Tag: 4G

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Mobile Syrup

Bell, Rogers, and Telus offer similar 5G availability and reach: Opensignal

Bell, Rogers, and Telus consistently claim they offer Canada’s best 5G service. But a recent analysis from Opensignal reveals the competing providers don’t have the stronghold they all claim to possess.

The analysis found Bell offered the best 5G download speed in Canada, averaging at 158.7Mbp. The figure is nearly 15 percent faster than Telus and 21 percent faster than Rogers. However, the analysis also found that Rogers improved its download speed from its last report, published in August 2022, the most, increasing its speed by 32.6Mbps.

Rogers offered the fasted 5G upload speed. It has a score of 29.9Mbps, with an 8Mbps gap with Bell and Telus, which tied for second. Rogers also led in the last report and increased its speed by 5.8Mbps this time around. While Telus and Bell customers also saw an increase in the recent analysis, they weren’t able to catch up to Rogers.

Image credit: © Opensignal Limited

Telus offered the best 5G video experience, scoring 75.1 points out of 100. Bell and Rogers statistically tied for second. However, all three fall in the “very good” category, which has scores from 68-78.

The big three also had tied scores in the 5G reach and availability categories.

The results are based on device data Opensignal collected between October 1st and December 29th, 2022.

Mobile Network Experience

Opensignal used the same parameters to collect data for network experiences and found Rogers offered Canadians the best video experience. It was the only company from the big three to score a “very good rating” from Opensignal.

This means the devices surveyed streamed video at 1080p or better. Users were also satisfied with the time it took to load videos and there was “little stalling.” In comparison, both Bell and Telus had statistically similar scores and fell in the “good” category.

However, both Bell and Telus stayed ahead of Rogers when it came to 4G coverage. The telecom companies received a score of 9.8 compared to Rogers’ 8.8.

“Our users on Bell and Telus connect to 4G in the most locations out of all those visited by our users across all carriers,” the analysis found.

Bell offered the fastest overall download speeds in Canada, a category it has taken for the second time in a row. The average download speed was 74Mbps, almost 4 percent faster than Telus and nearly 26 percent faster than Rogers.

When it came to core consistent quality, Telus took top honours. With a score of 91 percent, it paced Bell by less than 2 percent.

Source: Open Signal 

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Mobile Syrup

The history of network connectivity in Canada

With 5G rolling out across nearly all corners of Canada, now is a great time to look back at the history of cellular standards in the country. Going back all the way to 1G, these standards have significantly impacted the way we’re able to connect with friends, family and colleagues.

Over more than 40 years, wireless cellular technology has evolved and innovated. This brief history will look at the ways each generation impacted mobile phones and smartphones. Historically, each decade introduces a new wireless standard, ushering in better services and practices for Canadians.

1G

The first generation of wireless cellular technology is the first and only true analog standard.

At the time, 1G was revolutionary for connectivity. It was primarily utilized for voice communications. Download speeds, when applicable, are said to have been as low as 2.4Kbp. However, users faced a number of issues during the 80s and 90s, including limited coverage and low sound quality. Additionally, 1G didn’t support encryption, allowing radio scanners to listen in on calls.

While not surprising, it’s worth noting that 1G is not supported any longer in Canada. The switch to digital telecommunications impacted the ongoing support of 1G around the world. Russia is one of the few remaining countries to still use 1G today.

2G

2G marked the transition from analog to digital, entering a new era for security and connectivity.

  • Launched in 1991 in Finland. Introduced the Global System for Mobile (GSM) network.
  • Arrived in Canada in 1992.
  • Brought digital encryption into the fold, increasing security for calls.
  • Offered data services, SMS text messaging, and multimedia messaging.

As expected, 2G was a fairly sustainable upgrade over its predecessor. 2G improved on sound quality while introducing speeds of roughly 40Kbps. 2.75G Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) network made it possible for maximum speeds of 384 Kbps. Due to its ability to transfer data and send text, 2G is what set the course for basic smartphone functions we still use today.

In 2017, Code-division multiple access (CDMA) began to shut down in remote areas. In 2018, carriers began announcing that 2G would face a wider shutdown in Canada. As of late 2021, carriers such as Bell and Rogers no longer support 2G.

3G

3G superseded 2G in several ways, leveraging data transferring capabilities and streaming. Although it pales in comparison to today’s connectivity standards, 3G marked a new age of wireless for Canadians.

