Quebec-based regional carrier Videotron today launched its LTE network. Promising speeds up to 150Mpbs, the network covers the Ottawa to Montreal to Quebec City corridor as well as other pockets such as Saguenay. In all, the Videotron LTE network reaches nearly 90% of Québec’s population. Coverage in parts of eastern Ontario and Ottawa are the result of a tower sharing agreement with Rogers.
“At Videotron, innovation is rooted in 50 years of history,” commented Manon Brouillette, President and CEO of Videotron. “Today, we have reached another watershed in our progress by bringing consumers this state-of-the-art mobile network. The roll-out of LTE service demonstrates our commitment to satisfying consumers’ needs and holding our place in our customers’ hearts and hearths.”
A number of devices already offered by Videotron are ready for its LTE network. Among these are the Samsung Galaxy S4, S5 and Note 3, the LG Nexus 5, the Sony Xperia ZL, the Moto G LTE and the HTC Desire 601. More devices are promised and the Apple iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S will join that list with the release of iOS 8 which is coming on September 17. Customers with their own LTE devices will also be able to pick up new SIM cards at any Videotron retail location for free.
It will be interesting to watch to see if Videotron looks to expand its LTE network beyond Quebec when Canada’s next spectrum auction takes place in early 2015. The Advanced Wireless Services-3 (AWS-3) spectrum auction will see more than half of the 50MHz of paired spectrum up for grabs being set aside for carriers with less than 10% national and 20% provincial market share.
Source : Videotron