TELUS launching LTE “in early 2012”

Back in February we were given a look at TELUS’ LTE testing facility in Scarborough, Ontario. We shot a video and the top download speeds I witnessed was 73.9 Mbps. TELUS just released an statement that they plan on launching their Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G+ network “in early 2012” first in major urban centres… then depending on how Industry Canada sets up the upcoming 700 MHz spectrum auction they might rollout LTE in rural areas too.

Darren Entwistle, president and CEO of TELUS stated that “TELUS’ 4G+ LTE network build continues our strategy of technology leadership in our industry, providing our clients with some of the fastest and most expansive mobile broadband services anywhere in the world. The LTE upgrade means our customers can enjoy even faster speeds when they want to be entertained on-the-go, stay connected with family and friends, visit their favourite social media sites, remain engaged with business contacts wherever they are, and access healthcare applications.”

No word yet on which devices will be available but faster speeds are coming soon. Rogers, Bell and WIND have all recently started testing their LTE networks and have committed to eventually launching too. Rogers CTO Bob Berner stated in an recent interview that “we’ll be the first in Canada to deploy it”… looks like the LTE race is on!

Source: CNW