Hello YlwRandy,
I understand people are eager to avail of 5G. To clarify, though:
@YlwRandy wrote:
....The 5G capability for Fido customers existed only for seconds, until Rogers turned it OFF!..
I'm not sure whether that statment is accurate. 5G services use a separate network which uses different bands/frequencies from the LTE or WCDMA/UMTS ('3G') networks (see here). Fido customers would not have access to the bands/frequencies of the 5G network. We would not have had any access to that network as Fido customers.
Other than customers want it, why is it necessary for Fido to offer 5G services? People have noted that they aren't competitive by not offering it. As I have mentioned in other posts, being competitive does not necessarily mean having to match the other providers. Sometimes, it means offering something the other providers do not. Until recently, Fido has offered the 5 Hours of Unlimited Data as well as Fido Xtra which are not available from the other providers (see here). That said, the Fido Xtra program has now ended.
In addition, Fido (Rogers) allows for Wifi-calling usage outside of Canada (roaming fees may incur). Neither Bell nor Telus (or their subsidiaries) allow such usage outside of Canada.
People have also compared the 5G roll-out to that of the LTE network. However, there is a difference between the two situations. The WCDMA (UMTS) or '3G' network was handling most of the call and some data traffic on one or two frequencies for all of Rogers branded customers. Even if all Rogers customers used LTE for data, all their calls would still have been routed through the '3G' network because voice-over-LTE (voLTE) hadn't been introduced yet (announced 2015; see here). All Rogers calls & all of Fido's data and calls & all of Chatr's data and calls & all of the other MNVO data and calls would have made the '3G' network practically unusable, even for calls. Opening Fido customers up to LTE at that time freed some of that burden on the '3G' network. The situation is different now as LTE is much more capable than WCDMA/UMTS.
I do not know if, or when, Fido might offer 5G services. It's possible Fido may have plans to introduce some other feature or service which could replace the Fido Xtra program. However, that would be entirely speculation. Unfortunately, no one here would know about future plan features. Even if there were individuals who are privy to that information, they would not be able to discuss such matters until they are officially announced. Any new offerings would be made public on Fido.ca.
Customers need to choose what features are important for themselves. Some customers may want access to 5G services, while others might prefer the 5 hours of extra data each month. Personally, I like being able to avail of Wifi-calling abroad.
Cheers
Good morning @MK78 fido doesn't have any immediate plans to add 5g. There are numerous threads on the forum talking about it. If you look through some of the latest replies, you'll find the explanation.
