MONTRÉAL, May 26, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell today announced the expansion of Canada's fastest-ranked and most awarded 5G network to 9 new markets across Québec, following last year's launch in Montréal. Bell 5G launched today in Ascot Corner , Champlain , Magog , Rivière-du-Loup, Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley , Saint-Luc -de-Vincennes, Saint-Maurice , Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières.
Québec has been at the forefront of Bell's 5G deployment, with Montréal being one of the first cities where Bell launched 5G in June 2020 . With Bell 5G also available in Amos , Chibougamau , Cowansville , Dolbeau-Mistassini , Drummondville , East Farnham , La Tuque , Lachute , Magog , Mont-Tremblant , Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel , Pikogan, Rawdon , Roberval , Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover , Saint-Félicien, Saint-Ignace -de-Loyola, Saint-Joseph-de-Sorel , Saint-Liguori , Saint-Majorique-de-Grantham , Saint-Maurice , Saint-Robert , Sainte-Anne-de-Sorel , Shawinigan and Sorel-Tracy , Quebecers can benefit from Bell's 5G network in most regions of the province.
"We are pleased to continue to expand Bell 5G into new cities and towns in Québec, leveraging our network leadership to further advance how Quebecers connect with each other and the world," said Nicholas Payant , Bell's Vice President, Connectivity and Reliability. "Our customers will benefit from access to superfast speeds, low latency and next-generation applications enabled by Canada's most awarded 5G network, with access to the latest 5G devices and our newest unlimited data plans."
Bell's 5G network offers peak theoretical mobile data speeds of up to 1.7 Gbps and now covers approximately 35% of the Canadian population. Bell is currently on track to deliver 5G coverage to almost 70% of the Canadian population by the end of the year.
"I am very pleased with this extended deployment of 5G by Bell in the heart of my riding," said Gilles Bélanger, MNA for Orford and Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier of Québec (High Speed Internet). "This announcement will promote better access in rural areas and open the door to unprecedented opportunities for IoT."
The increased speed and lower latency offered by Bell 5G will enable millions of new consumer and business applications like the recently launched TSN 5G View that offers sports fans unprecedented control of their viewing experience. Opening up possibilities in the space of virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence and machine learning, IoT, connected vehicles and smart homes and cities, 5G's speed and efficiency in delivering data is also expected to have a significant positive environmental impact.
"With the deployment of Bell 5G to more cities and municipalities in Québec, we reaffirm our commitment to the Québec market and our support for innovation and growth," said Karine Moses , Bell's Québec Vice-Chair. "The high-capacity and near-instantaneous connections of 5G technology will enable unprecedented opportunities for Québec businesses, government enterprises and citizens, and will contribute to the economic prosperity of the province."
Bell 5G innovation and investment
Earlier this year, Bell announced the biggest capital expenditure plan in its history , with at least $1 billion in additional capital investment in new networks over the next 2 years to support the national economic and employment recovery from COVID-19. This investment is in addition to the more than $4 billion that Bell typically invests annually in next generation wireless and fibre network infrastructure and service development. Bell also leads the communications industry in Canadian research and development investment, including academic research partnership with Université de Sherbrooke to create 5G applications across IoT, innovative manufacturing and smart energy management.
Bell 5G supports the latest 5G-ready devices, including the iPhone 12 lineup , Samsung Galaxy S21 5G series , LG Velvet 5G , the new TCL 20 Pro and many others, with new Unlimited Share plans, enabling customers to share data across all their devices with family members, with no overage fees. Bell was also the first mobile carrier in Canada to offer the Netgear Nighthawk M5 5G mobile hotspot offering up to 1.2Gbps peak download speeds. For coverage maps and more information on 5G devices and plans, please visit Bell.ca/ 5G.
About Bell
The Bell team builds world-leading broadband wireless and fibre networks, provides innovative mobile, TV, Internet and business communications services and delivers the most compelling content with premier television, radio, out of home and digital media brands. With a goal to advance how Canadians connect with each other and the world, Bell serves more than 22 million consumer and business customer connections across every province and territory. Founded in Montréal in 1880, Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE). To learn more, please visit Bell.ca or BCE.ca .
Bell supports the social and economic prosperity of our communities with a commitment to the highest environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards. We measure our progress in increasing environmental sustainability, achieving a diverse and inclusive workplace, leading data governance and protection, and building stronger and healthier communities. This includes confronting the challenge of mental illness with the Bell Let's Talk initiative, which drives mental health awareness and action with programs like the annual Bell Let's Talk Day and Bell funding for community care, research and workplace programs nationwide all year round.
Media inquiries:
Vanessa Damha
514-870-6663
vanessa.damha@bell.ca
@Bell_News
Investor inquiries:
Thane Fotopoulos
514-870-4619
thane.fotopoulos@bell.ca
SOURCE Bell Canada
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