Of all of the major cities in the "Great White North," Edmonton the most northerly.
This makes Edmonton a major jumping off point for resource explorations in the north of Alberta, and up in the Northwest Territories.
By resources, I’m mainly referring to oil, as Edmonton is known as the “Oil Capital of Canada.” Even if you're not from the city, you could probably have already guessed this given the moniker of their NHL team, The Edmonton Oilers. The squad dominated the '80s, led by "The Great One," Wayne Gretzky.
In keeping with its reputation as an oil town, Edmonton retains a blue collar, friendly character; there’s no putting on of airs in this city like there is in other big metropolises. It’s like a small town masquerading as a major city.
Despite Edmonton’s relative remoteness, cell phone coverage, on the whole, is very good. Read on to learn the nuances to getting great cell phone coverage in Edmonton, Alberta.
Coverage in Edmonton At-a-Glance
The most northerly of all major Canadian cities comes in with an excellent coverage score of 100 out of 100. Here's a guide to coverage for the entirety of Alberta.
What we love
- Rogers, Freedom and Telus all offer great coverage in Edmonton
- Great coverage from the MVNOs that run on these networks
- 4G LTE widely available
What could be improved
- Coverage less reliable the further you travel from the city
- Coverage always tricky in remote natural areas or near waterways
100/100
Carrier Network Coverage in Edmonton
While no carrier's perfect, all four of the major Canadian networks perform well throughout Edmonton. This means you can join any of them to get great coverage--or the multitude of smaller carriers that run on their networks.
Best Coverage in Edmonton by Network
| Network | Covered Area % |
|---|---|
| Bell | 100.00% |
| Rogers | 100.00% |
| Freedom | 99.36% |
| Telus | 100.00% |
Cell Phone Coverage in Edmonton by Area
Edmonton encompasses 910 square kilometers and the most robust local carriers, Telus, Bell and Rogers, completely cover it:
Geographic Area Covered in Edmonton per mi2
Big Carriers vs. Small Carriers in Edmonton
When choosing a cell phone providers, there's no need to limit yourself to the big companies. There are dozens of smaller carriers that run on the major networks, but charge a fraction of the price for service. Known as Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs for short), these carriers purchase network service from the major providers at wholesale prices, then pass the savings on to consumers.
Getting the Best Plan & Coverage
WhistleOut's industry-leading coverage check feature supercharges an already robust comparison engine by allowing you to instantly see what coverage is like at your location. Just punch in your address, and we'll do the rest.
In addition to showing you a map of your area with the coverage from all four major carriers, we filter through the available cell phone plans and present only those from carriers who provide good reception to you.
Cell Phone Carriers in Edmonton
Here's the full list of wireless carriers (big and small) in Edmonton, and the network that each belongs to. Note that the smaller carriers—PhoneBox, Fido, etc.—utilize the networks of the major carriers.
| Carrier | Network | Available in Edmonton | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bell Mobility | Bell | Yes | |
| BellMTS | Bell (partner) | Yes | |
| Chatr Wireless | Rogers | Yes | |
| Cityfone | Rogers | Yes | |
| Fido | Rogers | Yes | |
| Freedom Mobile | Freedom | Yes | |
| Koodo Mobile | Telus | Yes | |
| PC Mobile | Bell/Telus | Yes | |
| Petro Canada | Rogers | Yes | |
| Public Mobile | Telus | Yes | |
| Rogers | Rogers | Yes | |
| SaskTel | Bell/Telus (partner) | Yes | |
| Telus | Telus | Yes | |
| Videotron | Rogers (partner) | Yes | |
| Virgin Mobile | Bell | Yes | |
| 7-11 SpeakOut | Rogers | Yes |
One More Thing: Using Public WiFi in Edmonton
Edmonton offers free WiFi in a variety of public spaces, including libraries, LRT stations, and parks. Check out some of the places offering free WiFi below. This is handy when you want to save your cellular data.
- Open City WiFi at 77 locations, including public libraries, municipal buildings and LRT stations
- Muttart Conservatory
- Kinsmen Sports Centre
- City Arts Centre
- Dr. Wilbert McIntyre Park
- Churchill Building
- Prince of Wales - Armouries
- Castledowns Arena & Recreation
- Callingwood Arena & Recreation Centre
- Millwoods Recreation Centre
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