Bell Mobility Inc. is a Canadian wireless network operator and the division of Bell Canada which offers Wireless services across Canada. It operates networks using 5G, LTE and HSPA+ on its mainstream networks. Bell Mobility is the second-largest wireless carrier in Canada, with 11.1 million subscribers as of Q2 2024.
Bell-owned Virgin Mobile Canada as well as Loblaws prepaid PC Telecom, operate as MVNOs on the Bell Mobility network. Some of Bell Canada's regional subsidiaries continue to operate their own wireless networks separate from (but generally allowing for roaming with) Bell Mobility; these are Northwestel (NMI Mobility and Latitude Wireless), Télébec (Télébec Mobilité), and NorthernTel (NorthernTel Mobility).
In July 2006, Bell Mobility assumed responsibility for the former Aliant wireless operations in Atlantic Canada as part of a larger restructuring of both Bell and Aliant, and continued to do business there as Aliant Mobility until re-branding as Bell in April 2008.BCE and Aliant form one of North America's largest regional telecommunications service providers Bell similarly acquired MTS in Manitoba in 2017, rebranding it as Bell MTS; initially operating autonomously as Bell MTS Mobility, its wireless customers were brought under Bell Mobility in late-2018.
Networks Although both are different and independent from one another, both the CDMA and UMTS networks use the 850 and 1900 MHz frequencies. Bell's LTE network uses Band 4 Advanced Wireless Services (AWS 1700/2100 MHz) and Band 2 Personal Communications Service (PCS 1900 MHz) in most coverage areas and Band 7 (2600 MHz) in a few areas.
As of April 30, 2019, all CDMA service from Bell has been discontinued.CDMA Service Changes
UMTS
In October 2009, Telus Mobility and Bell announced plans to deploy HSPA technology by 2010 as part of an effort to eventually upgrade to LTE technology. The network, using largely shared infrastructure, launched on November 4, 2009.
According to Bell, the single-channel HSPA+ network is available to 96% of the Canadian population. It provides download speeds of up to 21 Mbit/s, with typical speeds ranging between 3½ and 8 Mbit/s.The latest BCE News Releases About Corporate, Financial, Regulatory, Products & Services » BCE. Bce.ca. Retrieved on 2013-12-09.
While this network used to operate on the frequencies of 850/1900 MHz, it currently is only active on 1900 MHz.
The HSPA+ network will shut down in Manitoba on March 31, 2026, and a nationwide shutdown will occur on March 1, 2027.
Bell's HSPA+ network coverage is in portions of all Canadian provinces and territories, but it is not possible to drive in Canada between the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast without going through areas without any cellular coverage, as there are gaps in cellular coverage in British Columbia and Ontario.4G LTE, HSPA and 3G network coverage map - Bell Canada
LTE
Bell launched LTE by using the 1700 MHz (Band 4) frequency in Toronto and surrounding areas on September 14, 2011. Since then, Bell has expanded LTE into most areas of Canada where it has HSPA coverage, and launched LTE on to the 2600 MHz (Band 7) frequency for additional bandwidth in March 2012 and on to the 700 MHz spectrum (paired bands LTE Band 12/17 and 13 and unpaired Band 29) in 2014. Bell will use either Band 13 or Band 12 depending on provinces.
As of May 2017, LTE coverage reaches 97% of Canada's population, but there are gaps in coverage in smaller communities and between communities, where Bell's HSPA+ network is available but its LTE network is not available.
As of February 2016, Bell Mobility has launched voice over LTE (VoLTE).Bell soft launches Voice Over LTE in select Ontario area codes
5G NR In June 2020, Bell launched 5G services in Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver using 1700 MHz AWS-3 spectrum (band n66). Bell has used equipment from Ericsson and Nokia Networks.
Radio frequency summary
+Frequencies used on the Bell Mobility Network Frequency range Band number Protocol Generation Status Note(s) 1.9 GHz PCS 2 UMTS/HSDPA/HSPA+ 3G Active Fallback for calls and HSPA+ data. Network to be decommissioned in Manitoba by March 31, 2026. Network to be decommissioned nationwide by March 1, 2027.600 MHz DD71LTE/LTE-A/LTE-A Pro4GActive/Being deployedSpectrum owned by Telus, but can also be used by Bell customers via the RAN sharing agreement. 700 MHz A/B/C/Upper C1-2/D/E 12/13/17/29 Mainly used in rural areas/rural coverage. Also used to provide Dual or Tri-band LTE Advanced coverage within city limits. 850 MHz CLR 5 Used for extra bandwidth within cities and rural coverage. Re-farmed from Decommissioning CDMA network across the country. Also re-farmed from 850 MHz UMTS network in some areas. 1.7/2.1 GHz AWS 4/66 Main LTE Band used across the country. Also being used to provide LTE Advanced coverage. 1.9 GHz PCS 2 Secondary LTE Band being deployed and used for LTE/LTE Advanced coverage. Re-farmed from Decommissioning CDMA network. Also re-farmed from 1,900 MHz UMTS network in some areas. 2.6 GHz IMT-E 7 Found in select markets, but being developed slowly in new markets alongside to provide LTE Advanced coverage. 5.2 GHz U-NII 46 License assisted access (LAA). Additional capacity in select cities. 600 MHz DD n71 NR 5G NSA (Non-Standalone) Mode; Being actively deployed in several markets alongside n78. Spectrum owned by Telus, but can also be used by Bell customers via the RAN sharing agreement. 850 MHz CLR n5 NSA (Non-Standalone) Mode; Being actively deployed in several markets alongside n78. 1.9 GHz PCS n25 NSA (Non-Standalone) Mode; Secondary NR band 1.7/2.1 GHz AWS-3 n66 NSA (Non-Standalone) Mode; Secondary NR band. 3.7 GHz C-Band n77/n78 NSA (Non-Standalone) Mode; Spectrum acquired in 2021 auction. Active since June 2022.