  • Launched in 2001 in Japan by NTT DoCoMo, using the GSM/EDGE network.
  • Standardized vendor network protocols, introducing international roaming.
  • The launch of the iPhone 3G helped adoption within Canada in 2008.
  • Transfer capabilities increased roughly four times of 2G.

Blackberry and Apple were key players using  3G during the early to mid-2000s. 3G helped make many smartphone innovations possible. Internet browsing and music streaming became mainstays thanks to data transferring speeds of ~2Mbps. It was during the age of the 3G standard that emails on mobile devices became possible and popularized. Keeping up with traditions, voice quality and standardized communications improved too.

3G is still supported in Canada. However, carriers are expected to begin sunsetting the standard by the end of 2025. 3G is also used in other regions such as the UK, Austria, and Australia.

4G LTE

The dawn of 4G marked the introduction of Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) and later Long Term Evolution (LTE). 4G LTE leverages increased bandwidth speeds and capacities to support modern smartphone usage seen around the world.

  • First commercial use was in South Korea in 2006.
  • In 2011, Rogers launched the first LTE wireless network in Canada, with Bell quickly following the same year.
  • Adoption was propelled thanks to Apple’s iPhone 6 and Samsung’s Galaxy S4.
  • HD Video streaming became possible and a widely used feature.

Originally, 4G did not meet the International Telecommunication Union-Radio communications sector (ITU-R) requirements for speed. Therefore, the ITU-R allowed LTE to fall under 4G as it was able to provide a minimum of 12.5Mbps. Over time, these speeds increased to what we see today, which in Canada is around 55.5Mbps.

4G LTE was a more invested transition than its predecessors. Smartphone manufacturers had to develop and release devices specifically made to support 4G. LTE opened up the doors to online and cloud-based gaming on smartphones. More users can also utilize a network in populated areas without a major decrease in performance.

Many areas in Canada continue supporting 4G LTE to this day. Though, advancements under this standard have reached their ceiling.

5G

5G is the current form of mobile telecommunication used across Canada, providing improvements to bandwidth and latency. This standard is still in its infancy, therefore, many areas of Canada are awaiting access to the technology.

  • First adopted by South Korea in 2019.
  • Split into three categories: low-, mid- and high-band 5G.
  • Was brought to Canada in 2020.
  • 5G is already available in major Canadian cities ie: Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, etc.
  • Samsung Galaxy S20 and iPhone 12 are among the first smartphones to utilize 5G.

As demand for better performance and efficiency rises, 5G aims to better the mobile networking experience. The technology is still new and it remains to be seen what impact the new standard will have. However, 5G is already proving to provide faster speeds, with upwards of 169Mbps on average.

Most recently, select carriers began supporting mid-band 3500MHz spectrum. Once deployed, 3500MHz spectrum will make more 5G benefits available to Canadians, such as decreased latency when streaming content or playing games. Additionally, 5G will enable more reliable coverage in populated areas such as sporting arenas and music venues. Vehicle autonomy, drones, and other emerging sectors in technology will also be able to tap into the potential of 5G.

Beyond 5G

While much of Canada and the world is still in the midst of adopting 5G, 6G is already in the works. A lot of discussion around 6G is conjecture at this point. However, China and Japan are currently in the throws of testing what could become 6G networking in the future.

This article is part of our The Future with 5G Series. A full-length documentary on 5G airs on BBC Earth Canada August 26th. 

The story is sponsored by Bell. MobileSyrup publishes sponsored posts. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content.

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Cottage Life

Cottagers won’t miss out on mobile speeds if connected to 5G or 4G

Photo by Rasulov/Shutterstock

This article first appeared on MobileSyrup and it has been shared with permission. To see the original article, click here.

While visiting cottage country is a summer staple for many Canadians, it’s seldom that people leave all of their electronic devices behind.

Opensignal examined what cottage dwellers can expect when accessing services through their mobile network this summer.

Download speeds were reported at an impressive 113.7Mbps — but only when connected to 5G. Those connected with 4G could only get download speeds of 52.9Mbps.

It goes without surprise that both of these download speeds were slower when compared to the national average. Nationally, 5G download speeds were over nine percent faster, and 4G speeds were almost 12 percent faster.

A similar trend was recorded for upload speeds, but the gap between speeds nationally compared to cottage country was smaller. 5G users in cottage country saw uploads at 17.6Mbps, and 4G users saw 10Mbps. Comparatively, national users saw an upload speed of 19.8Mbps with 5G and 11.8Mbps with 4G.

The report notes the differences in mobile networks between cottage country users and national users begin and end with mobile upload and download speeds.

