In this guide, we explain everything you need to know about Freedom Mobile's coverage area, including detailed information about their 5G speeds and coverage and 4G LTE service. We also compare Freedom Mobile's network coverage to the other major wireless carriers: Bell, Rogers, and Telus (or the Big Three).

Freedom Mobile is a Quebecor-owned wireless carrier offering 5G, 5G+, and 4G LTE service to 99% of Canadians. After the company was sold to Quebecor in the Rogers-Shaw merger in 2023, Freedom launched its 5G service. Since then, the carrier has expanded its coverage, providing affordable, high-speed connectivity to 99% of the population. Most of the coverage is located in the metropolitan areas of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec.

Freedom Mobile coverage map

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Freedom Mobile operates on its own network, called the Freedom Network. The Freedom Mobile coverage area reaches 99% of Canadians, with peak download speeds of up to 1Gbps. Since its expansion, Freedom Mobile is now competing with the likes of the Big Three. Bell and Telus, for instance, reach 99% of the population as well. Rogers’ 5G coverage is available to 97%—which isn’t much of a drop off. 

While 99% coverage sounds good, that 1% might still be you. If you live in a more rural area of the country, there’s a good chance Freedom Mobile service isn’t available or could only have a weak signal.

To see if Freedom mobile has service where you live, check out your neighbourhood with our interactive Freedom Mobile coverage map. Zoom in on where you live, work, and travel the most to see if Freedom Mobile would work for you.

Freedom Mobile 5G coverage map

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Freedom Mobile launched its 5G service in July 2023, with service now expanded to 99% of Canadians at this point. In the western provinces, 5G is available in the urban centres of Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton.

In the east, 5G service is mostly concentrated in the cities of southern Ontario, including London, Barrie, Guelph, Niagara Falls, and the Greater Toronto Area.

Since launching their 5G network, Freedom has expanded its slate of 5G plans, offering some of the lowest rates for 5G in the country. We’re especially impressed with the cheap data in the 5G+ Unlimited 100GB CA-US plan and the huge data allotment of the 5G Unlimited 150GB CA-US plan. Even better: Both of these plans offer bill credits when you bring your own phone to save you some cash.

Quebec residents might be disappointed to hear that Freedom 5G is not available in the province, though they can take advantage of similarly priced plans offered by Freedom’s partner network, Videotron, including the 100GB All-Inclusive Canada-US plan.

Want to see those plans and more 5G options from Videotron? Check out some of their most popular 5G plans below.

Compare Freedom Mobile coverage: Bell, Rogers, and Telus

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We’ve broken down the particulars of the Freedom Mobile coverage map. Now, let’s see how it compares with the other major wireless networks: Bell, Rogers, and Telus.

Bell vs. Freedom coverage

Bell has one of Canada’s largest wireless networks, with service that reaches over 99% of the country’s residents. The footprint for the Bell network is the second largest in Canada, covering 36% of the map. Bell’s network is much more extensive than Freedom Mobile’s, with a reach nearly three times as wide.

Bell’s 5G network is similarly robust, reaching 70% of Canadians. Recently, the carrier has begun rolling out 5G+ coverage in the country’s major metropolitan areas, promising better coverage for crowded areas like stadiums, concert venues, and shopping malls.

If you want to get an even more detailed picture of the Bell network, you can do that below with our interactive coverage map and learn if Bell’s 5G and 4G LTE service is available near you.

Rogers vs. Freedom coverage

The Rogers network covers 28% of the map and reaches 97% of the population, numbers that make Freedom Mobile’s network look especially small. Rogers’ coverage in the rural areas of the northern provinces is limited to pockets of the Yukon and Northwest Territories, though the carrier does offer the temporary Rogers’ Extended Coverage if you’re travelling outside its large network.

Like Bell and Telus, Rogers offers 5G service to 70% of Canadians, including 5G+ service in select areas of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick.

Want to see the exact locations where Rogers' 5G and 4G LTE service is available? Check out our interactive coverage map below.

Telus vs. Freedom coverage

Telus operates the largest wireless network in Canada, with a footprint that covers 37% of the country’s landmass and offers service to over 99% of the population. One reason behind the carrier’s dominance is collaboration: Telus shares cell towers with Bell, an arrangement that’s allowed both carriers to build massive networks while retaining their independence.

Telus’ 5G network is also one of the largest in the country, with service reaching 70% of the population. Like Freedom Mobile, Telus doesn’t offer 5G to all areas of Canada. That said, Telus’ 5G is available outside urban centres, with service available to more rural areas of British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, etc.

Want to see if Telus’ 5G and 4G LTE service is available where you live? Use the interactive coverage map below.

Freedom Mobile network reliability

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Freedom Mobile's network reliability has received mixed marks. A 2021 J.D. Power study ranked the carrier’s network quality behind the Big Three, yet that same year, the J.D. Power Wireless Customer Care Study ranked Freedom fifth for customer satisfaction, several spots ahead of Bell and Rogers.

As we noted in our Freedom Mobile coverage review, the carrier’s relatively limited coverage area can lead to frustration for customers travelling outside of the Freedom network who receive sometimes spotty service through partner brands.

Want to see how reliable Freedom Mobile’s network is near you? Check out our guides to cell phone coverage in Canada’s provinces and major cities below.

Compare cell phone coverage by province:

• British Columbia wireless coverage
• Alberta wireless coverage
• Saskatchewan wireless coverage
• Manitoba wireless coverage
• Ontario wireless coverage
• Quebec wireless coverage
• New Brunswick wireless coverage
• Nova Scotia wireless coverage
• Prince Edward Island wireless coverage
• Newfoundland and Labrador wireless coverage

Compare cell phone coverage by city:

• Vancouver cell phone coverage
• Edmonton cell phone coverage
• Calgary cell phone coverage
• Toronto cell phone coverage
• Ottawa cell phone coverage
• Montreal cell phone coverage
• Quebec City cell phone coverage

Regional carriers vs. MVNOs

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Although Freedom Mobile is no longer a regional carrier thanks to its expansions. However, its pricing is comparable to the likes of Eastlink, Fizz, SaskTel, and Videotron. These carriers offer affordable alternatives to the high prices of Bell, Rogers, and Telus. This does come at a cost: Regional carriers, as you might’ve guessed, operate on regional networks with limited availability.

While service is available in the above provinces, it doesn’t mean it’s available everywhere in those provinces. There’s no guarantee that a regional carrier will be able to offer coverage in your particular neck of the woods, which is why we suggest using our Coverage Check, which allows you to see if a carrier offers service to your address.

The provinces listed aren’t the full extent of these regional carriers’ coverage maps, though they do represent the full extent of their high-quality service. Although many of these carriers (including Freedom) offer extended coverage through partner networks, the speed and connectivity can be unpredictable and sometimes substandard.

If you’re interested in seeing what your local regional carrier has to offer, we’ve got the most popular plans from regional carriers below.

If you’re looking for reliable nationwide coverage but can’t stomach the high prices of the Big Three, we recommend mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), which are smaller brands that provide discounted access to the country’s larger wireless networks.

In Canada, there are relatively few true independently owned MVNOs, but there is an abundance of flankers, which are brands owned by the Big Three that operate on their respective networks. Flankers are geared toward specific demographics and offer cheaper monthly payments than their parent companies.

Interested in checking out popular plans from MVNOs? You can find options on the Bell, Rogers, and Telus networks below.

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