TELUS today announced that it will begin construction of its LTE (which it also calls 4G+) network later this year to launch the service in early 2012. Initial construction will focus on major urban markets across Canada.
“TELUS’ 4G+ LTE network build continues our strategy of technology leadership in our industry, providing our clients with some of the fastest and most expansive mobile broadband services anywhere in the world,” said Darren Entwistle, president and CEO of TELUS. “The LTE upgrade means our customers can enjoy even faster speeds when they want to be entertained on-the-go, stay connected with family and friends, visit their favourite social media sites, remain engaged with business contacts wherever they are, and access healthcare applications. TELUS is committed to utilizing our wireless spectrum and the technology that it enables, to offer our clients the most innovative multimedia solutions for their lifestyle, health, professional and public service pursuits.”
TELUS will use its 1700/2100MHz AWS spectrum in the first stage of deployment. The rollout into rural Canada will be dependent on Industry Canada’s 700MHz auction scheduled to occur sometime in 2012. This spectrum, offering better propagation capabilities, will be more suitable to rural less-densely populated areas.
TELUS did not give any details about which LTE devices it would offer at launch time.