Products
Bell Mobility currently carries iPhone and Android smartphones, plus the TCL Flip feature phone. These types of smartphones were added to Bell's lineup on November 4, 2009, coinciding with the carrier's launch of its 3G HSPA network. Since the launch of its 5G NR network in 2020, all devices sold by Bell are compatible with its 4G LTE network, and most smartphones are also compatible with its 5G network.
Former devices sold by Bell generally used deprecated network technologies: 3G CDMA and HSPA/HSPA+, 2G CDMA and 1G AMPS. Of these, only the HSPA and HSPA+ networks remain in operation, although they are scheduled to be shut down by December 31, 2025. In contrast to Verizon and Sprint in the United States, Bell did not offer CDMA service with its iPhone and Android devices. Bell formerly carried devices with the BlackBerry, webOS and Windows operating systems, which are no longer supported.
Services
History The first cell phone conversation in Canada took place on the Bell network between Jean Drapeau and Art Eggleton, the mayors of Montreal and Toronto, on July 1, 1985.
The first cell phone customer in Canada was Victor Surerus, a travelling funeral director out of Peterborough, Ontario who purchased a $2,700 CAD telephone set and took out a service subscription with Bell Canada in July 1985.
Bell Mobility discontinued its Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) analog mobile network in February 2008.
Current services Telephony SMS and MMS
Bell offers a service to check account balances, minutes and megabytes of mobile data used, add features and answers to frequently asked questions. The service is called TCARE, short for text message care. It is used by sending a blank message to the phone number TCARE (82273).
Mobile Internet Bell offers four Internet-only plans and several smartphone plans and add-ons for customers wishing to access mobile broadband.
Various fixed data allowances are offered by Bell: 10, 20, 100, 300 and 500 MB, as well as 1 to 6 GB, 10 GB and 15 GB. The 20 MB add-on is a daily allowance, while the others are monthly allowances.
Flexible data plans are also available. This is used for Bell Mobility's Internet-only plans and some smartphone plans, which begins with a certain usage limit at a lower tier. if this is exceeded, the customer moves to the next higher tier with a slightly larger allowance.
The flexible "Turbo Hub flex plan" from Bell differs in that customers have to pay a premium if they want to increase the maximum theoretical speeds from 7.2 Mbit/s to 21 Mbit/s. No additional usage is included when paying for the speed upgrade. Bell's policy is to only allow the sale of Turbo Hub service with its own Turbo Hub devices.
Monthly tier Monthly bandwidth limits Turbo Hub Speeds Over Usage Multiplier Download Upload First 2 GB Ericsson W35 (discontinued), NetGear MBR1210 (4G), NetGear MVBR1210C (4G + Voice), NetGear MBR1516 (LTE) 7.2 Mbit/s (some 21 Mbit/s) 5.76 Mbit/s 7 times # of extra GB Second 5 GB 4 times # of extra GB Third 10 GB 4 times # of extra GB Fourth 15 GB 10 times # of extra GB
Bell's wireless Internet plan starts at the initial 2 GB tier. If this is exceeded, the tier automatically goes up to 5 GB, then up to 10 GB, then up to 15 GB as the final tier. There are additional charges if one does goes above the 15 GB tier.
Some grandfathered customers have an unlimited mobile Internet plan or add-on. These are usually limited to older and slower CDMA devices such as the now-discontinued Palm Pre, and normally cannot be used for tethering unless the device is a mobile broadband modem. Its active Virgin Mobile Canada brand also have grandfathered accounts with unlimited mobile broadband.
Mobile TV and Radio
Bell Mobile TV was launched for Bell smartphones on October 18, 2010.Bell launches 3 Mobile TV theme packages: Sports, Variety and HBO - Mobile Syrup
Push-To-Talk On April 24, 2012, Bell launched an improved Push-To-Talk (PTT) service. It is powered by Bell's newer HSPA+ network, in contrast to the operator's older PTT (Officially titled 10-4) service which used the CDMA network. HSPA+ service is available at one flat rate for unlimited Bell-to-Bell PTT service from and to Canada. The monthly service can either be purchased alone, or added to any plan at a lower cost. PTT roaming in the United States or other countries is billed per megabyte. One megabyte offers approximately ten minutes of PTT talk time. Consequently, Bell offers approximately 100 to 400 PTT roaming minutes for traveling in the USA.
Solo Mobile
Solo Mobile is a discontinued mobile virtual network operator in Canada, launched in 2000 by Bell Mobility as Solo Prepaid.Solo Mobile first website Its products and services were positioned as a low cost brand. Solo was initially only sold in Ontario and Quebec, and included monthly plans for a 1¢/minute rate on nights and weekends. The brand later expanded to British Columbia and Alberta. In 2003, the company targeted Fido prepaid customers with a trade-in promotion, as well as students with a "Lunchtime & After School" prepaid plan. The brand was temporarily withdrawn from the market after the launch of Bell Mobility prepaid services. The SoloMobile.ca domain name was registered by Bell on December 17, 2004, with the Canadian Internet Registration Authority.CIRA WHOIS.