Bell’s new brand platform says “Connection is everything”
Bell’s years-long push to expand its fibre and 5G networks is nearing its final phase, according to Blaik Kirby, Group President of Consumer and Small & Medium Business. Speaking at Bell’s Investor Day — and later in an interview — Kirby said most of the company’s recent capital spending has gone toward its Pure Fibre network, which now reaches about 8 million homes and businesses across Canada.
“If you think about it, that’s to build out eight million locations passed at an average cost of around $2,500 — that’s probably the bulk of where our capex has gone,” Kirby said to iPhone in Canada in an interview. “And during that same time period, building out the 5G network. A lot of the 5G spend is behind us now.”
Since 2020, Bell has invested roughly $24 billion into its fibre and wireless networks. Its wireless coverage now reaches more than 99 percent of Canadians, with nearly 90 percent having access to 5G or 5G+ connectivity. Kirby said customers who switch to fibre notice the difference right away, especially those who rely on stable connections for remote work, gaming, or streaming.
“When you look at fibre Internet versus cable Internet, most customers would say they notice the speeds are substantially faster,” he said. “The latency is quite a bit better, and they do notice the symmetrical speed benefits. Fibre isn’t a shared service — it’s dedicated bandwidth.”
While Bell touted its network buildout is one of the largest of its kind in Canada, it has unfolded during a period of regulatory tension. In August, the federal government upheld the CRTC’s wholesale access rules, which require major carriers like Bell to lease portions of their fibre networks to smaller internet providers. Bell publicly criticized the decision, calling the mandated rates uneconomical, and announced it would plateau fibre expansion and cut $500 million from its 2025 capital spending.
Kirby didn’t address the dispute directly when asked, but said Bell is being more selective about where new investments go.
“We’ve put a higher threshold on where we’re spending our capital,” he said. “The big push for the company was really to get to those eight million locations passed, and we’re there at the end of this year.”
He added that Bell’s focus now is on strengthening existing infrastructure and improving performance. “We’re still investing a lot in my business,” he said, referring to consumer and small business services, “but the big fibre and 5G buildouts are largely complete.”
Bell expects to reach its full 8-million-location fibre target by the end of 2025. From here, the company plans to prioritize network reliability, customer experience, and efficiency while navigating new competition and the impact of federal policy decisions on future builds.
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