Examining streaming video over mobile, there was no “statistically significant difference” in the experience when connected to 5G. A small difference when comparing the 4G experience was reported.

A graphic showing that video, game and voice app experience in cottage country is on par with the national experience
Photo by Opensignal Limited/MobileSyrup

There was also no difference while gaming or using over-the-top (OTT) voice app services, including WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

“The quality of users’ experience in cottage country regions while streaming videos, playing multiplayer mobile games and using voice app services, was on par with the national experience, with very little or no significant difference in scores on both 4G and 5G,” the study says.

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Mobile Syrup

Cottage-goers won’t miss out on mobile speeds if connected to 5G or 4G networks: study

While visiting cottage country is a summer staple for many Canadians, it’s seldom that people leave all of their electronic devices behind.

Opensignal examined what cottage dwellers can expect when accessing services through their mobile network this summer.

Download speeds were reported at an impressive 113.7Mbps — but only when connected to 5G. Those connected with 4G could only get download speeds of 52.9Mbps.

It goes without surprise that both of these download speeds were slower when compared to the national average. Nationally, 5G download speeds were over nine percent faster, and 4G speeds were almost 12 percent faster.

A similar trend was recorded for upload speeds, but the gap between speeds nationally compared to cottage country was smaller. 5G users in cottage country saw uploads at 17.6Mbps, and 4G users saw 10Mbps. Comparatively, national users saw an upload speed of 19.8Mbps with 5G and 11.8Mbps with 4G.

The report notes the differences in mobile networks between cottage country users and national users begin and end with mobile upload and download speeds.

Examining streaming video over mobile, there was no “statistically significant difference” in the experience when connected to 5G. A small difference when comparing the 4G experience was reported.

There was also no difference while gaming or using over-the-top (OTT) voice app services, including WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

“The quality of users’ experience in cottage country regions while streaming videos, playing multiplayer mobile games and using voice app services, was on par with the national experience, with very little or no significant difference in scores on both 4G and 5G,” the study says.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Opensignal

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Mobile Syrup

Here’s how the Huawei ban will affect one of the carrier’s that uses its equipment

Canada’s leading telecom companies have said the government’s order to remove Huawei equipment from their 5G networks wouldn’t be a problem, as neither Rogers, Bell, or Telus have deployed the equipment.

But the same can’t be said for smaller organizations, including Iristel. The Markham-based telecommunications company owns Sugar Mobile, Télécommunications de l’Est, and Ice Wireless, serving the northern territories and Quebec.

President Samer Bishay told MobileSyrup that the company uses Huawei equipment “coast to coast.”

The government banned the Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE from Canada’s wireless spectrum earlier this month, citing concerns China’s government could compel the companies to take part in actions detrimental to Canada and its residents.

Bishay admits there’s a positive to the situation: the government has finally decided on the matter, which they’ve been discussing for years. But it’s short-lived, as the negative aspects hold their weight. Bishay said the ruling hurts organizations that invested millions in equipment that essentially has to be thrown out. Sanctioning the same rules across the board also doesn’t help.

“Applying the same rules to all operators, big or small, will further unlevel the playing field and Canadians will continue to pay some of the highest prices in the world.”

Bishay said degraded services would potentially impact Iristel customers if their systems start failing, as they won’t have the legal ability to replace them. This is a dooming reality, as they serve the northern territories that experience harsh weather conditions.

“We need to overhaul our entire mobile network over the next few years, and with supply chain issues already looming, the immediate concern is potential service disruption for Canadians in rural and arctic communities if we can’t get replacement parts in time.”

Bishay explains the company deployed Huawei equipment in the first place as it offered the best technology and price point at the time of purchase. The equipment was also temperature tested, which appealed to the company.

The government said it wouldn’t financially assist companies in removing the equipment, something Bishay hopes will change. “I hope the government auto qualifies rural operators for some broadband mobility funding to help offset this damage.”

Companies have until June 28th, 2024 to remove 5G equipment and December 31st, 2027 for 4G equipment. Bishay said this timeline isn’t fair for smaller providers. The “government needs to own up to this and figure out a path for smaller operators that will be impacted.”

Leading operators Bell and Telus had also asked the federal government for financial assistance in removing the equipment long before the government made the announcement. The two companies use Huawei equipment in their 4G networks but deployed Ericsson and Nokia in their 5G networks.

MobileSyrup asked Bell and Telus if they’ll approach the government again for financial support but didn’t receive a response.

Image credit: Shutterstock

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Mobile Syrup

Bell adds speed caps on its two cheapest wireless plans

Bell has added speed caps on its ‘Essential’ and ‘Lite’ wireless plans, as pointed out by a MobileSyrup reader.

