Bell Canada announced the availability of ‘5G+’ mobile services based on 3500MHz spectrum in selected parts of southern Ontario, offering compatible smartphone users in Toronto, Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Barrie and parts of Mississauga faster and more responsive 5G mobile network performance – claiming that in Toronto ‘speeds with 5G+ are now over 50% faster than before.’ Bell aims to continue expanding the 5G+ footprint across the country to reach approximately 40% of the population by the end of 2022, with peak theoretical download speeds of 3Gbps in select markets.
Bell also announced that it will soon roll out a nationwide 5G standalone (SA) core network, starting in Toronto, supporting even faster speeds and ultra-low latency. Over time, Bell says the 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 noted that 5G SA-based services will shortly be available for enterprise customers in Toronto ‘with a compatible device and the appropriate provisions’ and subsequently for enterprises nationwide. Bell and its partners are currently trialling 5G SA network slicing, allocating speeds and dedicating capacity for use cases such as first-responder live video applications.