Amid a turbulent couple of weeks, Bell touted that it was named Canada’s most valuable telecom brand by Brand Finance.
Brand Finance is a brand valuation consultancy that measures the financial value of brands. It named Bell Canada’s most valuable telecom brand in its Brand Finance Telecoms 150 2026 rankings and Brand Finance Global 500 2026 rankings.
In the Telecoms 150, Bell ranked 15th (up from 20th in 2025), just ahead of fellow Canadians carriers Telus at 16th (down from 15th) and Rogers at 18th (up from 23rd). Top telecoms in this ranking include Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, and U.S. carriers Verizon and AT&T.
In the Global 500 rankings, which covers many more companies, including leading American tech firms like Apple, Microsoft, and Google, Bell lands at rank 267.
In an email to MobileSyrup, Bell said the recognition reflects its “leadership in delivering world-class connectivity and next-generation AI-powered solutions, supported by its national fibre and 5G networks and a relentless focus on putting customers first.”
However, many Canadians feel differently. Over the last couple weeks, we’ve seen quite a few people voice their displeasure over Bell’s recent attempts to sidestep consumer-friendly rules prohibiting activation fees and the carrier’s efforts to raise prices.
Just today, we reported on Bell raising prices for existing wireless customers by up to $6/mo, with the carrier blaming “rising operating costs.” Last month, Bell’s media arm jacked up the prices of TSN subscriptions.
Meanwhile, the CRTC issued a warning to Bell over the carrier’s new device handling fee, which may violate incoming rules that prohibit fees that would discourage Canadians from switching providers.
We’ve also seen Bell fire several employees for allegedly falsifying in-office attendance, and the company laid off nearly 700 employees just before the holidays. But while Bell and other telecoms shed employees, we’re seeing customer service quality decline and CCTS complaints continue to climb.
That’s not to say that everything Bell has done recently is bad. The company recently rolled out 5G to customers on its Virgin Plus flanker brand for free, a nice bonus for consumers. But some people might find it hard to square Bell’s supposed “customers first” ethos with its recent anti-customer actions.
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