Forum Discussion
Poor coverage and speeds II
Four months ago I started this topic:
In the three and half years that I've lived in central Alberta Telus coverage has been weak. I usually get only one bar at home (inside or out), two if I'm lucky. Data speeds of maybe 20 mbps down, 2-3 up. We also tried a Telus Smart Hub last year but had to promptly return it and cancel the service because speeds were unusable. In comparison, my partner is on the Rogers network and has full bars, great cell coverage, and blazing data speeds.
About a year ago Telus started construction of a new 5G tower just 1 KM from us. It appears that construction finished in February but it was not activated until August.
The reply from Telus on this forum was dismissive, bringing up "mountainous terrain", which we don't have in central Alberta. The location was specified in my post. There's a brand new 5G tower about 1 km across a flat field from us. The problems are clearly NOT caused by terrain.
Since posting that message, I called Telus support and spent about an hour on the phone running speed tests and helping the support agent document the poor reception and awful data speeds that we experience. The agent confirmed the poor coverage and speeds.
I was told that the issue would be escalated to a higher support speeds would likely result in the tower being adjusted to properly cover our area. I was promised a call back with an update within a week.
I did not receive the promised call back. Instead, all I received was a text message from Telus claiming that "our Tier 2 technical support has resolved your issue" with no further information.
The problem was NOT resolved and poor coverage and data speeds continue.
Is there anyone at Telus that can take responsibility for these issues and resolve them or is it time to complain to the CRTC?
7 Replies
TELUS_SupportOfficial Support Team
Hi FrostyNorth - our reference to mountains was in response to another person who commented who indicated having issues with mountainous areas.
Have you spoken with the technical service team by any chance?
See my original post. The post was closed as solved and additional replies are not allowed. The issue is NOT solved. It is ongoing. Why would your team close the post as "solved"?
Did you see above that I spoke with Tier 1 support and was told this would be escalated to Tier 2 and that Tier 2 would follow up with me? That was 3 months ago... I'm still waiting for the follow up.
Neither have I received follow ups to my reports of poor coverage using the Telus map's "report an issue" function.
I've been a Telus customer for over 20 years but my patience has worn very thin.
- FuzzyLogic
Community Power User
FWIW I live in downtown Edmonton and a block away from a Telus cell tower. If I turn off Wi-Fi I get 14.7Mpbs down and 1.62Mbps up on 5G. I'm lucky if I get 2 bars and frequently need to use Wi-Fi calling on my mobile at home.
Rural coverage is a problem for many people across the country. Some pertinent reading:
How to Boost Your Cell Phone Signal in Rural Areas (Canada 2025 Guide) | HiBoost
Broadband Fund: Closing the Digital Divide in Canada | CRTC
Connectivity In Rural And Remote Areas
Thanks for the links. I'll see if there's anything pertinent there.
I would expect that congestion and physical barriers downtown (i.e. tall buildings) would affect coverage and speeds. But poor coverage just 1 km across flat land from a new 5G tower is an entirely different issue. Apples and oranges, I suspect.
But overall, even just getting an answer from Telus has gotten very frustrating. I'm surrounded by people who have had it with Telus' service. I'm beginning to understand why and am on the verge of switching providers.- TELUS_Support
Thanks for clarifying, in this case, they’ll need to connect directly with our Tech Support team so it can be properly investigated. They can open or follow up on a network trouble ticket. Please reach out here support.telus.com/mobility-expert-sm
