Canada’s First and Largest 5G Network Expands to 18 New Cities and Towns in Ontario

This story was first published by GlobeNewswire

Rogers launches 5G Smart Campus at University of Waterloo and advances 5G research

Rogers 5G network, powered by Ericsson, will expand to over 60 Canadian markets by year-end

Expansion will support additional 5G devices launching this fall on Rogers Infinite plans and unlimited business wireless plans; over two million Canadians now on Rogers Infinite plans

TORONTO, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rogers Communications today announced it has launched 5G on Canada’s most trusted and reliable network in 18 new cities and towns in Ontario¹. Including these markets, Rogers 5G network, powered by Ericsson, has launched in over 50 new cities and towns in Canada today and will reach a total of more than 60 markets by year-end.

Building on the company’s January roll out of 5G in downtown Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, Rogers 5G is now the largest in Canada and available in the following cities and towns in Ontario, bringing consumers and businesses the very best in wireless technology to their own neighbourhoods and business parks²:

“5G is the next technological evolution that will transform the way we live and work in Ontario,” said Philippe Oille, President of Southwestern Ontario Region, Rogers Communications. “Building on our launch of 5G in Ottawa and Toronto earlier this year, we are proud to now reach 18 new cities and towns in Ontario including our innovation corridor, while continuing to support important 5G research and innovation through our partnerships with the University of Waterloo and Communitech. Strong digital infrastructure and this next generation technology are critical to fuel productivity and innovation as we power out of the pandemic, and in the future as we reset the competitive landscape in Ontario and for Canada, globally.”

Expected to be the most transformative technology since wireless services were introduced in 1985, 5G will make real-time connectivity a reality, accelerating the transition to a truly digitally connected world. Rogers 5G is currently accessible to customers on Rogers Infinite plans and unlimited business wireless plans with select 5G-ready devices. More than two million Canadians are now on Rogers Infinite unlimited data plans, representing the most customers of any wireless provider in Canada with no overage fees.  Customers can purchase new devices at $0 and 0% interest with device financing.

“Accelerating Ontario’s digital economy is important to our long-term success and competitiveness,” said Honourable Laurie Scott, Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure. “We welcome the expansion of 5G to more communities in our province and the benefits it will bring to our economy. We look forward to ongoing collaboration with industry partners.”

In addition to providing the latest technology for consumers and businesses, Rogers has lit up the University of Waterloo’s 5G Smart Campus to support university researchers testing 5G applications in a real-world setting. This is in support of Rogers three-year, multi-million-dollar partnership agreement with the University of Waterloo to advance 5G research in the Toronto-Waterloo tech corridor. The research includes the following projects to support the incubation and commercialization of applications that will transform businesses and industries over time: 

• 5G smart city infrastructure monitoring and alerting systems
• 5G asset tracking technologies and capabilities
• 5G network design and operations research
• 5G network slicing
• Multi-access edge computing (MEC)

“I am delighted to celebrate this milestone in our partnership with Rogers Communications and with our campus community,” said Charmaine Dean, Vice-President, Research and International, University of Waterloo. “As home to the first 5G smart campus in central Canada, Waterloo’s extensive research expertise will allow us to support Rogers in this initiative and continue to lead the way to an innovative future for Canada.”

Through the Rogers 5G Create Lab at Communitech, Rogers is also collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to create the Rogers 5G Create On AWS Developer Program that provides access to talks, workshops, mentoring, 5G and Edge infrastructure and technical support for start-ups and researchers with a focus on 5G, IoT and Mobile edge computing.

Over time, 5G will introduce new capabilities that are significantly more advanced than previous generations of wireless technology. With ultra-low latency, the lag between sending a request and the network responding will theoretically drop to one millisecond, 400 times faster than the blink of an eye. This will allow for a massive increase in the number of connected devices and a range of capabilities and applications that require quick responsiveness. From network slicing to give first responders a dedicated network, to wireless sensors that monitor farmers’ soil conditions saving them time and money, to using virtual reality that enhances the retail customer experience, to multi-player lag-free gaming on the go – 5G will deliver a world of possibilities.

Wireless industry investments in 5G networks are expected to contribute an estimated $40 billion to the country’s economy and 250,000 permanent new jobs by 2026³.

Rogers has invested over $30 billion over the past 35 years to build Canada’s most trusted and reliable wireless network. In 2020, the company was awarded the best wireless network in Canada for the second year in a row by umlaut, the global leader in mobile network testing and benchmarking. Rogers was also ranked number one in the West and Ontario Regions in the J.D. Power 2020 Canada Wireless Network Quality Study.

A PwC study commissioned by the company indicates that in 2019 Rogers investments and operations resulted in a total economic footprint in Ontario of $14.9 billion of output, including over 45,600 full-time jobs generated and supported.