Rogers To Roll Out LTE Network In Canada By Year End

Rogers Communications Inc. is rolling out the first LTE network in four cities in Canada this year; Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Ottowa. LTE is the favorite of the 4th Generation wireless protocols as its speeds have been demonstrated to be 6-12 Mbps. Much of the world has committed infrastructure to WiMax, which is the technical underdog, but it has a head start deployment. Sprint is considering the leap.

The new LTE network will be three to four times faster than the most advanced version of the current HSPA+ standard. This means that gamers that play graphics-intensive, multi-player games on their mobile devices will no longer experience delays or lag time. The same goes for customers that stream live TV or HD movies to their smartphones, notebooks, or tablets. And, customers that make video calls will now have a "virtually seamless" experience.

Rogers will begin deployment of the network using the AWS spectrum, which the company picked up in a 2008 auction. However, it hopes to eventually expand into multiple bands and gain access to the new 700MHz spectrum that offers better coverage in remote and rural areas. U.S. companies such as AT&T and Verizon are already building out on the 700MHz standard.

[via The Globe and Mail]