[6] Bell launched LTE by using the 1700 MHz (Band 4) frequency in Toronto and surrounding areas on September 14, 2011.
[12] In June 2020, Bell launched 5G services in Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver using 1700 MHz AWS-3 spectrum (band n66).
[21] The first cell phone conversation in Canada took place on the Bell network between Jean Drapeau and Art Eggleton, the mayors of Montreal and Toronto, on July 1, 1985.
[citation needed] Bell offers a service to check account balances, minutes and megabytes of mobile data used, add features and answers to frequently asked questions.
The flexible "Turbo Hub flex plan" from Bell differs in that customers have to pay a premium if they want to increase the maximum theoretical speeds from 7.2 Mbit/s to 21 Mbit/s.
Bell launched a proprietary Video Calling service on November 4, 2009 for select HSPA+ mobile phones.
In conjunction with the 2006 Olympics, Bell Mobility introduced a pair of anthropomorphic CGI beavers named Frank (voiced by Norm Macdonald) and Gordon (voiced by Ken Hudson Campbell),[25] who constantly got into misadventures which led to Frank getting flustered with the antics of the dimwitted Gordon.
Analysts covering a potential restructuring of BCE suggested getting rid of the Frank and Gordon ad campaign.
They have also criticized some of Bell Mobility's initiatives as failing to tap the market, such as offering full-length movies.
[28] Some clients claim that Bell Mobility purposely restricts these features in order to force them to use the data services and as a result pay more usage charges.
before purchasing a phone or PDA device, as some desired features may be lacking in the initial choice.
claim that Bell Mobility withholds firmware upgrades, especially for devices that are not meeting sales expectations.
[citation needed] In December 2007 the BBC reported a customer with a $7/month unlimited mobile browser plan received a $85,000 bill.
[2] The BBC reported "Canadians complain that their mobile phone charges are much higher for comparable service in the United States".
[29] In July 2008, along with Telus Mobility Bell introduced charges of 15¢ for incoming SMS messages.
[31] Bell (and Telus) are now being sued by frustrated consumers and subscribers, as they demand change in text charges.
[33] In addition to running its own retail operations, Bell co-owns Glentel alongside their chief telecom and media rival, Rogers.