(Toronto) Freedom Mobile is adding 5G capability for some of its customers as its new owner implements network upgrades under Ottawa-mandated terms.
The Quebecor-owned telecommunications provider announced Thursday that it will begin offering 5G service to customers on plans that cost at least $45 per month in the Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton areas as well as select cities across the country. Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta.
He added that he plans 5G rollouts in new markets over time.
Freedom Mobile announced in May that it would offer a $50 monthly plan, its first with nationwide coverage, that includes unlimited talk and text, and 40 gigabytes of usable data anywhere in Canada and the United States.
On Thursday, it unveiled two more Canada-wide plans that qualify for 5G service. One offers 30 gigabytes of monthly data for $45, plus unlimited talk and text, while the other offers 50 gigabytes of usable data. in Canada, the United States and Mexico for $65 per month.
“Today, Freedom is going beyond the promises it made to its customers by delivering some of the most competitive offerings to emerge in the country, backed by a leading 5G network,” said the President. and CEO of Quebecor, Pierre Karl Péladeau, in a press release.
“With this ground-breaking proposal and the deployment of significant enhancements to its wireless network, Freedom is ushering the telecommunications industry into a new era where Canadians can purchase high-quality mobile plans, accessible from anywhere. more and affordable locations. »
The moves come after Quebecor’s Videotron bought Freedom Mobile for $2.85 billion in April. The acquisition was prompted by the takeover of Shaw Communications by Rogers Communications, which agreed last year to divest itself of Freedom Mobile in a bid to alleviate competition concerns as a precondition to the merger.
Under the conditions set last March by the Minister of Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, Videotron must offer packages whose prices are at least 20% lower than those of its competitors, and spend 150 million to put upgrade Freedom Mobile’s network.
The company has committed to expanding its 5G wireless network into Freedom Mobile’s pre-existing operating territory within two years. It also needs to increase data allowances for existing Freedom Mobile customers by 10% in the short term, while investing to lower prices overall.
Last week, the company announced in an email to its employees that it would expand Freedom Mobile network coverage in Quebec. She expects the update to take a few weeks to reach all Freedom customers.
Freedom Mobile said other technical improvements have been made to its network, including the introduction of seamless roaming, and it will also upgrade existing customers’ monthly plans to include nationwide data that can be used anywhere. in Canada, free of charge.
Earlier this week, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) ruled in a final offer arbitration proceeding between Quebecor and Rogers, which had been requested by the companies just days after Videotron acquired Freedom Mobile from the hands of Shaw.
While the two parties had agreed on certain rates that Videotron would pay Rogers when it offered services using its wireless network, they had failed to agree on data rates.
The CRTC sided with Quebecor and ordered the two parties to enter into an access agreement so that Videotron “can extend competitive mobile wireless services to Canadians as quickly as possible.”
According to the federal telecommunications regulator, its decision will support more affordable cell phone plans and help strengthen competition in the sector.
Rogers said she may appeal the decision.