TORONTO – The newest technical trial from Rogers Wireless will certainly put a dent in the debate on whether or not the cutting edge in telecom can be found in Canada.
Following the successful expansion of its high-speed HSPA network to 25 Canadian markets earlier this month, Rogers today announced it has begun field trials of its 7.2 Mbps wireless data service.
The Brampton and Montreal trials utilize 3.5 generation wireless HSPA/UMTS technology (High Speed Packet Access/Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), enabling a peak download speed of 7.2 Mbps, by far the fastest in the country, or anywhere.
Rogers, which is GSM-based, is the first company in North America to embark on a trial of the super-speedy wireless solution and according to the U.K.’s GSM Association, just nine wireless companies world wide are at some stage of offering or testing 7.2.
The first stages of the technical trial will involve laptops using an air card or a USB port, where users will be able to see wireless data speeds on their laptops approaching what they can get on broadband at home, said John Boynton, chief marketing officer at Rogers Wireless, in an interview with Cartt.ca.
With 7.2, customers can enjoy multimedia applications and share photos and videos much easier than before. “They will be able to send and receive instantly,” said Bob Berner, EVP and CTO, Rogers Wireless, in the same interview. Plus, accessing rich media content sites such as Facebook and YouTube will be that much easier.
And, when more devices (from laptops to handhelds) with the HSPA receivers built in are available to consumers, the more we move ever-closer to ubiquitous broadband.
Look for a partial commercial rollout in 2008, added Berner (which could be bad news for Telus and Bell, Canada’s CDMA wireless technology companies, since their wireless nets can’t provide speeds like this).
This trial launches the next evolution of Rogers GSM network, and represents a significant investment in leading-edge technologies. Rogers will have spent approximately $500 million over the past two years upgrading its network towards providing Canadians with the fastest and most reliable wireless network.
”Rogers is continuing to trial, launch and deliver innovative and reliable next generation wireless telecommunications services to Canadians,” added industry analyst, Mark Goldberg, of Mark H. Goldberg and Associates, in the official press release. “The availability of 3.5G mobile services in our own backyard keeps Canada at the front of the world stage with respect to telecommunications services and applications.”
– Greg O’Brien
