Bell announced that it’s rolling out the 3800MHz 5G+ spectrum to the General Toronto Area (GTA). Bell says that this rollout in southern parts of Ontario will deliver Bell’s fastest mobile speeds yet.
With the update you’ll get improved reliability, lower latency, and faster speeds. Bell says that the 3800MHz spectrum delivers speeds up to 65 per cent faster, theoretical download speeds of 3.64Gbps, better support for HD video playback and improved “gaming and real-time collaboration on the go.”
While what’s included in the GTA is always an argument among people who live in the outskirts like Oshawa and Hamilton (I stand strongly against these cities being included in the ‘GTA’) Bell has listed which regions will benefit from the improved 5G+ speeds. And lucky for my friends in the Dirty Shwa and our Editor & Chief, Jon, who lives where the sun doesn’t shine, Bell will be rolling out the 3800MHz spectrum in those outer regions.
Cities and towns included in Bell 3500MHz spectrum rollout:
- Toronto
- Mississauga
- Hamilton
- Brampton
- Vaughan
- Markham
- Oakville
- Burlington
- Oshawa
- Whitby
- Milton
- Ajax
- Pickering
- Aurora
- Halton Hills
- Grimsby
- Lincoln
Bell already has 5G+
If you’re confused about what’s the difference between this 5G+ rollout and previous announcements is the higher spectrum.
A bit of history, Bell launched its 5G network in Canada in 2020, this was on the Advanced Wireless Spectrum (AWS) 1700MHz spectrum which has been since retired. Following this, in 2022, Bell launched the 3500MHz “5G+” spectrum, which could reach theoretical speeds of 3GBps. Now, the company’s 3800MHz spectrum is capable of delivering 3.64GBps.
While these speeds seem quick on, in comparison to mmWave used by the U.S telecoms; we’re still in the past. The mmWave 5G spectrum has theoretical speeds of 10GBps – with average speeds of 5Gps, still beating our 3800MHz spectrum.
That being said, until Rogers and Telus roll out their share of the 3800MHz spectrum, theoretically Bell customers will have the quickest 5G speeds in the country.
