Initial deployment in Nanaimo to be followed by launches in major urban centres
TORONTO — Rogers Communications announced today it has started to deploy its 5G 3500 MHz spectrum on its wireless network.
The first location went live this morning in Nanaimo, B.C., according to a press release.
Rogers says it will continue its deployment across Canada, including in the major urban centres of Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver, as well as multiple rural areas.
“More regions will follow as they are released according to the ISED timetable,” the release reads.
Rogers acquired the most 3500 MHz spectrum licences of all other Canadian telecoms who participated in last year’s spectrum auction.
“As the country’s biggest investor in 5G spectrum and the first to launch 3500 MHz, we are excited to expand Canada’s largest and most reliable network to more families, businesses and communities through the deployment of our 3500 MHz spectrum,” said Tony Staffieri, president and CEO of Rogers Communications, in the release.
“Today’s deployment builds on our foundational 5G investment in low-band 600 MHz spectrum, so we can usher in a new era of mobile and fixed wireless broadband that will create jobs, fuel innovation and keep our economy competitive,” Staffieri said.
With the new 3500 MHz spectrum capabilities on its network, Rogers will be able to deliver “ultra-low latency, more capacity, faster speeds and new capabilities for consumers and businesses,” the press release says, adding new service possibilities range “from augmented reality and machine learning to smart homes, vehicles and cities.”
Rogers “will leverage these new capabilities with its partners on exciting new consumer use cases that will power immersive 5G experiences,” the release says.
One example is a hockey augmented reality immersive in-venue fan experience leveraging Rogers’ 5G 3500 MHz network that the company has tested in partnership with AWS Outpost Mobile Edge Computing, Ericsson, Immersiv.io, MLSE and the NHL, according to the press release.
“We’re ready to take Canada’s largest and most reliable 5G network even further with the deployment of our 3500 MHz spectrum assets, leveraging the full capabilities of the technology to bring Canadians the best mobile experience wherever they may be,” said Jorge Fernandes, Rogers’ chief technology officer.
“The speed and capacity of 5G, coupled with our rapidly expanding network footprints, offers endless possibilities for consumers and business users, from smart homes, vehicles and cities, to augmented reality and machine learning and we’re eager to deliver these benefits to Canadians no matter where they may live.”
The new 3500 MHz 5G spectrum capabilities will also enable Rogers to provide private wireless networks for business and industrial operations, “which will be crucial in cases where Wi-Fi or existing cellular networks have proven unreliable and ineffective,” the release says.
In addition, for wireless home Internet, “3500 MHz spectrum will provide increased capacity and even more reliable services for customers, including the ability to service more customers in underserved and unserved rural, remote, and Indigenous communities with reliable connectivity.
Bell issued its own press release today on its progress deploying the 3500 MHz spectrum it acquired for 5G, and Telus sent Cartt.ca an update as well. You can read about it here.
For more on Rogers’ announcement, please click here.
