Who has the best coverage in your area? Compare top Canadian mobile carriers (2024)

Who has the best coverage in your area? Compare top Canadian mobile carriers (1)

Contents

In this guide:

Canadian mobile coverage map
Telus coverage map
Bell coverage map
Rogers coverage map
Freedom Mobile coverage map
Regional carrier mobile coverage maps
How to improve your mobile dervice
Understanding mobile coverage in Canada
FAQs

In Canada, the best carrier depends on where you live. Bell, Rogers, and Telus, also known as the Big Three, have the largest nationwide networks, but their prices are high compared with smaller, regional competitors, like Freedom Mobile, Sasktel, and Videotron.

Here are the cellular coverage rankings, based on the amount of the country's land in their respective networks:

#1:Telus: 37.0%
#2:Bell: 36.0%
#3:Rogers: 28.0%
#4:Freedom: 1.34%

Canada's eight largest urban centres have better than 99.9% coverage on all three national networks. Most well-populated rural areas also feature extensive high-speed LTE service, but coverage varies throughout the country's sparsely populated wilderness.

If you want the best price, you need to know your options. Below, we've got coverage maps for every region of the country so you can learn who offers service in your neighborhood.

Canadian mobile coverage map

Click to Activate Interactive Map

Coverage information is collected from carriers and other third party sources. This is approximate coverage only and does not include indoor coverage. Actual speed and performance depends on your location and device. Local conditions and things like natural and artificial physical features of an area all affect your reception. Coverage © Mosaik

We've mapped the coverage for every Canadian network. Use the drop-down menu on the left-hand side to toggle between networks and check or uncheck the connection speed you'd like.

Western Canada and the Territories coverage

Bell and Telus cover much of Western Canada, with Rogers providing slightly less. SaskTel provides cheap, regional coverage in Saskatchewan, while BellMTS does the same for Manitoba.

Looking to get granular? Follow the hyper-specific coverage guides below to better understand the coverage in these particular areas of the country.

Western Canada Provincial and Territory coverage guides:

British Columbia cellular coverage
Alberta cellular coverage
Saskatchewan cellular coverage
Manitoba cellular coverage
Yukon cellular coverage
Northwest Territories cellular coverage
Nunavut cellular coverage

Western Canada city coverage guides:

Vancouver cellular coverage
Edmonton cellular coverage
Calgary cellular coverage

Ontario and Quebec coverage

Bell, Rogers, and Telus all provide coverage throughout this region, with 5G available in urban centres. Freedom Mobile provides low-cost plans for Toronto and Ottawa metropolitan areas, while Videotron offers competitive regional coverage for Quebec.

If you want to see a local's guide to coverage in these areas, read our guides below.

Ontario and Quebec provincial coverage guides:

Ontario cellular coverage
Quebec cellular coverage

Ontario and Quebec city coverage guides:

Toronto cellular coverage
Ottawa cellular coverage
Montreal cellular coverage
Quebec City coverage

East Coast and Maritimes coverage

Bell and Telus provide the most coverage to this region, with Rogers a few steps behind. Videotron, meanwhile, provides cheaper coverage than the Big Three, though the coverage area is limited to coastal Quebec.

Learn about cell coverage in the Maritimes, island-by-island, by reading the coverage guides below.

East Coast provincial coverage guides:

Quebec cellular coverage
New Brunswick cellular coverage
Prince Edward Island cellular coverage
Nova Scotia cellular coverage
Newfoundland and Labrador cellular coverage

East Coast Canada city coverage guides:

Quebec City cellular coverage

Telus coverage map

Who has the best coverage in your area? Compare top Canadian mobile carriers (2)

Telus has the best LTE network and the best combination of network coverage and performance from any of Canada's national carriers. Bell and Telus share the same towers, but Telus has better download speeds and reliability. Canadians on the Telus network take advantage of its 5G speeds,unlimited data, prepaid plans, and phone deals.

Interested in Canada’s fastest network? Check out how Telus' coverage compares with its competitors.

Click to Activate Interactive Map

Bell coverage map

Who has the best coverage in your area? Compare top Canadian mobile carriers (3)

You can pick up fantastic service and network coverage from Bell, too. Sharing the same towers with Telus gives customers the same great coverage, though Telus is generally considered to be faster and more reliable.

Regardless, on Bell’s network, you can still expect solid 4G LTE and 5G coverage, along with plans for all kinds of data users. (You can also grab cheaper access to the Bell network via Virgin Plus.) Choosing one of Bell's unlimited data plan options is the best way to take advantage of this top phone provider's strong mobile coverage. Looking for a great carrier that offers a variety of services? Learn everything you need to know in our guide to Bell's coverage area.

