NANAIMO – Rogers Communications has started to deploy its 5G 3500 MHz spectrum holdings, with the first location going live in Nanaimo, BC. The company will continue its deployment across Canada, including the urban centres of Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver and multiple rural areas.
More regions will follow as they are released according to the ISED timetable. Unlocking the 3500 MHz band increases network capacity and will boost speed and deliver ultra-low latency, paving the way for Rogers to offer infinite service possibilities for consumers and business customers, from augmented reality and machine learning to smart homes, vehicles and cities.
“As the country’s biggest investor in 5G spectrum and the first to launch 3500 MHz, we are excited to expand Canada’s largest and most reliable network¹ to more families, businesses and communities through the deployment of our 3500 MHz spectrum,” said Tony Staffieri, President and CEO, Rogers Communications. “Today’s deployment builds on our foundational 5G investment in low-band 600 MHz spectrum, so we can usher in a new era of mobile and fixed wireless broadband that will create jobs, fuel innovation and keep our economy competitive.”
New 3500 MHz spectrum capabilities will allow Rogers customers to experience faster speeds, range and improved response and download times. Rogers will leverage these new video, 5G’s 3500 MHz mid-band is the key to unlocking innovations such as:
- Enabling the Nanaimo Port Authority to remotely control autonomous haulage vehicles in real-time to improve safety
- Allowing paramedics to perform remote diagnostics in ambulances enroute to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital
- Empowering local farmers to digitally monitor everything from humidity levels to soil acidity
- Delivering a reliable and ubiquitous ultra-high-speed alternative to Wi-Fi for Nanaimo’s commercial and public enterprises, as well as for Vancouver Island University and other academic institutions
- Increasing capacity and providing even more consistent and reliable services for Rogers’ Nanaimo and Vancouver Island customers, including those living in underserved and unserved rural, remote, and Indigenous communities
At the same time, 5G will fuel economic transformation that is estimated to boost Canada’s GDP by as much as $40 billion by 2026, with 250,000 permanent jobs being created.
Far-reaching, powerful and versatile, 3500 MHz is known as 5G’s “goldilocks frequency.” Until now, 5G deployments in Canada have focused on the 600 MHz spectrum, which was the first to be auctioned off by the federal government. While this low-band frequency’s superior range is providing millions of rural customers with high-speed wireless Internet, it lacks the capacity, lightning-fast speed and ultra-low latency of 3500 MHz. An auction of 5G’s shorter-range high-band frequencies, meanwhile, is planned for 2024.
@rogers.com
