Bell first in North America to introduce Tri-band LTE Advanced

Speeds of up to 290 Mbps with the new Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note5 smartphones available from Bell next week

MONTRÉAL, Aug. 13, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell today announced North America's first rollout of Tri-band LTE Advanced (LTE-A) network service, delivering mobile data speeds of up to 290 Megabits per second (Mbps). Customers in Halifax, Hamilton, Oakville and Toronto can quickly take advantage of these enhanced data speeds with the new Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ and Samsung Galaxy Note5 smartphones launching August 21.

"With Bell's Tri-band LTE-Advanced network, these latest Samsung smartphones can take full advantage of the fastest mobile technology available anywhere in North America," said Blaik Kirby, President of Bell Mobility. "Tri-band LTE-A is a turbo boost for data-intensive activities such as streaming HD video, playing graphics-intense multiplayer games, or downloading large business files. Executing our commitment to lead the development of Canadian broadband communications, Bell is proud to be first to make these enhanced mobile speeds available to consumers and business customers."

Only Bell customers will have access to these enhanced mobile speeds using the new Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ and Samsung Galaxy Note5 smartphones, when the devices launch on August 21.

Bell will launch Tri-band LTE-A first in Halifax, Hamilton, Oakville and Toronto and coverage will continue to expand. Bell now offers customers access to the largest LTE network across Canada, with coverage for 93% of the national population and data speeds ranging from 75 Mbps to 150 Mbps (expected average download speeds of 12 to 40 Mbps). Targeting coverage of more than 98% by the end of 2015, Bell is extending LTE service to small towns and remote communities, including Canada's North.

In February of this year, Bell introduced LTE-A by combining bands of wireless spectrum to increase network capacity and data speeds up to 220 Mbps (expected average 12 to 60 Mbps). Also Canada's largest, the LTE-A network is now available in more than 40 communities across the country.

Now, by leveraging 700 MHz spectrum assets for Tri-band LTE-A, Bell is the first wireless carrier in North America with network technology that can deliver mobile broadband speeds up to 290 Mbps (expected average 12 to 87 Mbps).