Freedom Mobile launches new, pricier plans with 5G+ and more data

As promised earlier this month, Freedom Mobile changed its plans on January 28th, rolling out several new options and features.

The headline new feature is 5G+ data on all plans, up from the previous 5G data. Freedom didn’t provide much detail about what’s different between 5G and 5G+ in a press release sent to MobileSyrup, though it did note that it is faster and that Freedom customers don’t need to change plans to get it. Any Freedom customers on one of the company’s 5G plans will automatically get bumped up to 5G+ data at no additional cost.

The fine print on Freedom’s website notes that “5G+ performance may vary due to various factors, including environmental conditions, with 5G+ theoretical peak download speed of up to 900Mbps in select cities,” those cities being Toronto and Vancouver. Elsewhere, Freedom’s website notes that plans include access to “full-speed data” on the Freedom network but still fall back to 4G speeds (capped at up to 100Mbps) on the Nationwide, U.S., and Mexico networks. Nationwide, as a quick refresher, are partner networks from other Canadian wireless providers that Freedom customers fall back on when they leave Freedom’s coverage area.

Additionally, customers still have a full-speed data allotment — the data bucket on the plan — and once that’s used, people can continue to use data at a throttled speed with no overages. On Freedom’s network, that speed is 256Kbps for downloads and 128Kbps for uploads, while on other networks, it’s 128Kbps for downloads and 64Kbps for uploads.

Update Jan. 28 at 3:44pm ET: Freedom Mobile confirmed to MobileSyrup that its 5G+ combines 3,500MHz and 3,800MHz spectrum and other frequency ranges to create a “more robust and complete wireless network experience.” This is similar to what other Canadian providers did when launching 5G+. The company also reiterated the 900Mbps theoretical peak speed and pointed to its 5G and 5G+ FAQ page for more information, though that page still doesn’t provide specifics on how much faster 5G+ is. We’ll have to wait for real-world testing to learn more.

Further, Freedom clarified that 5G+ is ” currently available in the GTA and Hamilton, as well as BC’s Lower Mainland” and then pointed to its network coverage map for additional information.

Finally, Freedom has a page detailing its 5G and 5G+ networks that, at the time of writing, was sparse on meaningful details. It mentions “lightning-fast speeds” with movie and music downloads taking “seconds, not minutes.” It also boasts of “strong, reliable connections” and “near real-time response rates and more bandwidth” for a better gaming experience.

Other changes include adding more data, additional Roam Beyond data on select plans, and an overall price increase, though customers who get Freedom’s Home Internet can still get the older pricing.

This isn’t as big of a change as it first appears, given that Freedom previously offered a $5/mo discount for 18 months on its plans and allowed customers to keep that discount by signing up for home internet. Under the new plan roster, that 18-month grace period is gone, but the added data might make up the roughly $4/mo price difference for some users.

New plans and prices

Here are the new plans and prices (which include a $5/mo autopay discount):

• $39/60GB + 8GB bonus + 5GB (one-time allotment) Roam Beyond data ($35/mo with home internet).
• $49/80GB + 8GB bonus + 15GB Roam Beyond data ($45/mo with home internet).
• $59/100GB + 8GB bonus + 25GB Roam Beyond data ($55/mo with home internet) – min. three months required.
• $34/10GB + 1GB (one-time allotment) Roam Beyond data ($29/mo with home internet).
• $25/3GB ($20/mo with home internet) – unchanged.
• $10/100MB with 2 hours talk ($5/mo with home internet) – unchanged.

Note that all of the above plans include Canada/U.S./Mexico calling, texting and data usage. Additionally, the 8GB data bonus on some of those plans is a limited-time offer for Lunar New Year and is separate from the new pricing.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about Freedom’s new pricing. On one hand, Freedom’s plans still have some of the best value in the Canadian wireless market, beating other value brands like Koodo, Fido and Virgin Plus on price and features. On the other, the $35/50GB plan was a great benchmark and it’s a bummer to see that move behind a home internet bundle.

Still, it could be worse. Freedom could have raised prices while also making its plans worse — an extra $4/mo for a plan with 10GB more data (not counting the Lunar New Year bonus) isn’t bad.

You can find Freedom’s new plans here, or use our plan finder tool to get the best deal for you.