Upgraded to a 5G phone and still only get 4G

[mikesto]

I just replaced my phone with one that supports these 5G bands: n1/n3/n5/n7/n8/n20/n28/n38/n40/n41/n77/n78.
Bell provides 5G on bands n66 and n78. Yet in Hamilton, Missisauga, Brampton and travelling between those places I only get 4G service.

Is there somethig I need to do, other than look for another carrier?

[BellKris · Accepted solution]

Good morning, @mikesto. Welcome to the Bell Community.

There are a number of barriers that may or may not prevent you from having access to 5G reception, regardless of whether or not your phone's 5G bands are capable.

A few things to keep in mind as well, if you are still having issues:

• We are unable to guarantee full service to grey market phones. This means any phone bought outside of Bell or Virgin Plus - from another provider, direct from the manufacturer, a different country's model, etc.
• You must have a 5G capable plan. Currently when you're viewing your plan in your MyBell profile, you can also view more details and confirm if you see "5G Access" as part of your monthly plan.
• You can double check on our coverage map to confirm that you are in an area with 5G support. Keep in mind that even then, this can still be impacted by a number of local conditions, including but not limited to topography, environmental conditions, line of sight to towers, and types of buildings in your area.
• If you're on an older SIM card, it may only support up to 4G LTE as opposed to 5G. If this is the case, we recommend visiting a local Bell kiosk or retail location and replacing your SIM card. If you're unsure as to where your closest one may be, check out our store locator for assistance.

Please take the time to review all these details, and take any steps that may be needed. If after these steps you are still unable to make use of 5G, please let us know so the Community can assist further.

For troubleshooting tips and tricks; Check out Troubleshooting voice calls on your Bell Mobility phone

Let the Community know if you have more questions.

[Mike10]

Just switched my LTE to 5G but my phone not showing 5G still on LTE. Bell told me to buy a new 5G SIM card and I did it but still not show I am on 5G. don't know this is the problem on my phone or something else?

[BellAntgio]

Hey there @Mike10 , 

Welcome to the Community and thanks for your post. 

Please check out @BellKris 's response above for tips and tricks regarding your concern.

Let the Community know if you have more questions.

[Anarkst]

Both my wife and I have one bar in West Brant. We are on 5G. Iphone 14 pro max and iphone 14. Switching to LTE doesnt help. Most calls go through but noone can hear us talking. Calls dropping. Its been like this for years now. My work phone iphone 13 pro max with Rogers has full bars and no issues with reception. 
every troubleshooting step we have done. Keep thinking “they will fix it”. Now im thinking maybe noone is reporting it and you guys have no idea. 
but i have had a lot of people with Bell in our area confirm the same. 

[dks]

Is your phone 5G capable? If it is not, then you will only be able to use LTE. 

[User015]

My iPhone 15 will not log on to the 5G network.

[dks · Accepted solution]

Thank you for your question. On the iPhone 15, go to Settings > Cellular Data Options > Turn Data Roaming ON and Voice and Data to 5G Auto. If those are your settings then you will move between LTE and 5G connections seamlessly. Because of the nature of the Wi-Fi connection, you will not always be on 5G, due to many factors.  

[Poy]

I cant access 5G signal on my current mobility plan... what should i do?

[Newbie222]

I second this.

I also live in west brant and anything past the school I get zero data.

its 3g and lte over there and I can’t do anything with my phone. Lots of my clients are on that side or in slightly more rural areas and the same thing. I have a iPhone 14  plus.

nobody has an answer, not bell or apple and apple has tried everything. It’s ridiculous!