Rogers to launch LTE service later this year

According to a report from The Toronto Sun, Rogers Communications will launch its advanced LTE network in August, beating rival Telus in the process.

Rogers, which is Canada’s largest wireless provider, announced that it would launch the LTE (known as “long-term evolution”) network in four of Canada’s major cities, with a further 25 markets coming in 2012. Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Ottawa are the first areas to get the service that speeds up mobile communications. Rogers has opted to go with Ericsson to build the network.

“The world is moving to LTE and we’re thrilled to be leading the way by bringing this next generation technology to our consumer and business customers,” Rogers Chief Executive Nadir Mohamed said.

Rogers said LTE would improve on its existing HSPA+ (high-speed packet access) network by increasing speed by three to four times. LTE also delivers lower latency, which is vital for any multi-player gaming.

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This move is a blow to Vancouver-based Telus, Canada’s second-largest phone company, as it has previously said that it will launch its LTE network in early 2012. Canada’s third major wireless company, Bell, has not given any indication when (or if) it plans to provide an LTE network to its subscribers.