Rogers announced on Monday the company has completed its rollout of the country’s first nationwide standalone 5G core. In other words, utilizing LTE for 5G no longer is used, as in other non-standalone 5G rollouts.
“Achieving Canada’s first 5G standalone device certification and completing our national 5G standalone core rollout underscore Rogers leading 5G network leadership and innovation,” said Luciano Ramos, Senior Vice President of Network Development and Core Engineering, in an issued statement. “In order for 5G innovation to reach users, compatible smartphones are needed to connect to 5G standalone service and we’re proud of our whole team to have reached this milestone with Google and our long-time partner Ericsson, helping to bring the best of 5G to our customers.”
Rogers says the first certified 5G standalone devices for use in Canada are Google’s latest Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. The company says eligible customers will see their devices automatically connect to its 5G standalone network in the next few months, once complete.
According to Ericsson, a standalone 5G cores brings the following benefits:
“The transition to a 5G standalone network service unlocks key end-to-end network connectivity capabilities and is an important step in enabling new opportunities for industries, enterprises and consumers,” added Yasir Hussain, Chief Technology Officer, Ericsson Canada. “Rogers and Ericsson’s long-standing partnership continues to bring innovation to the growing needs of business and consumer demands, and we look forward to working with Rogers to bring more technological advancements to all Canadians.”
