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Rogers Wireless to launch new network capable of 21Mbps HSPA Plus
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| Chris Allen |
| quote: | July 29, 2009
Canadian wireless operator jumps to HSPA Plus
By Howard Solomon | Network World Canada
If there was any doubt there's a wireless speed race in Canada, it has been put to rest with Rogers Communications' surprise move to quickly jump its peak download data network speed to 21Mbps.
The Toronto-based operator now claims that when deployment starts next month it will be the fastest wireless operator in North America.
The company said Tuesday it has started to upgrade its network to HSPA Plus, an enhanced version of the 7.2Mbps HSPA data network it now runs across much of the country. The faster service will start next month in the Toronto area, then expand to other cities by the middle of next year.
It is assumed Rogers wants the faster service in Vancouver running in time for February's 2010 Winter Olympics.
"With the exponential growth of smartphones, application stores, mobile Internet sticks and embedded laptops and notebooks, Canadians are embracing wireless data and services like never before," Rob Bruce, president of Rogers Wireless said in a news release.
The boost will let customers experience mobile broadband at speeds close to what they get at work or at home, he said.
However, initially at least, Rogers' wireless customers will be limited to getting the fastest speed not on handsets but though USB sticks on laptops.
Rogers also didn't give details on whether its data pricing will change.
The move can be seen as Rogers' attempt to steal speed bragging rights ahead of the HSPA network launches of competitors. Bell Canada and Telus Corp. are finishing construction of their new shared HSPA network, an overlay of their existing EV-DO network that tops out at 3.1Mbps. Publicly Bell and Telus say the HSPA network will start service early next year.
Meanwhile new wireless operators DAVE Wireless, Globalive Wireless and Videotron, all committed to HSPA, say they will start operations either late this year or early next year.
For competitive reasons most of these operators have been vague on which version of HSPA and what speed their data networks will run at. Often spokesmen will say their companies will have the latest version of HSPA, which has a maximum download speed of 14.4Mbps.
Last month DAVE Wireless said its network will be based on HSPA Plus. Globalive Wireless' network will be based on standard HSPA with a maximum launch speed of 14.4Mbps.
While HSPA Plus starts at 21Mbps, Ericsson recently demonstrated the technology can go up to 48Mbps. According to Dragan Nerandzic,CTO of Ericsson Canada, that capability will be generally to operators available at the end of this year.
Around the world, the first operators to commercially deploy HSPA Plus include Australia's Telstra, Singapore's StarHub and Austria's A1. |
Source: InfoWorld
Source: CBC
Holy ... |
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| Orko |
I saw this yesterday. I was just wondering what kind of hardware this will be used with? I guess this is for their 'rocket stick' internet service?
They have also started offering 50Mbps service in select areas with a new modem. |
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| DigiNut |
| quote: | Originally posted by Orko
'rocket stick' |
Lol. |
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| Jayx1 |
and seeing as its rogers will i have to take out a loan to download a song or two?
When Rogers gets to reasonable price points, maybe ill give a damn :) |
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| E2EK1EL |
| Already posted in the mobile thread, along side Docomo's Super 3G video demo that crushed Roger's new speed results. |
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| exstasie |
From Engadget:
| quote: |
One of our Secret Agents in the Great White North let me in on some of the details of Rogers HSPA+ rollout plans. Rogers did put out an announcement earlier this week that they are testing out HSPA+ but since I am not that privy to Canadian carriers I passed on writing it up. Now that I understand more I can actually write something intelligible.
The interesting tidbit I learned was that Rogers is using special RIM testing devices (that will never be sold) to test out their HSPA+ networks for raw speed transmissions. That plays right into the hand that RIM is working on some HSPA enabled devices but I have also been hearing that they plan to jump directly to LTE. Who knows…
Rogers is rolling out HSPA+ which has a theoretical maximum of 21mbps. That is about 3 times faster than what is available now and so far has only been rolled out in Australia by Telstra. Actual speeds range around 7mbps from what I hear.
No handsets will be out with HSPA+ on Rogers for the next year and major city rollouts will start in August and continue through the following months and they are aiming to finish main cities by February. 4G/LTE is also scheduled to launch in Canada around the Olympics. |
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| Playa24_7 |
| 4G LTE will be the biggie. Imagine full wireless broadband speeds every where you go with your laptop or phone. I can't wait until we no longer need any ethernet lines, modems, or routers in our houses. Who knows when that will happen exactly, but if they can make devices that can connect to the 4G networks, then I don't see why everything else can't be chucked eventually. |
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| VERTiG0 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Playa24_7
4G LTE will be the biggie. Imagine full wireless broadband speeds every where you go with your laptop or phone. I can't wait until we no longer need any ethernet lines, modems, or routers in our houses. Who knows when that will happen exactly, but if they can make devices that can connect to the 4G networks, then I don't see why everything else can't be chucked eventually. |
Damn straight. I want Digitally Imported streaming directly to my car without having to use an intermediary like my cellphone which then streams it to the car via Bluetooth. I have wanted this for years. Make it happen, Rogers. |
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