Earlier this month, Bell started to offer its 5G+ offering following the deployment of frequencies in the 3.5 GHz band
Canadian operator Bell announced the commercial availability of its “5G+” service in southern Ontario, the carrier said in a release.
Earlier this month, Bell started to offer the service branded 5G+ after it deployed midband spectrum at 3.5 GHz. The new service is already available in Toronto, Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Barrie and select areas of Mississauga.
The telco said that 5G customers with a compatible device and rate plan, and who are inside Ontario’s 5G+ coverage areas, can immediately take advantage of Bell 5G+ speeds, which it says are 50% faster compared to regular 5G services. “Bell will continue to expand 5G+ across the country and is on track to offer coverage to approximately 40% of the Canadian population by the end of 2022, including the availability of peak theoretical download speeds of 3 Gbps in select markets,” the telco said.
Bell also said it will soon roll out its nationwide 5G Standalone (SA) core network, starting in Toronto. “The addition of [3.5 GHz] wireless spectrum allows Bell to deliver a new 5G core network to Canadian businesses, supported by world-class SA architecture, and which is expected to unlock even faster speeds and ultra-low latency,” the company said in a release. “Over time, 5G SA core will provide additional benefits such as network slicing, and will enable a full range of 5G features and functionality for both enterprise and consumer use cases and support the massive growth of IoT.”
Bell, together with a number of local partners, is trialing SA network slicing. Trials include allocating speeds and dedicating capacity for use cases like first responder live video applications, according to the carrier, which also funds 5G R&D programs at several Canadian institutions. Specifically, Bell said that Western University’s “Campus of the Future” will be one of the first to use the new 5G+ network to test projects like “immersive VR learning with live 3D viewing and blind spot technology, which uses real-time positioning technology to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety.”
Bell announced the launch of its commercial 5G service in the country in June 2020. The carrier’s 5G service was initially available in Montréal, the Greater Toronto Area, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.
In 2020, Bell Canada selected Ericsson 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) technology to support its nationwide 5G mobile and fixed wireless access deployment. The carrier started the construction of its 5G network last year, using equipment from Finnish vendor Nokia.
Bell has demonstrated an aggressive approach to its 5G rollout. Last year, the telco announced a CAD1.7 billion (currently $1.32 billion) investment over the next two years to accelerate the rollout of 5G, fiber and rural networks.
