Freedom Mobile rolled out its 5G network in April 2023 following the industry-wide shakeup of the Rogers-Shaw merger. Thanks to that partnership, Freedom now provides 5G in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec and offers several affordable 5G plans for customers looking for an alternative to the Big Three.

We’ve worked through Freedom’s 5G plans to calculate their speeds, evaluate their coverage, and determine their value. Read on to learn everything you need to know about Freedom Mobile 5G.

Freedom Mobile 5G speeds

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5G is the fastest wireless service available in Canada, though not all 5G service is the same. Freedom Mobile 5G has speeds between 50Mbps and 225Mbps, which is slower than the 5G coverage offered by Bell, Rogers, and Telus. Freedom’s 5G is also only available in select urban centres, and you’ll only be able to access these lightning-fast speeds when you’re in one of those 5G coverage areas.

Additionally, all of Freedom’s 5G plans have full-speed data caps. Once you exceed that monthly allowance, your speeds will be slowed to 256Kbps. That’s awfully slow: you’ll be able to browse the web, check your email, and stream music, but streaming video won’t be possible.

5G bands and frequencies

5G is delivered through three different frequency bands: low, mid, and high. Freedom Mobile 5G is deployed via the n71 (600 MHz) band, which is considered a low band. That means it’s slower than mid or high band 5G. Low band, however, also means that its service stretches further. Freedom says that they’ve chosen accessibility over the highest speeds possible, arguing the choice is “to ensure we’re bringing 5G to as many Canadians as possible, as quickly as possible.”

Bell, Rogers, and Telus, meanwhile, use multiple bands to deliver their 5G. All three carriers use high bands in major metropolitan areas to deliver some of the fastest wireless service in the country.

Freedom 5G coverage area

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Freedom’s 5G service reaches 31% of Canadians, a number that pales in comparison to 5G from the Big Three, whose networks reach over 70% of Canadians. The difference is due to concentration. While Bell, Rogers, and Telus offer pockets of 5G throughout most of the provinces, Freedom’s 5G network is limited to the densely populated urban areas of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec.

Western Canada

In British Columbia, Freedom 5G is available in the southwestern portion of the province, with strong coverage in and around the greater Vancouver area, including eastern outposts like Maple Ridge, Langley City, and White Rock.

In Alberta, 5G coverage is available in Calgary, Edmonton, and Sherwood Park, though it’s still not available in the province’s smaller cities, like Lacombe and Red Deer.

Eastern Canada

Freedom Mobile’s 5G coverage in Ontario is less concentrated, with several pockets spread throughout the southern stretch of the province. As you might expect, 5G is available in the greater metropolitan areas of Toronto and London, though smaller cities like Windsor and Barrie also receive Freedom’s fastest service.

Similarly, Freedom 5G is spread across Quebec, thanks in no small part to the carrier’s partnership with Videotron. Much of it is concentrated around the urban centres of Ottawa, Longueuil, and Quebec City, though coverage for Quebecers extends as far west as Rouyn-Noranda, as far north as Alma, and as far east as Rimouski.

Freedom Mobile 5G plans

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Freedom Mobile offers a number of different 5G phone plans aimed at different kinds of customers. Let’s break break down some of the best plans available right now.

Best value

The 5G Unlimited 50GB CA-US plan is one of the best cell phone plans in Canada. This plan gives you 50GB of full-speed 5G data at a price that’s cheaper than most 4G flankers can offer. The deal is even sweeter if you BYOD—you’ll not only save by avoiding a monthly phone payment, you’ll also snag an additional $5 off your monthly bill.

Best unlimited

Freedom offers several 5G plans with unlimited data, but they all come with an asterisk: all unlimited plans in Canada are only unlimited in name. We don’t see that being a problem with this plan. It’s almost identical to the previous plan, except it offers 60GB of full-speed 5G data, which is 10 times the amount of data the average Canadian uses.

If you’re looking to pair a new phone with your new plan, we recommend checking out some of the best Freedom Mobile phone deals available now.

Best for roaming

This is a no-brainer for snowbirds. Freedom’s Roam Beyond allows you to access your plan outside of the country at no extra cost. That means 60GB of data as well as unlimited talk and text, no matter where you find yourself.

It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean you’ll have 5G no matter where you are: you’ll still need to be in one of Freedom’s 5G coverage areas to get Freedom’s 5G service.

Freedom Mobile 5G: The verdict

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5G isn’t essential for everyone. If you’re someone who primarily uses your phone for talking, texting, and browsing, it won’t add much to your day-to-day experience. If you’re someone who loves to stream, game, or FaceTime, though, we think it’s worth the extra money to avoid the dreaded slowdowns that can come with previous generations of wireless technology.

There’s no shortage of carriers offering 5G in Canada. Right now, you can enable 5G service from Bell, Rogers, Telus, Public, SaskTel, Koodo, Virgin Plus, Eastlink, Videotron, and, of course, Freedom. Compared with the competition, Freedom’s 5G plans can’t offer the high speeds of Bell, Rogers, and Telus. At times, its low-band service will not look much different from other carriers’ 4G LTE service.

With that in mind, we recommend Bell, Rogers, or Telus if you’re looking for reliable high-speed 5G service. But if you’re comparing Freedom 5G with a 4G flanker, we recommend Freedom because their plans can reach 225Mbps, a speed faster than 4G carriers can offer.