Rogers today announced that it is set to start a comprehensive Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless network technical trial with Ericsson Canada in the Ottawa area. The two companies have already been conducting lab testing but this next phase will move into the real world, allowing them to see how LTE performs in urban, suburban, and rural environments.
“Our customers increasingly want anywhere, anytime access to information, communications, entertainment and transactional experiences on their device of choice,” said Nadir Mohamed, President and Chief Executive Officer, Rogers Communications Inc. “LTE is the next generation platform delivering superior mobile speed and functionality similar to what Canadians currently experience at home and at work. This technical trial is significant because it builds on our industry-leading networks and it sets the groundwork for our customers to do even more in the future.”
LTE is a fourth generation (4G) wireless technology that promises to deliver speeds of up to 150 Mbps. In comparison, Rogers’ HSPA+ network delivers speeds up to 21.1 Mbps.
There is no word on when Rogers plans on launching their LTE network. Obviously, rumours suggesting that Rogers could have LTE up and running by the time the 2010 Olympics rolled around have proven to be wildly inaccurate.