Check out what Bell's network looks like in your particular neighborhood.

Click to Activate Interactive Map

Rogers coverage map

Who has the best coverage in your area? Compare top Canadian mobile carriers (4)

Rogers doesn't offer quite as much coverage or speed as Telus and Bell do, but the carrier partners with other carriers to provide extended coverage to its customers. Like Bell and Telus, Rogers offers 5G and 4G LTE connectivity to its customers. In fact, Rogers was the first Canadian carrier to launch5G service.

Want to see if Rogers is the best bet for your neighborhood? See how it stacks up against the competition with our Rogers coverage guide.

Click to Activate Interactive Map

Freedom Mobile coverage map

Who has the best coverage in your area? Compare top Canadian mobile carriers (5)

When Freedom originally launched as Wind Mobile, its affordable prices disrupted the Canadian telecom market. This wasn't an act of philanthropy: to this day, Freedom keeps its costs so low because its coverage footprint is considerably smaller than its competitors. If you're in a major city centre, particularly in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia, you'll have reliable 4G coverage with Freedom. If you venture outside of its network, you'll still have coverage through one of its carriers, but you're likely to experience slower speeds.

Interested in Freedom’s cheap cell phone plans? Get the details over on our guide to the Freedom network.

Click to Activate Interactive Map

Regional carrier mobile coverage maps

Some of the most affordable plans in Canada are available through regional carriers. Although their networks are smaller, regional carriers compete with the Big Three in price and service. Find some of the best regional carriers below.

Videotron

Click to Activate Interactive Map

SaskTel

Click to Activate Interactive Map

Saskatchewan is notorious for having very little coverage outside of major corridors, butSaskTelprovides coverage to the southern half of the province. Through their partner networks, SaskTel affords its users coverage across the country–without roaming charges.

Want to see what SaskTel can offer you? Check out their unlimited data and family cell phone plans.

Other regional carriers

Curious to see what else is available in your neighborhood? Enter your address into the WhistleOut search engine to find the best service available to your location or check out some of the most popular regional plans below.

Cell Phone Plans

With at least 100MB+ data | Filters

#1	Fizz	Fizz 3GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps $17/mth + $15 Upfront Go	$17/mth + $15 Upfront	Go
#2	SaskTel	SaskTel totalSHARE Nationwide Unlimited Full speed data Deal: Receive $20/mo. off your bill when you bring your own phone or buy a phone at full price + $5/mo. off for 24 months when you sign up $65/mth + $50 Upfront Go	$65/mth + $50 Upfront	Go
#3	Videotron	Videotron 55GB All-Inclusive Cell Phone Plan Unlimited data Deal: Get $10/mo. off when you bring your own device $50/mth + $50 Upfront Go	$50/mth + $50 Upfront	Go
#4	Eastlink	Eastlink $15 Starter Data 250MB Plan 250MB at 5G speeds $15/mth + $50 Upfront Go	$15/mth + $50 Upfront	Go

Sorted by popularity, based on user clicks from last 7 days

View Full Results ~ Last Updated 2024-09-14

How WhistleOut Works

How to improve your mobile service

If you're unhappy with your current plan, you've got a number of options for improving your situation. Below, we explain how to make a bad situation better by changing carriers, making the jump to 5G, upgrading your device, and investigating a new plan with your current provider.

Change carriers

Sometimes, swapping your phone plan is the best option, even if it's not the most attractive. Moving from a smaller cell phone carrier to a larger one can provide better coverage, speeds, and overall value.

Get a plan with 5G

Customers who use5G plansreceive significantly faster speeds. While not inherently more reliable than 4G LTE, 5G will give you get a much better experience using your mobile data.

Upgrade your device

Your smartphone plays a direct role in your service quality. An older phone could have hardware that isn't capable of taking full advantage of your carrier's service, even if you're in the heart of its coverage area. Devices older than a couple of years also won't be able to use 5G, limiting you to 4G LTE or 3G speeds.

If you're interested in a new phone, we recommend checking out the best cell phone deals in Canada.

Check-in with your current provider/plan

One of the biggest mistakes mobile customers make is embracing complacency. Many carriers offer options that vastly improve service and customer experience for only a few extra bucks a month. You could be able to change your plan to access 5G speeds, pick up a new phone, or just save some cash on your monthly bill.

