Freedom Mobile Coverage

Freedom Mobile is the fourth-largest carrier in Canada, behind the majors, TELUS, Rogers, and Bell. While Freedom’s network covers just .66% of Canada and about 33% of the population, coverage is solid in cities throughout Alberta, British Columbia, and Southern Ontario. Like many other carriers, Freedom Mobile partners with other networks—namely, Bell, Rogers, and TELUS, to provide customers with coverage outside of Freedom’s network. When it comes to reliability, Freedom Mobile’s network falls behind the likes of Bell, TELUS, and Rogers.

Freedom Mobile coverage map

J.D. Power tests and ranks the major mobile networks throughout Canada every year and unfortunately, Freedom always ranks last. However, Freedom Mobile scores higher than Rogers and Bell for customer satisfaction.

Freedom Mobile offers 3G, LTE, and Extended Range LTE coverage options, providing above-average coverage in cities throughout Southern Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. To see whether your area is covered, visit our interactive Freedom Mobile map. You can compare Freedom Mobile’s network with other wireless networks without having to visit each carrier website.

What’s the difference between 3G vs LTE vs Extended Range LTE?

Freedom network coverage includes 3G, LTE, and Extended Range LTE networks. Each one is available to Freedom customers and works slightly differently.

3G stands for “third generation,” but it’s the first generation of wireless to connect smartphones like an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy to the internet. As the oldest option available, it’s also the slowest and usually only used as a backup when faster speeds are unavailable. Freedom’s connection to 3G is what allows the company to keep its plans affordable for the everyday consumer.

LTE stands for “Long Term Evolution” and represents the next generation of wireless connection for smartphones, after 3G. The power of that update can be felt through speeds several times faster than 3G, which also helps streaming become faster and smoother, downloads quicker, and apps more responsive.

Extended Range LTE reaches the farthest across the Freedom network coverage map, bringing a better and stronger connection to even more customers. This wireless option gives Freedom Mobile Band 13 LTE (700MHZ low-band spectrum), which provides improved signal inside buildings and elevators.

For now, Freedom Mobile’s Extended Range LTE is only available in select coverage areas, and only for compatible withVoLTE enabled devices.

Freedom Mobile network growth

While Freedom Mobile’s coverage figures may not wow you, it’s important to note that it is regularly adding new Freedom Network zones in popular Canadian cities in order to expand network coverage.

Newly added areas to the Freedom network include:

• Cranbrook
• Kelowna
• Lethbridge
• Nanaimo
• Medicine Hat
• Prince George
• Prince Rupert
• Vernon
• Courtenay-Comox
• Kamloops
• Campbell River
• Penticton

If you live in one of these newly-added areas or somewhere else Freedom Mobile gets excellent coverage, you may want to consider switching to Freedom—its phone plans are typically more affordable than competitors.

What can I expect from Freedom Mobile coverage?

Freedom Mobile has different options when it comes to network coverage. Depending on where you live and travel, you’ll receive coverage on the Freedom network, Freedom Nationwide network (partners), or the Variable (both Freedom and partners).

Freedom

Your phone will be connected to Freedom’s network when in range. On the Freedom network, you have access to your talk, text, and data from your “Freedom” portion of your plan. Freedom Mobile plans are broken up into two sections—Freedom and Freedom Nationwide. The majority of your plan features tend to fall under the Freedom category.

Freedom Nationwide

When you travel outside of Freedom’s network in Canada, your phone will be connected to a partner network—Rogers, TELUS, or Bell. Your phone will say “Nationwide” in the corner so you’ll know that you’re connected to a partner network. When you’re connected to a partner network, you’ll have access to your “Freedom Nationwide” part of your plan. Typically, you will have far less data to use on a partner network than on Freedom’s main network.
Quality of voice and data services may vary while outside of the Freedom Mobile network, due to things like:

• Technical capacity
• Device capabilities
• Terrain
• Foliage
• Weather conditions

Variable

The areas marked “Variable” on the Freedom Mobile coverage map indicate that your phone will use either Freedom’s network or a partner network.

Freedom Mobile network reliability

According to research by J.D. Power, Freedom Mobile’s network performs worse than the major carriers, TELUS, Bell, and Rogers. The J.D. Power study measures problems per connections, such as dropped calls. In 2020, TELUS finished first in the Eastern Region, Rogers performed best in the Western Region, and both TELUS and Rogers had the top ranking in Ontario. Conversely, Freedom finished dead last in Ontario and second to last in the Western Region of Canada, behind Bell MTS, a sub-brand of Bell Mobility.

How to check your phone’s compatibility with Freedom’s network

According to the Freedom Mobile site, compatibility with data speeds or network technology varies by device, so whether you have an iPhone or Android phone, be sure to check whether it’s compatible before joining Freedom. It’s super easy to check—here’s how it works:

1. Check your phone’s IMEI number by dialing *#06#.
2. On the Freedom Mobile website, enter your phone’s IMEI number to find out if your phone is compatible.
3. Once you’ve confirmed your device’s compatibility, you’ll need to order a SIM card online.
4. Once you’ve gotten your SIM card in the mail, you can activate your account.

What areas do Freedom Mobile WiFi hotspots cover?

If you’re a Freedom Mobile customer, you have exclusive access to over 300,000 WiFi hotspots across Western Canada, including popular destinations in neighbourhoods, shopping malls, recreation centres, shopping districts and high-rise buildings. And with more hotspots added every day, the Freedom Mobile map keeps getting bigger and bigger.

If you’ve purchased your mobile device from Freedom Mobile, connecting to these WiFi hotspots is as easy as holding your phone. Here’s how you do it:

• Devices will automatically connect you to one of the ‘ShawPasspoint’ or ‘ShawMobileHotspot’ networks when they’re available, provided your WiFi is turned on.
• Your device can transition from using Freedom’s LTE network to a hotspot, with downloads, apps, and streaming all continuing as normal and even voice calls going uninterrupted during a switch.
• By jumping on WiFi, you’ll save on data.
• None of the downloads, shares, calls or texts made while connected to a hotspot count toward the data included in your plan.

A point often overlooked is that hotspots are shared with the public—or, in this case, other Freedom Mobile users—which can give savvy customers access to what you’re doing on your device. Make sure to keep your sensitive information private while using a hotspot. You may also want to look at other additional security measures, like a VPN service.

How does Freedom Mobile’s coverage compare to other carriers?

If you’re curious how Freedom Mobile’s coverage compares to the other major carriers in Canada, here’s a quick breakdown.

Although Freedom’s physical coverage is far less than that of competitors, Freedom’s focus is in serving highly-populated major cities, like Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, and Edmonton.