Bell is once again offering 8Gbps Pure Fibre internet, confirming the move to iPhone in Canada as of March 2025. This marks a reversal from its earlier decision to cap fibre internet speeds at 3Gbps, a move the company previously blamed on regulatory hurdles.
Bell first introduced Fibe Gigabit 8.0 in September 2022, launching the service in Toronto with symmetrical 8Gbps download and upload speeds. At the time, the company claimed it was delivering the fastest internet speeds in North America.
However, in February 2024, Bell announced 4,800 job cuts and the sale of 45 radio stations, citing financial pressures. At the same time, it capped its fibre speeds at 3Gbps, pointing to a 2023 CRTC wholesale access ruling that required major telecoms to share their fibre networks with smaller competitors. Bell argued that the decision “discourages network investment”, leading to its reduced service offerings.
In August 2024, the CRTC doubled down on its push for competition, expanding its wholesale access mandate nationwide. The ruling now forces Bell, Telus, and SaskTel to open their existing fibre networks to smaller internet providers by February 2025. New fibre infrastructure, however, will remain exclusive to incumbents for five years.
Earlier this year, Bell fought the ruling, lobbying the federal government to overturn it. When it announced mass layoffs, the company blamed Ottawa’s telecom policies for its financial struggles.
Despite these challenges, Bell will resume offering 8Gbps speeds in select regions as early as March 2025, which a spokesperson confirmed to iPhone in Canada is available in “select areas” of Ontario and Quebec.
“At Bell, we’re always striving to deliver the best Internet experience for our customers, and are excited to announce that Bell Pure Fibre is now offering download and upload speeds of up to 8 gigabits per second (Gbps) for residential customers in select areas of Ontario and Québec – the fastest speeds available on the market today,” said the Bell spokesperson to iPhone in Canada.
Now, the move comes as Telus has launched its PureFibre internet in Ontario and Quebec as well, which the company confirmed started last fall. “Telus is here to answer that call by expanding our Telus PureFibre Internet service across Eastern Canada,” said a Telus spokesperson.
Telus pricing last fall started at $99/month for 1.5 Gbps internet in Ontario. Today, that’s $100/month, but drops down to $79/month on a two year plan if you are a Telus or Koodo customer.
The same 1.5Gbps internet plan from Bell costs $110/month on a two year plan ($130 month-to-month). Bell is also offering Gigabit Fibe 3.0 for $120/month on contract ($140 without) and Gigabit Fibe 8.0 for $160/month.
Who’s signing up for Gigabit Fibe 8.0?