The telecom company confirmed to MobileSyrup that the change was made on April 13th and applies to new customers.

The ‘Lite’ wireless plan costs $55 a month and offers 10GB of data with speeds now capped at 150 Mbps on a 4G network.

The ‘Essential’ plan has 25GB of data for $85 a month. It offers access to their 5G network but it’s important to note this is not the fastest service Bell has to offer. The 25GB plan is only available at speeds up to 250Mbps.

In comparison, Bell lists data access for its ‘Ultimate’ and ‘Ultimate 50’ plans “on their fastest available 5G speeds.” This text is not available under the ‘Essential’ plan.

A similar change was also made on Bell flanker brand Virgin Plus. Their bring your own phone plans have long offered services at 4G speeds. But that service is now capped at speeds up to 150 Mbps.

Bell is following in the footsteps of Telus. The company added speed caps of 250Mbps and 1Gbps on its mobile plans in February. 

Thanks James

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Mobile Syrup

CRTC provides $19.5 million to fund broadband projects in 10 communities

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is funding seven projects that will benefit 10 communities across B.C. and Alberta.

$19.5 million from the Broadband Fund is going towards four companies that must provide mobile wireless services or fixed broadband access.

ATG Arrow Technology Group received nearly $16 million to provide five communities in Alberta with download speeds up to 100Mbps and upload speeds up to 50Mbps.

East Shore Internet Society received $1.3 million to provide two B.C. communities with download and upload speeds up to 250Mbps.

South Kountry Cable Ltd. received $764,000 to provide download speeds up to 80Mbps and upload speeds of 20Mbps in the community of Jaffray, B.C.

Telus received $1.6 million to provide two B.C. Indigenous communities with LTE-A, or 4G, mobile access.

“Money is now flowing in areas of the country where Canadians do not currently have access to an internet service that meets our universal service objective,” Ian Scott, CRTC’s chairperson, said.

The Broadband Fund has committed a total of $206 million to improve broadband services in 170 communities so far.

Source: CRTC

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Mobile Syrup

Telus partners with Sandvine to enhance its network’s security, speed, and reliability

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada- September 30, 2019: Sign of Sandvine Incorporated

Telecom giant Telus has entered a new contract with network intelligence company Sandvine to assist with future growth across its network.

The “multi-year contract” will see Telus using Sandvine’s application and network intelligence solutions through Google cloud to monitor and manage mobile data and video traffic. Telus will also use Sandvine’s 4G and 5G analytics solutions towards security, customer insights, and enhancing experience.

This isn’t the first time the two companies have worked together. Telus has been a Sandvine customer since 2013.

The new extension will allow Telus to keep up with growing demands for speed, latency, and reliability, a statement from Sandvine states. This is a must if Telus hopes to continue to offer the fastest mobile speeds in Canada.

“Our relationship with Sandvine in their application and network intelligence solutions will play an important role in helping us ensure we deliver high-quality experiences and greater security for our customers as 5G, Cloud and Digital business adoption grows in Canada,” Ibrahim Gedeon, the chief technology officer at Telus, said in a statement.

Details as to how long the contract will last and how much Telus paid are not publicly available.

Image credit: ShutterStock

Source: Sandvine

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Mobile Syrup

Mobile traffic increased 300 times over the last decade, report

Dusseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany – September 9, 2021: Headquarters of Ericsson Germany in Dusseldorf, Germany – ERICSSON is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company

Mobility usage over the last decade has skyrocketed as more people gained access to cellphones and associated networks than ever before.

The finding is outlined in a recent report released by Ericsson examining worldwide usage over the last 10 years.

Since the organization released its last report in 2011, a number of changes have happened.

The number of users subscribed to a 4G network has increased dramatically: in 2011, this number sat at 9 million. Now estimates show there will be 4.7 billion subscriptions by the end of the year.

Over the last decade, new smartphone subscribers have increased by 5.5 billion and mobile networks carry 300 times more traffic.

The report indicates this increase wasn’t expected. In 2011, most data came from laptops with cellular connections, but smartphones were growing in popularity.

“The visible market drivers at the time led us to underestimate the pace of smartphone and 4G subscription growth — and thereby also traffic growth on handheld devices — while overestimating the potential growth of 4G-connected laptops and tablets, as the smartphone became the device of choice for connecting other devices over Wi-Fi to the mobile network,” the report says.

Numerous events shaped this growth, which was further driven by network capabilities, tariffs, and market legislation.

