Cellular coverage in Québec: frequently asked questions
The answers are based on QuébeConnect’s predicted coverage map (version of November 2, 2026) and on the addresses and roads from Adresses Québec. To check a specific place, open the map.
Which cellular network has the best coverage in Québec?
According to the predicted map, the shared Bell and Telus network is the most extensive: it covers about 157,000 km² and provides fair or better coverage to 97% of dwellings and 85% of numbered roads. Vidéotron covers about 87,000 km² (92% of dwellings, 70% of numbered roads) and Rogers about 82,000 km² (91% and 66%). In cities, all three are generally excellent; the gap widens in the regions and on the highways.
Which network do Fizz, Koodo, Virgin Plus, Lucky Mobile, Fido, Chatr and Public Mobile use?
These brands have no antennas of their own: they use their owner’s network. Fizz uses the Vidéotron network; Koodo and Public Mobile, the Telus network; Virgin Plus, Lucky Mobile and PC Mobile, the Bell network; Fido, Chatr and SpeakOut, the Rogers network. Cogeco Mobile uses the Telus network. Since Bell and Telus share their antennas, these two families of brands have the same coverage.
Do Bell and Telus use the same network?
Yes. Bell and Telus operate a shared radio access network: a subscriber of one uses the other’s antennas. Each declares to the government only the sites it built, but the actual coverage of a Bell or Telus subscriber is the combination of both. QuébeConnect therefore shows them together, as “Bell / Telus”.
How can I find out if there is cell service at my cottage or campground?
Open the “Area” tab, search for the place (municipality, lake, park, ZEC) or click on the map, then set the radius. For each network, the site shows the share of the area covered and the share with no network at all. For a precise address, the “Address” tab gives the predicted signal level and the networks ranked from best to worst.
Is there cell service on snowmobile trails?
Often, no. The “Trip” tab, in snowmobile mode, plans the route on the trails of the Fédération des clubs de motoneigistes du Québec and shows the signal kilometre by kilometre. For example, between Saint-Michel-des-Saints and La Tuque, about 153 of the 259 km of trail have no network according to the map. Bring another means of communication.
Which roads in Québec have the worst coverage?
According to the predicted map, about 3,300 km of numbered roads, or 12% of the network, have no fair 4G coverage. The Côte-Nord is the most affected: about 800 km, nearly half of its numbered roads, including long stretches of Route 389 to Fermont. The “Coverage gaps” tab shows them on the map, region by region.
Is the coverage map reliable?
It is a prediction, not a measurement. Compared with 956 hexagons measured in Lévis and along Autoroute 73, it differs from the actual signal by about 8 dB on average, roughly one class on the colour scale, in either direction. A drive-test campaign is under way to check it elsewhere and correct it where needed.
Why does my phone get a weaker signal indoors?
The map predicts the signal outdoors, on the street. Walls typically remove 10 to 20 dB, more with concrete, treated glass or in a basement, and a car body 5 to 10 dB. A spot rated “good” on the map can therefore be “weak” deep inside a house. The selector at the top right of the map applies these losses on average: 7 dB in a car, 15 dB indoors, 25 dB deep indoors (basement, half-basement, core of a large building). The map, the network ranking and the scores are then recalculated for that situation.
What do RSRP and dBm mean?
RSRP is the power of the 4G or 5G signal received by the phone, measured in dBm. The closer the number is to zero, the better the signal: −85 dBm or better is excellent, −95 good, −105 fair, −115 weak, and below −120 dBm no service is expected. It is the value shown in the technical menus of phones.
Do Ice Wireless and i-Mobile offer 4G?
No: according to the antennas declared to the government, Ice Wireless (Kuujjuaq, Quaqtaq) and i-Mobile (Gaspésie, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Anticosti) broadcast only in 3G. Their coverage is shown separately, in RSCP, the 3G equivalent of RSRP. It allows calls and slow data, and its prediction is less reliable than for 4G.
Does Xplore offer cellular service in Québec?
No. Xplore’s LTE network serves fixed wireless home Internet; Xplore does not sell mobile plans in Québec. Its coverage is still shown on the map, but it is not counted as a mobile service in the “Coverage gaps” tab.
Where does QuébeConnect’s data come from?
The antennas come from the public database of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (extract of August 31, 2026). The signal is calculated with the ITU-R P.1812 propagation model over Québec’s LiDAR terrain. Addresses, roads, trails and place names come from Données Québec. The site is free and requires no account.
All networks and their providers
| Network | Providers that use it |
|---|---|
| Bell / Telus | Bell, Telus, Virgin Plus (Bell), Lucky Mobile (Bell), PC Mobile (Bell), Koodo (Telus), Public Mobile (Telus), Cogeco Mobile (Cogeco) Bell and Telus operate a shared radio access network: their subscribers use the same antennas. |
| Rogers | Rogers, Fido (Rogers), Chatr (Rogers), SpeakOut (7-Eleven) (Rogers) Rogers network, including sites shared with Vidéotron (MOCN). |
| Vidéotron | Vidéotron, Fizz (Vidéotron) Vidéotron network, including Rogers sites shared through MOCN. |
| Sogetel Mobilité | Sogetel |
| Cogeco (own network) | Cogeco Radio sites declared by Cogeco. Cogeco Mobile subscribers mostly use the Telus network. |
| Xplore | Xplore Xplore's LTE network, used for fixed wireless Internet: no consumer mobile service in Québec. |
| Ecotel | Ecotel |
| SSi Mobile | SSi Mobile |
| Kativik Regional Government | Tamaani (KRG) LTE service in the villages of Nunavik (Tamaani). Technology inferred: ISED lists it as “other”. |
| Orion Wireless | Orion Wireless |
| Ice Wireless (3G) | Ice Wireless |
| i-Mobile (3G) | i-Mobile |
See also: how the map is made · networks and sources. Another question? Write to contact@quebec3d.org.