TORONTO – Rogers Communications launched its Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless network service in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver on Wednesday, offering more than 5.5 million Canadians access to the new, faster wireless network technology.
Rogers also said that it will debut the LTE tablet HTC Jetstream on October 18, priced at $499 on a three-year data plan, while LTE smart phones from HTC and Samsung will be in stores “in the coming weeks”. The Samsung Galaxy S II will reportedly sell for $199 on a three year data plan.
The company unveiled “a special introductory plan” offering LTE customers 10GB of data for $52.93 per month, though that deal will expire at the end of November. Rogers said that it will not levy overage charges to customers during the first two months following activation to allow them time to “adjust” to their new service.
“Rogers is offering the widest selection of LTE devices and will be among the first carriers in the world to make them available," said John Boynton, EVP and chief marketing officer, in the announcement. "And this is just the beginning. With LTE as the new gold standard of wireless network technology, Rogers’ customers can expect to see more great LTE products in the coming year that will redefine the mobile experience for millions of consumers and businesses across Canada."
LTE devices are capable of maximum theoretical download speeds of up to 100 Mbps, though Rogers said that LTE customers are currently experiencing typical download speeds ranging from 12 Mbps to 25 Mbps. As device selection evolves, the maximum theoretical download speeds will increase to up to 150 Mbps.
