TORONTO – Rogers will launch its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in Toronto on September 28, the company confirmed Tuesday.
Rogers customers in both Toronto and Ottawa (where Rogers launched LTE in July), may now reserve a selection of LTE wireless devices through its new reservation system available here. To date, Rogers’ LTE product line includes a smart phone from HTC and the Samsung Galaxy S II; the LTE Rocket mobile hotspot (Sierra Wireless AirCard 754S); the Rogers LTE Rocket stick, and an LTE tablet.
Rogers said that its LTE devices are capable of maximum theoretical download speeds of up to 100 Mbps (for proof, check out the video here from the Toronto demo on Tuesday, where the company showed off a next-generation Rocket Stick), and that its Ottawa LTE customers are experiencing typical download speeds ranging from 12 Mbps to 25 Mbps. As device selection evolves, maximum theoretical download speeds on the Rogers network will increase to up to 150 Mbps.
LTE delivers higher speeds and lower latency than 4G HSPA+ which means a better experience for customers using highly interactive applications like multi-player gaming and rich multi-media communications. It also delivers more usage capacity which means more users can access the network at top speeds simultaneously.
“Ottawa residents are already enjoying the benefits of Canada’s fastest network technology – now Torontonians can begin the countdown to LTE and a whole new wireless experience," said John Boynton, EVP and chief marketing officer, in the announcement. "LTE is the latest example of how Rogers continues to bring the world’s best and newest innovations to Canadians first."
Such upload and download performance will allow customers to watch video on the go – which is pretty data intensive, especially since the new devices can deliver 1080p HD video at 4 Mbps. That means customers will likely want to take advantage of Rogers’ Flex Rate Plans which start at $45/month for 1.5 GB downloaded, ramping up to $90/month for 9 GB.
Rogers also confirmed that it is on track to expand LTE to Montreal and Vancouver later this fall with other markets to follow in 2012.
