What frequency band does 5G use in Canada? It depends on the carrier. Major carriers in Canada are Bell, Rogers, Videotron and Telus.
The 5G band in use also depends on where you are located. It can be very confusing. We did the research to answer this and other questions as well.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Frequency Bands of 5G networks in the Canada
5G networks use two primary regions of spectrum Frequency Range 1 (FR1) that goes from 410 MHz to 7.125 GHz and FR2 that goes from 24 GHz to 52.6 GHz. Carriers in Canada however are only currently using 5G networks below 2.5 GHz. It’s expected that in 2022 we will see the use frequencies in the C-band at 3500 MHz.
Unlike 4G, all the bands for 5G have a prefix n. This is to indicate that they are associated with the NR specification.
Bell 5G Frequency Bands
Here is a list of the bands and their respective frequencies for Bell 5G networks
| Band | Frequency |
| n66 | 1700 & 2100 MHz |
Rogers 5G Frequency Bands
Here is a list of the bands and their respective frequencies for Rogers 5G networks
| Band | Frequency |
| n38 | 2600 MHz |
| n41 | 2500 MHz |
| n66 | 1700 & 2100 MHz |
| n71 | 600 MHz |
Telus 5G Frequency Bands
Here is a list of the bands and their respective frequencies for Telus 5G networks
| Band | Frequency |
| n66 | 1700 & 2100 MHz |
Videotron 5G Frequency Bands
Here is a list of the bands and their respective frequencies for Videotron 5G networks
| Band | Frequency |
| n7 | 2600 MHz |
| n12 | 700 MHz |
| n66 | 1700 & 2100 MHz |
| n71 | 600 MHz |
What is the frequency range of 5G?
5G frequencies range from 400 MHz to 52 GHz. This is split into two main frequency ranges:
- FR1 – 410 MHz to 7125 MHz
- FR2 – 24.25 GHz to 52.60 GHz
Canadian 5G deployments are in FR1. It is anticipated that Canada will deploy networks at mmWave frequencies in FR2 as well. At this point in time it’s uncertain when that will happen.
Why do you need to know the band of 5G?
As you can see from the table above 5G occupies different bands and frequency ranges depending on the carrier. You need this information for at least two reasons. The first is when you buy a 5G cell phone you have to ensure that it will operate in the 5G band corresponding to your carrier. The second reason is that when you buy a signal booster for 5G it has to operate in the same 5G bands as your carrier.
What is 5G low band?
Low band refers to frequencies below 1 GHz. In the low-band 5G is able to achieve speeds between 30 Mbit/s and 250 Mbit/s.
What is 5G mid band?
Mid band refers to frequencies in the range of 1 GHz to 6 GHz. In the mid-band 5G is able to achieve speeds between 100 Mbit/s to 900 Mbit/s.
What is 5G high band?
High band refers to frequencies in the range of 24 GHz to 40 GHz. In this band, 5G is able to achieve gigabit per second speeds.
5G bands in Canada
In Canada all major carriers have implemented 5G in the low and mid frequency bands. There is currently no timeline for mmWave 5G in Canada. See this post for more on the mmWave topic.
How can I make 5G signal or spectrum measurements?
5G signal or spectrum can be measured and analyzed using a spectrum analyzer. We recommend the use of a real-time spectrum analyzer such as the Tek RSA306B for this application.
Summary
In this post we have summarized the 5G bands in Canada. Whether you are buying a cell phone or a signal booster or just curious, this information is useful.