Bell adds eight new LTE-A service markets in Quebec

Bell has expanded its LTE-Advanced service in Quebec, according to an internal document obtained by MobileSyrup. The document states that the LTE-A coverage now “covers 74 percent of the Canadian population.”

Effective June 6th, LTE-A is now available in the following new markets in Quebec:

• Ville-Marie
• Chisasibi
• Chibougamau
• Kirkland Lake
• Plessisville
• Thetford Mines
• Lac-Megantic
• Cowansville

The LTE-A network has also expanded in Sorel, Shawinigan, Becancour, Drummondville, and Sherbrooke in Quebec.

Bell first launched its LTE-Advanced network in June 2015, starting the Greater Toronto Area and select maritime cities. Bell boasts speeds of up to 220Mbps with LTE-A, though states customers can expect average download speeds of anywhere from 12 to 100Mbps in the real world.

Recently, Bell rolled out Quad Band LTE, which has the capability to provide the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ (which stock Qualcomm’s new Gigabit-capable X16 LTE modem) with reported speeds of between 22 and 174 Mbps.

Telus, which shares infrastructure with Bell, announced Quad Band LTE almost simultaneously, with both carriers claiming they were the first to deliver quad band LTE-A service to the Galaxy S8.