provider, so the answer comes from them through oxio.
One shortcut from the same article: if your confirmed date is less than 48 hours away, it is already the soonest available date. Don't spend a chat on it.
How long does the answer take?
oxio's help centre gives these confirmation estimates once the request is submitted:
- Ontario, Rogers: 1 to 2 days.
- Ontario, Cogeco: 2 to 3 business days.
- Quebec, Videotron: 1 to 3 business days.
- Quebec, Cogeco: 2 to 3 business days.
- Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Manitoba, all Rogers: 2 to 5 business days.
Those are estimates for confirmation, not for the new activation date itself. If your confirmed date is five days out and the estimate is three business days, the math may not work in your favour. Ask early.
What can get in the way
- Busy periods. oxio's article says that during high-demand periods the new appointment may land later, and gives Quebec's moving season as an example. You may not be able to go back to your first date, so only ask if you really prefer the earlier slot.
- Transfer activations. For homes with an existing Rogers coaxial line, oxio's transfer article says the date is set about 10 days ahead and can't be moved earlier once confirmed (oxio Help Centre: How does a transfer activation work?). If that is your case, save your effort.
- Technician availability. The article notes that network provider turnaround and technician availability in your area both limit what's possible.
Don't cancel your old internet early
The temptation when you ask for an earlier date is to cancel the old provider right away. Don't. oxio's help centre says to wait until oxio internet is active and running, so you avoid a blackout, and that you cancel with your old provider yourself (oxio Help Centre: Does oxio handle my old provider's cancellation?). If you are on a shared coaxial line and your old provider uses the same outlet, they do have to be disconnected before oxio can activate there. For a transfer, the disconnection date oxio emails you is usually the day before your start date, and you should not disconnect earlier. Our cancel your old provider guide walks through the sequence.
Where oxio fits
I have been an oxio customer since 2020, and the part I'd point a friend to is the setup cost: oxio lists $0 for activation, installation and shipping, with the equipment included (oxio Help Centre: Does oxio have activation, shipping, or equipment fees?). So asking for a better date costs you a chat message, nothing else. If you haven't signed up yet, add in the "Apply referral or promo code" field on the payment page and click Apply (oxio Help Centre: referral or promo code at signup). Typing the code is not enough on its own.
Sources
- oxio Help Centre: How do I move up my activation date?
- oxio Help Centre: When will I get my activation date?
- oxio Help Centre: How long does it take to get oxio internet?
- oxio Help Centre: How does a transfer activation work?
- oxio Help Centre: Does oxio handle my old provider's cancellation?
- oxio Help Centre: Does oxio have activation, shipping, or equipment fees?
- oxio Help Centre: How do I use an oxio referral or promo code when signing up?