Which one is better Bell or TELUS?
Telus and Bell are independent networks despite sharing many cell towers. In the reliability and speed arenas, Telus is slightly ahead of Bell. However, Bell gets better in these areas the further east you go. This is in large part due to the fact that Montreal is Bell's home base and Vancouver is Telus's.
In 2020, TELUS was recognized as having the fastest wireless network in the world, reinforcing our commitment to provide Canadians with access to superior technology that connects us to the people, resources and information that make our lives better.
Even though they share the same cell towers, Telus and Bell run their own independent hardware networks. Telus ranks slightly faster and more reliable than Bell in most testing, although the further east you travel the better Bell gets.
Canada's best coverage nationally comes from Telus due to its widespread mobile coverage, fastest connectivity, and most reliable service. The Bell and Rogers networks also feature some of the fastest mobile connectivity in the world, but all three cover less than 30% of Canada's vast geography.
However, customers may notice a slight difference in mobile data speed between the two companies. Typically, Bell's speeds are faster in the East since their headquarters are in Quebec, while Telus is quicker in the West since they're based in Vancouver.
Every year (including 2021), Telus wins the title as the most reliable network with the fewest dropped calls of any national carrier. Regional telecoms like SaskTel or Videotron sometimes take the top spot in their regions, but Telus always ties or places second.
Since 2000, TELUS has invested more than $215 billion in network infrastructure and spectrum toenhance the coverage, speed and reliability of its world-class network and connect our customers across Canada.
Both Bell and TELUS cover 28.8% of the country and provide coverage to over 99% of Canadians. Since they share the same communication towers, their coverage is identical. The technology that Bell and TELUS use to connect to these towers differ, however, so the network reliability may vary depending on the carrier.
TELUS' powerful network, which shares cell phone towers with Bell Mobility, covers 99% of Canada's total population, and over 18% of Canada's geographical area. In addition to having the top coverage in Canada (they are tied with Bell), TELUS also has the fastest connectivity and most reliable service.
TELUS named Canada's Fastest Mobile Network Back to video
TORONTO, July 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TELUS is proud to announce it has been named Canada's Fastest Mobile Network from Seattle-based Ookla®, bringing home the top prize for the 10th consecutive time.
Does Bell or Rogers have better coverage?
Is Rogers coverage better than Bell's? Rogers claims to cover 97% of Canadians with 4G LTE service and up to 70% 5G coverage where Canadians live by the end of 2021. However, Bell claims 99% overall service coverage and is also targeting 70% 5G service coverage by the end of the year.
The award winning TELUS 5G network is currently available in markets across Canada, including Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and more. By the end of 2021, it will reach over 600 urban and remote Canadian communities, including hundreds of Indigenous communities.
Both Bell and TELUS cover 28.8% of the country and provide coverage to over 99% of Canadians. Since they share the same communication towers, their coverage is identical. The technology that Bell and TELUS use to connect to these towers differ, however, so the network reliability may vary depending on the carrier.
Bell offers some of the fastest data speeds in the world and was recently ranked #1 in Canada by PCMag for fastest 5G speeds. Bell also has comprehensive coverage in the northern territories but many settlements only have older HSPA+ service, so data speeds may be slower.
TELUS and Bell achieve their out-of-region coverage through a reciprocal network sharing agreement referred to as multi-operator core network (MOCN). Basically, both companies share their radio access network but operate their own network cores.
Shaw has the higher top speed, with their High-Speed Warp package that offers 25 Mbps, while Telus' top speed plan tops out at 15 Mbps, though you do pay extra for that speed. Other than that their promised speeds are comparable.
