Bell is Turning On 5G

If you live in the Greater Toronto Area, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, then you are in for a treat. Bell has launched the first part of its 5G network. Access to the 5G network is free until March 31, 2021. After the trial period, the cost will be $10 CAD a month on any Bell Mobility postpaid plan. If you don’t have a 5G-enabled phone, Bell offers the Samsung Galaxy S20 series, LG V60 ThinQ 5G Dual Screen and Motorola Edge+. 

“Customers on Bell’s 5G network will see a boost in speeds, and in the next few weeks, we’ll be tuning the network and improving it continuously,” Claire Gillies, President of Bell Mobility told MobileSyrup in an interview. 

As wireless technology grows in speed and capacity, its 5G service will expand to more cities across the country. Bell says its 5G network currently uses AWS (Advanced Wireless Services).

Western University in London, Ontario, has jumped in with Bell to create an advanced 5G research centre. Bell is putting $2.7 million into the project and will deploy 5G network equipment throughout the campus

What About the Others?

Rogers has also launched its first 5G network in Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa and Montreal in partnership with Ericsson. Telus, the last of the ‘Big Three’, has yet to launch its first 5G network but is also partnered with Nokia and Ericsson for their expansion.

The premise of 5G is exciting. However, it is essential to note that all of the benefits of the network won’t be immediate as the government has yet to auction the 3500MHz spectrum. This small piece of information is vital for 5G services in Canada. It appears as though the first generation of 5G will give you very similar performance to the latest 4G networks. The future looks bright for mobile connectivity and especially mobile gaming with 5G. Let’s wait to see how it develops over time.