Root Metrics recently conducted network speeds tests and availability across three markets in Canada to find out which of that country’s three largest operators provided a superior network experience to consumers. The testing, which was similar to those conducted by Root Metrics across the United States, included more than 47,000 call, data and text tests covering Canada’s three largest cities: Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto.
The testing found that Bell Canada, Rogers Wireless and Telus Mobility all provided outstanding voice calling and messaging capabilities across the three markets. As for overall network reliability, Bell took the top spot across all three markets, easily out-pointing its rivals, including in its home market of Montreal. Rogers, which his based in Toronto, took the No. 2 position in Montreal and Toronto, while Telus, based out of Vancouver, grabbed the runner-up position in its hometown.
Digging into the issue of network speed, however, showed some significant differences. In Montreal, Rogers scored a top average download speed of 32.6 megabits per second, well ahead of the 29.1 Mbps scored by Telus and 21.6 Mbps recorded on Bell Canada’s network. Upload speed testing resulted in a different outcome, with Bell recording an average of 13.4 Mbps, Telus runner up with an average of 13.2 Mbps and Rogers scoring an average of 7.3 Mbps.
In Toronto, Rogers again recorded the fastest average upload speed of 33 Mbps, with Telus at No. 2 with an average speed of 21.3 Mbps and Bell Canada rounding out the test with an average speed of 19.3 Mbps. Uplink speeds again resulted in a different finishing order, with Bell recording an average speed of 11.8 Mbps, Telus recording an average speed of 11.1 Mbps and Rogers bringing up the rear with an average speed of 7.7 Mbps.
Testing in Vancouver provided a similar result, with Rogers again tops in download speeds (30.8 Mbps) and last in upload speeds (6.9 Mbps), with Bell Canada and Telus posting similar speeds for both downloads (22.3 Mbps and 24 Mbps, respectively) and uploads (10.5 Mbps and 9.8 Mbps, respectively). The similar speeds recorded by Bell and Telus are understandable as both carrier have a history of sharing network infrastructure, though they are not sharing spectrum resources.
Root Metrics noted that average speeds recorded across the Canadian markets “were faster than the speeds we’ve found in many major cities in the [United States] and [United Kingdom].
Canadian operators are currently relying on their 1.7/2.1 GHz spectrum holdings to power their respective LTE service, though they plan to bolster those networks with 700 MHz licenses set to be auctioned early next year.
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