Just two weeks ago Rogers had publicly announced their launch date for their LTE network in Toronto set for September 28, following their previous launch in Ottawa in early July. It has been expected for some time that Bell will be launching their own LTE network and with no prior clues on a specific date, we were surprised that their announcement yesterday stating that September 14 will be the official launch.
The network will span across multiple cities such as; Toronto, Mississauga, Hamilton, Waterloo and Guelph. Below are the coverage maps for these areas:
Now as expected there are no initial smartphone devices available for use on the fresh LTE network, however if you find yourself to be interested in Turbo Sticks then you will be happy to hear Bell’s lineup. The 4G LTE Sierra Wireless U313 Turbo Stick will cost you $79.95, of course that’s on a 3-year term, or $219.95 outright. There is also word on a second data stick (Novatel Wireless U679) to be available September 15th. The flexible data rate plans start at $45/month for 1.5 GB.
LTE’s theoretical speeds are significantly greater than HSPA+ networks and can reach speeds of up to 150Mbps download and 70Mbps upload. Rogers previously ran some tests on their LTE network in Toronto and they boasted live speeds of 98Mbps down and 32Mbps up.
As for future devices we can definitely expect a Galaxy S II LTE variant coming from Rogers, and from the looks of the picture below, we suspect Bell will also be getting their run at the Android powered superphone.We will definitely be seeing an LTE capable tablet, probably a more up-to-date model of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 or even more likely the Galaxy Tab 7.7 that became infamous at this years IFA consumer trade show, when it was pulled off of the device lineup due to Apple’s second injunction which barred sales and marketing of the product in Germany.
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