Bell introduces gigabit 8.0 in areas of Toronto

BCE Inc. is introducing a new speed tier to its North American customers and subsequently filed a new tariff notification with the CRTC to reflect the changes. Bell Fibe gigabit 8.0 was made available to customers earlier this month and offers symmetrical download and upload speeds of 8 gigabits per second (Gbps). In a Tuesday press release the company touted that it is “the fastest Internet speeds available in North America.” The offer is currently only available in certain areas of Toronto, Ont. Bell’s Wi-Fi 6E technology is also now available for customers throughout Ontario and Quebec. Wi-Fi 6E is the next evolution of Wi-Fi advancement, using spectrum in the 6 GHz band which enables faster speeds and lower latency. “Bell will continue to expand availability of Bell Fibe Gigabit 8.0 across its footprint over the coming months, in addition to continuing work on its aggressive fibre buildout, with plans to reach up to 900,000 more homes and businesses across much of Canada with direct fibre connections this year. This is part of Bell's historic two-year capital expenditure program of almost $10 billion, now in its second year, to accelerate the rollout of its broadband fibre, 5G and rural networks,” the company stated in its release. Bell Fibe Gigabit 8.0 is offered at a starting price of $135 per month. That price includes a $15 per month credit the company is offering for a two-year period, according to the release. TekSavvy Solutions Inc. has been making some noise regarding the prompt filing of tariffs by incumbents when new speed tiers are introduced. In April the Chatham-Kent, Ont.-based company filed a Part 1 application with the CRTC requesting that it speed up the regulatory process by which new speed tiers are introduced and become available to wholesale-based internet service providers. TekSavvy argued that there is “a growing phenomenon in which new service speeds see a widening gap between the time they are offered by incumbent carriers at retail and when wholesale competitors are given access to the equivalent service speed.” TekSavvy proposed that the commission rectify the situation by clarifying that “no tariff approval is required to introduce speed tiers that fall within an approved speed-band associated with an approved rate.” Bell filed changes to its access service tariffs with the commission on Sept. 12, the day it introduced the new speeds. Bell is proposing to change its access service tariffs for disaggregated broadband service to $121.79 per month with a $247.90 installation rate for both its fibre to the premise 5 Gbps and 8 Gbps speed tiers. Bell is not filing a cost study analysis with the commission because it is using the same rates it applied for all speeds of disaggregated broadband service served over fibre to the premise.

Bell introduces gigabit 8.0 in areas of Toronto

Brief | September 20, 2022

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Bell introduces gigabit 8.0 in areas of Toronto

Brief | September 20, 2022

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