TORONTO – Later this month, Rogers Wireless will begin selling a new Rocket Mobile Internet stick, one that can provide nearly three times the speed of the current on offer today.
Available on Rogers’ upgraded High Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+) network in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, it can clock speeds up to 21 Megabits per second (but more typical will be in the mid-to-high-teens, as shown during a live test yesterday at Rogers HQ in downtown Toronto).
Rogers is the first wireless operator in North America, and one of the few in the world, to offer the 21 Mbps service to wireless subs. The current “top speed” of its in-market Rocket Mobile stick is 7.2 Mbps.
Rogers began the Canada-wide deployment of a 21 Mbps HSPA+ wireless network earlier this year, “making the Rogers network up to seven times faster than the Canadian competition,” says the company.
For $75 plus a monthly data plan, the new 21 Mbps HSPA+ Rocket Mobile Internet Stick will let customers “enjoy mobile web experiences at speeds that are as fast as those you would find at home or at the office,” says the company.
Customers can order now, with initial shipments coming September 28.
The stick is virtually the same form-factor as the old one, featuring a USB connection to a laptop or a desktop PC, easy installation with no CD required for Windows or Mac Operating Systems, integrated antenna and multi-colour LED indicating connection status.
The new network speeds will be made available to the entire Rogers footprint gradually through 2010, said John Boynton, chief marketing officer and senior vice-president, Rogers Wireless.
This is one of many ongoing steps by Rogers (and other wireless carriers) on their way to making the wireless net as quick and reliable as wired broadband.
And of course, on many minds yesterday was the timelines for the deployment of LTE, the true next generation of wireless technology, a standard that is supposed to bring broadband-like speeds to every wireless device.
However, said Boynton, that’s a long way off. He noted Verizon has said that it will launch LTE in a single city sometime in 2010 – and that there is currently no voice component to the new technology. Calling LTE “barely off the PowerPoint deck,” Boynton added it’s going to be “some years” before we see an ecosystem handsets and other consumer devices that can use LTE.
– Greg O’Brien
