Canada's 5G Speeds Up: First Test Results
The new 3500MHz 5G system is massively boosting data speeds in Toronto, our initial test results show, making Rogers a competitive carrier in terms of speed for the first time in years.
We're just starting a nationwide drive test of Canada, where we'll see how 3500MHz is performing across the country. Right now, Rogers and Bell users with recent Samsung Galaxy S models or iPhones, as well as Telus users with recent iPhones, can hop onto the spectrum.
From a day's worth of initial testing in Toronto, we found that 3500MHz changes the game. The best Canadian 3500MHz speeds are faster than any US mid-band network, and the system can more than double 5G performance.
This chart isn't exactly apples to apples. Bell shuttled me to its best possible test sites, while Rogers just gave me a coverage map and told me to go to town. Even without visiting the absolute best sites, though, there was a major jump in Rogers performance over 2021. Both of the 2021 results shown are from our drive-test days.
The 3500MHz just about doubles the spectrum available to each of Bell, Rogers, and Telus in Toronto, and it at least doubles performance. The networks are live, and they work with popular phones, so they weren't completely unloaded. Still, though, a lot of old phones are unable to hit the newer airwaves, leaving them clearer than the older allotment.
Adding 70MHz of mid-band to Rogers' current haul pushed speeds to a max of 782Mbps down and 129Mbps up, with latencies frequently at 12-13ms. Outside the Rosedale subway station, where 3500MHz is active, I got 649Mbps down and 93Mbps up. Outside the Lawrence West subway station, also with 3500MHz, I saw 665Mbps down and 119Mbps up.
The difference between 3500 and non-3500 can be really
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