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The graphs below depict over 1,000,000 channel updates since October from Rogers, Telus and Bell. The huge swings in channel, spectrum and site counts represent large, systemic errors that must be corrected — which we do every month — giving Canada Cellular Services subscribers the most accurate account of Canada's wireless landscape.
Signal booster or IoT device installers are advised to ignore about half of the Telus / Bell cellular network, for they are DAS and metrocell sites that provide in-building or neighborhood coverage only. We have tools to sort this all out. Contact us for details.
This table shows the growth of the Telstra 5G network across Australia, starting in May 2019:
| # Telstra 5G Sites | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | May-19 | Aug-19 | Nov-19 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Nov-20 | Mar-21 | May-21 | Oct-21 | |||
| Adelaide | 46 | 47 | 67 | 118 | 118 | 335 | 340 | 340 | 342 | |||
| Brisbane | 63 | 115 | 131 | 172 | 181 | 525 | 535 | 538 | 678 | |||
| Canberra | 38 | 38 | 45 | 48 | 48 | 110 | 122 | 123 | 124 | |||
| Gold Coast | 54 | 62 | 72 | 83 | 83 | 120 | 125 | 127 | 84 | |||
| Hobart | 16 | 21 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 44 | 47 | 47 | 48 | |||
| Launceston | 7 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 47 | |||
| Melbourne | 52 | 52 | 370 | 435 | 481 | 999 | 1,026 | 1,035 | 1,049 | |||
| Perth | 43 | 49 | 85 | 106 | 106 | 326 | 348 | 352 | 354 | |||
| Sydney | 64 | 75 | 238 | 300 | 347 | 1,085 | 1,078 | 1,153 | 1,167 | |||
| Toowoomba | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 33 | |||
| Other | 35 | 133 | 140 | 142 | 569 | 624 | 599 | 513 | ||||
| TOTAL | 408 | 528 | 1,214 | 1,475 | 1,579 | 4,191 | 4,323 | 4,391 | 4,439 | |||
TPG site counts have also increases significantly, now totalling 1,703 across major urban centers from Perth to Brisbane.
You can see Telstra or Optus 5G sites, Telstra IoT, TPG and more at Australia Cellular Services.
September and October saw huge numbers of cellular network updates. In total, ISED received 639,440 new and updated SMS records, primarily from Telus and Bell, which played catch-up, as they had not previously filed any updates through 2021.
But, you win some and lose some, as the graphs below show. The green line in the top-left graph tracks Telus channel counts. September saw an increase of 8,000 to reach 174,000, before plummeting by 68,000 this month.
This loss of 68,000 is an error and something we fix through our quality assurance process.
SMS snapshots should never be used as-is. We monitor SMS snapshots and supplement with proprietary and 3rd party data giving Canada Cellular Services the most accurate representation available of Canada's wireless landscape.
Also, if you need to install a mobile signal booster or IoT device, remember that roughly half of the Telus/Bell cellular network are DAS and metrocell sites, whose service areas are probably too small to meet your needs. Let us help you sort this out.
This table shows the growth of the Telstra 5G network across Australia, starting in May 2019:
| # Telstra 5G Sites | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | May-19 | Aug-19 | Sep-19 | Oct-19 | Nov-19 | Dec-19 | Jan-20 | Feb-20 | Mar-20 | Nov-20 | Mar-21 | May-21 |
| Adelaide | 46 | 47 | 57 | 60 | 67 | 73 | 73 | 118 | 118 | 335 | 340 | 340 |
| Brisbane | 63 | 115 | 121 | 130 | 131 | 139 | 139 | 172 | 181 | 525 | 535 | 538 |
| Canberra | 38 | 38 | 41 | 44 | 45 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 110 | 122 | 123 |
| Gold Coast | 54 | 62 | 66 | 72 | 72 | 71 | 71 | 83 | 83 | 120 | 125 | 127 |
| Hobart | 16 | 21 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 44 | 47 | 47 |
| Launceston | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 47 | 47 | 47 |
| Melbourne | 52 | 52 | 95 | 200 | 370 | 387 | 409 | 435 | 481 | 999 | 1,026 | 1,035 |
| Perth | 43 | 49 | 67 | 70 | 85 | 92 | 92 | 106 | 106 | 326 | 348 | 352 |
| Sydney | 64 | 75 | 85 | 138 | 238 | 256 | 270 | 300 | 347 | 1,085 | 1,078 | 1,153 |
| Toowoomba | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 31 | 31 | 30 |
| Other | - | 35 | 73 | 112 | 133 | 139 | 139 | 140 | 142 | 569 | 624 | 599 |
| TOTAL | 408 | 528 | 675 | 897 | 1,214 | 1,278 | 1,314 | 1,475 | 1,579 | 4,191 | 4,323 | 4,391 |
You can see Telstra or Optus 5G sites, Telstra IoT and more at Australia Cellular Services.
Australia and Canada have many similarities. One big difference is 5G, with Telstra & Optus, Australia's largest carriers, operating 4X more 5G sites than Canada, on a more capacious 3,500MHz band.
But, does this put Canada at a disadvantage? Yes and no — but not how you might think. As Huwaei's chairman said, there is currently no material difference between 4G and 5G technology. Industry and government excitement around 5G is not a sign of its utility — there are few business cases for 5G that cannot be served by an optimized 4G network, which Canada already has.
Canada is behind — not in technology — but in plan value. Australia's plans (see right) offer much higher caps at lower prices. Canada's wireless networks are like a tuned Ferrari — with a 1 liter fuel tank.
| Carrier | CAD | Capacity | $ / GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optus | $64 | 500 GB | $0.13 |
| Telstra | $64 | 180 GB | $0.36 |
| Rogers | $175 | 100 GB | $1.75 |
| Telus | $100 | 50 GB | $2.00 |
| Bell | $125 | 50 GB | $2.50 |
| Videotron | $75 | 32 GB | $2.34 |
| Freedom | $90 | 30 GB | $3.00 |
| SaskTel | $120 | 35 GB | $3.43 |
Rogers operates 1,062 5G sites in the 600MHz band, and 575 5G sites in the 2500MHz band. This brings Rogers' total to 1,447 5G sites. (Some 5G sites use both 600 and 2500MHz bands.)
Rogers invested heavily in the 600MHz auction receiving licenses that can serve 35 of Canada's 38 million population. Freedom, Telus and Videotron invested less, receiving licenses that can serve 22, 20 and 10 million, respectively.
| # Rogers 5G Sites | ||
|---|---|---|
| Province | 600Mhz | 2500Mhz |
| Alberta | 241 | - |
| British Columbia | 304 | 150 |
| New Brunswick | 18 | - |
| Ontario | 321 | 270 |
| Quebec | 114 | 155 |
| Saskatchewan | 64 | - |
| TOTAL SITES | 1,062 | 575 |
The 600MHz band has seven paired 5Mhz blocks, labeled A - G. (See band plan below, which is identical to that used by the FCC). Rogers uses blocks A through D allocated as follows:
| Blocks (Downlink | Bandwidth | # |
|---|---|---|
| and Uplink) | (MHz) | Channels |
| A, B | 10 | 2,282 |
| A, B, C, D | 20 | 880 |
| TOTAL CHANNELS | 3,162 | |
