Rogers launched their LTE (Long Term Evolution) network first, Bell was second and TELUS is now 3rd. Honestly though, does it really matter who claims top spot? From a consumer perspective wouldn’t you prefer the coverage, device selection and rate plans to be decent? That’s the angle TELUS took. 7-months after their competitors put the LTE stake in Canadian soil, TELUS has announced their LTE service will go live on February 10th.
The initial coverage will include Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, Kitchener, Waterloo, Hamilton, Guelph, Belleville, Ottawa, Montreal, Québec City, Halifax and Yellowknife. In addition, TELUS will expand the coverage into other unknown areas this year and reach a total of 25 million Canadians. When you’re out of a TELUS 4G LTE coverage area you’ll fall back to 4G speeds. TELUS stated in their press release that the manufacturers’ rated peak download speeds could potentially reach up to 75 megabits per second (Mbps), but we should expected an average of 12 to 25 Mbps.
As noted earlier, the device lineup will include the LG Optimus LTE, Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and the Ovation MC679 4G LTE Mobile Internet Key. All devices will be available tomorrow, but the Note will be available on the 14th. No word yet on price points.
Eros Spadotto, TELUS EVP of Technology Strategy and Operations, said “Our commitment is to offer the best customer experience and we have followed through by launching a 4G LTE network with broad coverage in many communities across Canada. We also offer a solid and growing selection of LTE capable devices to ensure our customers can enjoy all the benefits of this advanced wireless technology. We’re listening to our customers and working hard to give them clear and simple service terms with no surprises. Consistent with this approach, our current rate plans will apply to our 4G LTE customers. We are not introducing a new rate plan or charging a premium to enjoy our new network.”
Congrats TELUS! They’ll be more info available tomorrow at TELUS.com/4GLTE
Source: TELUS
