Rogers announced this morning it has started rolling out Canada’s first 5G network in downtown Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, to prepare for 5G devices coming out later in 2020 (new iPhones are rumoured to support 5G this year).
According to Rogers, its 5G network will reach over 20 markets by the end of 2020. Rogers today also announced it is the only Canadian member of the 5G Future Forum, a computing forum which has other global telecoms such as Verizon, Vodafone, Telstra, KT, and América Móvil.
“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, President and Chief Executive Officer, Rogers Communications, in an issued statement.
The Rogers 5G network will first use 2.5 GHz spectrum in downtown cores of initial launch cities, then expand to 600 MHz 5G spectrum later in 2020, as the latter has signals better suited for navigating through dense urban environments. In the future, Rogers will start using 3.5 GHz spectrum and dynamic spectrum sharing, meaning its existing 4G spectrum can be used for 5G.
In the future, Rogers customers can also expect Rogers Centre, Scotiabank Arena and Rogers Arena to have 5G network access.
“5G will not only power businesses, it will fuel entire industries and drive Canada’s digital future. We were the first with wireless services thirty-five years ago, and we are once again first to bring this innovative technology to consumers and businesses on Canada’s only national network,” added Natale.
Rogers’ 5G partner is Ericsson and for those on Rogers Infinite plans, they will have 5G network access.