Understanding Mobile Coverage in Canada

Before you sign up for a new plan, you must understand what it is you're buying. Below, we break down some of the more confusing aspects of the current telecom market so you can pick out your new plan with confidence.

3G vs. 4G LTE vs. 5G

Carriers offer various types of wireless services, with each "G" being a new generation of wireless technology. 4G LTE is the default for most carriers, which is fast enough to stream and game on the go. The newest technology, 5G, provides significantly faster speeds, but only available in select areas of the country.

Some discount and prepaid carriers cap their speeds at 3G to provide cheaper cell phone services. While 3G is more than fast enough for basic users primarily concerned with placing calls and sending messages, it should be avoided if you're looking to use your phone as a device for streaming or gaming.

Coverage is where the people are

Canada's wireless networks have been constructed in more populated areas. As a result, the under-populated regions of the Canadian wildernesshave fewer cell towers, leading to spotty service. The CRTC has passed legislationmeant to encourage more towers in the rural regions of the country, but significant improvements have yet to be seen.

Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs)

Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) are carriers that buy services from one of the main carriers in bulk and then resell these services at a lower price. MVNOs can do this as they aren't paying for things like new towers and other network infrastructure. Canadian MVNOs are slightly different from other parts of the world, where MVNOs are independent entities purchasing space on larger networks. In Canada, "MVNO" is a bit of a misnomer: Bell, Rogers, and Telus all own their own MVNOs, which effectively operate as budget brands, appealing to demographics who might otherwise ignore the Big Three.

The primary MVNOs areKoodo,Virgin Plus(formerly Virgin Mobile), andFido. These carriers provide service from Telus, Bell, and Rogers, respectively, but at a much lower monthly price. The main trade-off with signing up with these cheaper carriers is that getting a new phone can be more expensive.

Bell, Rogers, and Telus also own their own prepaid brands inLucky Mobile (Bell),Chatr Wireless (Rogers), and Public Mobile(Telus). You'll be limited to 3G data speeds on these carriers, but they offer some of the cheapest plans in the country.

You can find other Canadian MVNOs in ourlist of mobile carrierswith their plans or check out some of the most popular plans below.

Cell Phone Plans

With at least 100MB+ data | Filters

#1	Chatr Wireless	Chatr Wireless 500MB data Deal: Get 500MB bonus data when you sign up with Auto-Pay $15 Per 1 Month Top-up + $10 Upfront Go	$15 Per 1 Month Top-up + $10 Upfront	Go
#2	Lucky Mobile	Lucky Mobile $15 100 Minutes Canada-wide Calling Plan 500MB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps $15 Per 1 Month Top-up + $10 Upfront Go	$15 Per 1 Month Top-up + $10 Upfront	Go
#3	Koodo Mobile	Koodo Mobile $15 Prepaid Base Plan 500MB data Deal: Receive 500MB bonus data per month with Automatic Top-Up $15 Per 30 Day Top-up + $10 Upfront Go	$15 Per 30 Day Top-up + $10 Upfront	Go
#4	Fido	Fido $15 Basic Plan with 100 Minutes + 250MB 250MB data $15/mth Go	$15/mth	Go
#5	Public Mobile	Public Mobile $15 Unlimited Canada-Wide Talk + Text + 250MB 250MB at 4G speeds up to 100Mbps Deal: Receive $0.75/mo. in points value with Public Points + Receive a FREE eSIM or $5 off on a physical SIM with new activations only $15 + $10 Upfront Go	$15 + $10 Upfront	Go

Sorted by price

View Full Results ~ Last Updated 2024-09-14

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Compare Canadian Network Coverage Maps: FAQs

Who has the best coverage in my area?

Who has the best coverage in your area depends on where you live! You can use the Coverage Check feature on our search page to figure out the best options for your neighborhood.

Which cell phone service is the best in Canada?

Telus provides the best nationwide cell phone service in Canada. If you're looking for cheaper prices on cell phone plans, we recommend Koodo Mobile (which operates on the Telus network) and Fido (which operates on the slightly smaller Rogers network).

Is 5G available in Canada?

Yes, 5G is available in Canada. Read our guide to 5G in Canadato learn more.

Which cell phone carrier has the most coverage?

Telus is the cell phone carrier with the most coverage in Canada.Their network covers 99% of Canadians and reaches 37% of our country's vast footprint.

Which province has the best cell phone coverage in Canada?

Technically, New Brunswick has the best cell phone coverage in Canada, mainly because it's one of the smaller provinces in the country. The country's larger provinces often have massive rural areas with few cell towers, even though coverage in these provinces' more populated urban centres is some of the best in the country.

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