The first event came in 2015 when a U.S.-based service provider offered bundles “with a zero-rated unlimited offering” for popular video services. Competitors soon offered similar bundles, contributing to a global increase in traffic.

The next major event came in 2017, when a new competitor entered the telecom market in India and offered competitive rates on 4G, leading to an increase in new users and subsequent traffic.

An impact was also seen in 2018 when 4G arrived in China, much later than in other markets.

Future trends

The report notes future trends can be hard to predict because things can change based on information not yet available.

The authors do expect, however, for 5G to grow incredibly fast, outpacing the growth of previous generations.

More than 180 service providers have launched 5G services across the world. Estimates show there will be 660 million 5G subscribers by the end of the year, mainly from strong demand in China and North America.

The continent has the second-highest number of 5G subscribers in the world, following North-East Asia, and is expected to move to first place by 2027.

“In North America, 5G commercialization is moving at a rapid pace. Service providers have launched commercial 5G services, focusing on mobile broadband and fixed wireless access (FWA),” the report says.

5G is further expected to take over 4G by the end of 2027, with an estimated 4.4 billion subscriptions. It’s also expected to grow faster than its previous counterpart, thanks, in part, to the availability of devices and lower prices.

4G subscriptions are expected to reach their maximum at 4.7 million by the end of the year. The research notes subscribers will decline to 3.3 billion by 2027, given they’ll be shifting to the newer 5G network

Growth of 5G

The network is expected to grow in every region, but there are a few notable factors to point out around the world.

While 5G network will grow alongside 4G in Sub-Saharan Africa, high speed packet access (HSPA) will remain dominant, representing 40 percent of users in 2027. HSPA is made of two mobile protocols that improve the performance of existing 3G networks using wideband code-division multiple access (WCDMA) protocols.

In India, 4G networks are expected to hold dominance but will see a decrease as users move to 5G. Subscriptions are expected to reduce from 68 percent in 2021 to 55 percent in 2027.

In Central and Eastern Europe, a similar forecast is predicted as 4G is expected to stay on top.

“In 2027, 4G will remain the dominant technology and is expected to account for 59 percent of mobile subscriptions, while 5G subscriptions are forecast to make up 41 percent.”

WCDMA/HSPA will decline to “virtually zero.”

A similar decline will also be seen in Western Europe as 5G subscriptions are expected to reach 83 percent by the end of 2027.

By 2027, 5G is expected to cover 75 percent of the population and be the fastest-deployed communication technology in history. Coverage in high population countries is one contributing factor to this.

In response, researchers have noticed the phenomenon of sunsetting or network sunsets. This is characterized by newer networks, like 4G and 5G, causing legacy networks like 2G and 3G, to shut down.

This can be categorized into three different waves.

In wave one, North American and Australia, among other parts of the world, have already shut down 2G networks and are expected to shut down 3G before the mid-2020s.

Wave two has seen Western Europe sunsetting 3G over 2G, given its larger dependency on it. The sunsetting of 3g is expected to last until the mid-2020s.

The third wave includes countries with a larger dependency on legacy technology because of the lower concentration of 4G and 5G networks. These places won’t see network sunsets for 2G and 3G until the end of 2030.

Image credit: ShutterStock

Source: Ericsson

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Mobile Syrup

SaskTel erects 10 new cell towers, completes $107 million wireless project

Saskatchewan’s crown-owned telecommunications company is celebrating the completion of a $107 million initiative to connect the province with wireless internet.

The four-year “Wireless Saskatchewan” project, launched by SaskTel in 2017, officially concluded on September 10th, 2021, with the completion of a final set of macro cell towers.

According to a press release, the 10 newly-launched towers will offer faster 4G LTE service to the communities of Aberdeen (South), Candle Lake, Carrot River (East), East Fairwell, Kuroki, Makwa, Marean Lake, Mount Pleasant, Prince Albert (East), and Shaunavon (Southeast).

SaskTel previously launched 15 new towers in March 2021, servicing the regions of Burnham, Clayridge, Crescent Lake, Duncairn, Filion Lake, Frenchman Butte, Great Deer, Keppel, Kessock, Main Centre, Meacham (East), Murphy Creek, Parkerview, Sokal, and Worcester.

In total, there are now 1,000 SaskTel towers erected across the province.

With the initiative complete, SaskTel announced its next project is bringing 5G internet service to rural Saskatchewan.

To achieve this goal, the province plans on investing $323 million in 2021-2023, and over $1.4 billion over the next five years, to launch its 5G network.

Source: SaskTel