TORONTO — Rogers said Wednesday it is starting to roll out its 5G network in downtown Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, the same day it was announced as the exclusive Canadian member of a newly formed global 5G Future Forum, created to accelerate the delivery of 5G and mobile-edge computing solutions around the world.
Rogers said in its news release it has started its 5G network rollout in anticipation of 5G devices becoming available this year, and it plans to expand the network to more than 20 additional markets by the end of the year.
The Rogers 5G network initially uses 2.5 GHz spectrum in the downtown cores of Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, and will expand to use 600 MHz spectrum later this year. Rogers says 600 MHz is best suited to carry wireless data across long distances and through dense urban buildings, creating more consistent and higher quality coverage in both remote areas and smart cities. As of right now, there will be no devices or services offered on the new network, other than what the company itself experiments.
In the future, the company will use yet-to-be-auctioned-off 3.5 GHz spectrum as well as dynamic spectrum sharing, which will allow 4G spectrum to be used for 5G. Rogers will soon turn on 5G in the Rogers Centre and Scotiabank Arena in Toronto and Rogers Arena in Vancouver to enhance how sports fans watch the game in the future as innovation and applications develop, the company says.
“5G is the biggest technological evolution since the launch of wireless in Canada. We are making the right investments, building the right partnerships and deploying the right technology to bring Canadians the very best of 5G,” said Joe Natale, Rogers president and CEO, in the news release.
Rogers has invested $9 billion in spectrum licences and more than $30 billion overall in its wireless networks since 1985, the company said. Rogers is partnering with Ericsson as its 5G provider of choice, to boost and densify its network with 4.5-G and 5G technology. Rogers has partnered with Ericsson since the launch of its wireless services in 1985. To make sure customers get the most out of this new technology, Rogers 5G services will be available exclusively on Rogers Infinite plans with unlimited data and no overage fees, the company said.
Rogers also noted it is joining the global 5G Future Forum initiative that includes Verizon, Vodafone, Korea’s KT, Australia’s Telstra and Latin America’s América Móvil. The 5G Future Forum’s founding members will collaborate to develop interoperable 5G specifications across key geographic regions, including the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe, says the Verizon news release announcing the forum’s creation.
The 5G Future Forum will focus on the creation of uniform interoperability specifications to improve speed to market for developers and multinational enterprises working on 5G-enabled solutions. In addition, forum participants will develop public and private marketplaces to enhance developer and customer access to 5G, and will share global best practices in technology deployment, the release says.
“We are proud to work closely with other global leaders in driving the solutions and technology that will bring our customers the very best that 5G has to offer,” Natale said in the Verizon release. “These critical investments will form the foundation of 5G and unleash the future of Canada’s digital economy for consumers and businesses across our vast country.”
Verizon chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg added: “5G is a key enabler of the next global industrial revolution, where technology will transform how we live and work. It’s critical that technology partners around the world unite to create the most seamless global experience for our customers.”
“This forum of global leaders in 5G marks an important step in ensuring edge computing works seamlessly for our customers,” said Vinod Kumar, CEO of Vodafone Business. “These new specifications will allow us to offer services that work consistently across the globe and support devices moving between countries. 5G opens up a wealth of opportunities for new solutions and business models and we’re excited to play a role in bringing them to life.”
Upon this announcement Wednesday, Bell Canada noted in an email with Cartt.ca that it, too, is ready to launch similar early 5G services as soon “as capable smartphones become available,” said a company spokesperson.
“Canada has the opportunity to lead the world in 5G if our regulatory environment continues to encourage wireless infrastructure investment. Policies that hamper or restrict the significant capital investment required will lead to the opposite outcome,” the spokesperson added.
