The Network Carriers with the Best 5G Coverage in Lakeland, Alberta

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

 

What did we do without smartphones?

Smartphones are great. We all love them and find it hard to imagine our lives before them. How did we do all that stuff? We now have mobile computers in our pockets that let us do everything from banking and shopping to streaming movies and, sometimes, even talking to our friends and relations.

 

Some people like to upgrade their phone at every opportunity, while others are happy to stick with what they know, worried that new hardware means they will have to reinstall all their favourite apps or lose their bookmarked sites. Cellular network carriers and hardware manufacturers are always trying to tempt us to upgrade our phones with their new, exclusive and “unmissable offers”.

 

Finding the right phone and network for your requirements

However, before switching contracts to a new supplier or upgrading to the latest new-fangled model, it is worth making sure that you will get decent network coverage. And these days, for many people, a slow or patchy connection won’t cut it.

 

Gamers and iGamers, in particular, want fast and reliable connections, 5G’s impressive speeds are perfect for such users. No one wants to get the dreaded lag when they are about to score the winning goal in a World Cup tournament. Or what about someone playing a live dealer game of poker at an online casino? The last thing anyone needs is the signal to drop just as they are about to deposit money into their account and place the winning bet on their standout hand.

 

As no operator guarantees service in the province or offers 100% coverage, many who don’t want to risk missing a trick choose to download native apps for their mobile gaming and iGaming needs. The best online casinos that offer Interac payments can be found on Casino.org, and their experts can help players find the best options, whether they have full signal or want to continue playing if the service drops. The best casino platforms allow players to switch fairly seamlessly between mobile browsers and apps, so the play goes on regardless.

 

Connectivity is key

Connectivity is also essential for any secure online transaction, from transferring money between accounts, paying bills or transacting with any government website. Some services are only available online these days, and often, public transport ticket prices are offered at different prices online than at the physical ticket office. Anyone needing to get around who does not have public transport or their own car will be pretty stuck looking for a rideshare without a smartphone, as competitors on the BBC’s Race Across The World in Canada found to their cost.  Making sure you have the right phone and the right network is crucial.

 

Whether you want 4G, 5G or just enough service to be able to make a call to check on the kids or use interactive maps to get you from home to the latest Pontiacs game, you need reliable service. However, if you are upgrading your phone or already have a shiny new one, it is worth considering which carrier is going to afford you the best 5G coverage. So, we have taken a look to see who is offering what.

 

The top-tier companies lead the pack

According to Open Signal, the independent global standard for analyzing consumers’ connectivity experiences, the best mobile gaming experience over a 5G connection is with Bell and Telus.  However, the picture changes when looking specifically at the video experience in Alberta, where Rogers comes out top. Slightly confusingly, Bell has the best download speed and Rogers has the best upload!  However, the differences are marginal.

 

Looking at the 5G video experience, Bell, Freedom Mobile and Rogers all score above 76%, but Rogers just pips them to the top spot and is just shy of the 78% satisfaction score.  When it comes to gaming, Freedom scores a meagre 65%, followed by Rogers at close to 71%, but Bell and Telus streak ahead at 82.4 and 82.5%, respectively. 

 

5G availability has increased across the board. The proportion of time that 5G users can get a stable 5G connection has increased across the top three network operators. Rogers takes the top position, but both Bell and Telus are catching up fast.

 

Rogers really does well on upload speeds, so any influencers thinking of uploading to their channel or social media platform might favour this provider. According to Open Signal, Bell has the edge when it comes to downloading, making it the ideal network for anyone who is a more passive streamer of content. Bell, Telus and Rogers all score ahead of Freedom when it comes to province-wide coverage.

 

Does Freedom Mobile give you 5G freedom?

While Freedom Mobile might sound like an attractive proposition with its freedom from the big three,  there is 5G coverage in less than 1% of the province, and it does not cover Lakeside. Even where coverage is available, download and upload speeds let Freedom Mobile down in Alberta. If you currently have a 4G plan with them, you might want to consider swapping out. Freedom Mobile’s 5G network is restricted to the densely populated urban areas of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. This is a network for urban dwellers, and there is no news about when they might roll 5G out as they do not have the infrastructure in place.

 

Other carriers are available, but not for 5G

Other carriers operate in Lakeland, and mid-tier carriers like Fido, Koodo Mobile, and Virgin use the networks of the top-tier carriers, but they do not offer 5G services. This means that consumers can get a decent amount of data at a less premium price. If you don’t need those massive upload and download speeds, you might find these are the right carriers for you. They have the same reliable coverage as Bell, Rogers and Telus, but often at a fraction of the price.

 

Chatr Mobile and PCMobile have the cheapest cell phone plans for users on a budget. They do not offer prepaid plans or sell the latest phone models. If 5G is your fix, these guys are not for you. They run exclusively on the older 3G networks and have much slower speeds. If voice and text are your requirements, then you can probably get buy with their service. The top-tier players own them but are their entry-level at best.

 

As with all things, it is horses for courses. Think about what you want your cellphone for and choose the carrier and data plan that best suits you and your budget.