Announces 5G standalone network will roll out soon, starting in Toronto
MONTREAL – Bell announced today its 5G+ service is now available in Toronto, Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Barrie and select areas of Mississauga.
Bell 5G customers with compatible 5G+ devices and plans inside these coverage areas can immediately take advantage of the new 5G+ speeds.
The company announced it was starting to rolling out 5G+, its next evolution of 5G, last month as it prepared to deploy the 3500 MHz spectrum it acquired last year.
Bell’s “5G+ is expected to be faster and more responsive, allowing for a superior mobile experience. In Toronto, speeds with 5G+ are now over 50% faster than before,” according to a press release.
Bell plans to continue to expand access to 5G+ across Canada “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 release explains.
“Bell is taking its most-awarded 5G network and making it even better with 5G+, offering customers access to even faster mobile speeds than before,” said Stephen Howe, chief technology and information officer at Bell, in the release. “Ontario is just the beginning, and we look forward to rolling it out to more Canadians, and delivering on our promise to provide the latest technology and best experience for our customers.”
Bell’s press release also indicates the company plans to roll out its nationwide 5G standalone (SA) core network soon. The rollout will start in Toronto.
“The addition of 3500 MHz 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,” explains the 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 and its partners are currently “trialing SA network slicing to demonstrate its optimal use. Trials include allocating speeds and dedicating capacity for use cases like first responder live video applications,” the release says.
Bell is also funding 5G research and development programs at Canadian universities, including Western University where the Campus of the Future lab is helping shape smarter cities.
“Western is among the first to leverage Bell’s new 5G+ network, testing the new capabilities with 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,” the press release says.
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Photo supplied by Bell.
