Bell announced the 52 communities across New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island that will join Bell Mobility's world-leading 4G LTE wireless network by the end of 2014. The number of new communities served by Bell's broadband LTE in Atlantic Canada will surpass 100 by the end of 2015.
Bell will be employing recently acquired 700 MHz spectrum and other bandwidth assets to deliver LTE services to small towns and rural communities right across Canada, including the North, expanding the reach of its Fourth Generation (4G) network to deliver superfast mobile data connections to Canadians everywhere.
Bell's LTE network already covers 81% of the national population, including in major centres in the Atlantic provinces, and the company plans to bring coverage to more than 98% of Canadians with its ongoing expansion to rural and remote communities.
"Bell is proud to announce that consumers and businesses in smaller communities across the Atlantic region will be next to benefit from the high quality, high bandwidth mobile connections made possible with LTE," said Wade Oosterman, President of Bell Mobility. "Customers in places from Campbellton to Bonavista and Bridgetown to Tignish will have access to the same great broadband service and mobile applications as are available in major centres across Canada. For people living, working or travelling in Atlantic Canada, wireless just got better."
4G LTE is today's worldwide gold standard for wireless technology. To support its expansion to smaller communities, Bell is employing new 700 MHz spectrum, airwaves that provide both strong in-building connections and reliable coverage over longer distances, vital to network expansion in rural Canada. Bell acquired a significant amount of 700 MHz spectrum in every national market in the federal government's spectrum auction earlier this year, and in April was the first company in Canada to launch 700 MHz LTE service.
Since 2006, Bell has invested over $5 billion to build its advanced wireless networks across the country. As a result, Canadians are rapidly adopting smartphones and quickly becoming world leaders in usage of new wireless services like Mobile TV and mobile payments.
New LTE communities in Atlantic Canada
New Atlantic communities that will benefit from LTE service in 2014 include regional social and economic hubs, tourist destinations and communities on important transportation and commercial routes, including highways, harbours and border crossings.
