Rogers is promising “the fastest speeds in Canada” with the launch of their new LTE Max. Beyond just a marketing term, the improved LTE tech is available across two high-frequency bands – AWS (1700/2100Mhz) and 2600Mhz. And they have also announced the expansion of LTE to new markets:

• Chatham
• Milton
• Sarnia
• Woodstock
• Orangeville
• St. Catharines, which also includes Fort Erie, Port Colborne, Welland and Pelham;
• GTA North expansion, which also includes King City & Bradford
• GTA West expansion, which also includes Georgetown & Halton Hills
• Kentville
• Brantford
• Collingwood
• GTA Northeast Expansion, which also includes Stouffville & East Gwillimbury
• Oshawa Expansion, which also includes Clarington
• Lloydminster

With LTE Max, Rogers says that they are offering theoretical network speeds of 150 Mbps. But typical speeds are expected to fall within 12-25Mbps, although speeds closer to 50Mbps on 20 MHz cells have been reported.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 and the BlackBerry Q10 will provide support for LTE Max, and more devices are expected to arrive in the coming months.

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Rogers committed to expanding their LTE network earlier this year but were pretty shy about the details. Finally were are getting more information, thanks to a post through their company blog.

Roger’s expansion effort plans to launch to 10 new cities in Canada on October 1^st. Which lucky cities are making the cut? Kingston, Edmonton, Quebec City, Oakville, Burlington, London, Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Barrie.

Rogers reaffirmed their commitment to expanding even more in the coming months, with a pretty lofty goal of having LTE service available to about 60% of the population by the year’s end. For those on a different carrier that are considering Rogers, LTE through their network generally ranges between 12 to 40 Mbps.

Rogers is far from the only 4G LTE provider in Canada though, with competition from Telus and Bell. Are you a Rogers customer that gets LTE service? What do you think of the speeds? For those that are in a city getting 4G LTE soon, will you upgrade to a phone that can use it?

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You have to remember that only that gold-plated portion in the middle of your SIM card is actually serving any kind of real purpose. That’s the only part that gets you connected to your carrier, identifying your device to the network. It only makes sense that we should get rid of as much of the surrounding fodder as possible.

What we see here are the nanoSIMs that will be sold by Canadian carriers Rogers Wireless and Fido. They’ll both support the fast 4G LTE network, giving iPhone 5 users the ability to best utilize the “ultrafast wireless” in their new handset. The nanoSIM itself measures a measly 8.8 x 12.3mm, making it that much easier to drop and lose. Thankfully, it’ll stay safely stowed away inside your phone most of the time anyway. The other good news is that your new nanoSIM will be included with your iPhone 5 contract price. Interestingly, someone has commented that Telus is charging ten bucks for their nanoSIM.

The expectation is that future smartphones will likely adopt the nanoSIM standard too. That little bit of extra space can accommodate other more useful bits, like wireless radios, memory and bigger batteries.

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The company reported an adjusted operating profit of $1.27 billion in the second quarter of this year from the $3.1 billion in revenues that it received. Both of those figures are up from the same quarter last year and that growth is fueled heavily by a 13% increase in data revenue. Cable TV revenues are dropping, possibly due to alternative sources like Crackle and Netflix. Home phone revenues remained flat. But data, it grew from 35% of revenue last year to 39% of revenue for this year.

This growth is “highlighted by strong postpaid wireless smartphone sales and customer retention metrics,” said Rogers president and chief executive Nadir Mohamed. He also cites the “exceptionally strong margins in both our wireless and cable businesses.” You know that $25-$30 data option you have on your phone? That’s probably pretty profitable for the boys and girls at Rogers.

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The post Rogers Rakes in 39% of All Revenues from Mobile Data Fees appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

You might remember when Rogers first launched its LTE network last June and, at the time, Rogers said it had “no intention” to bring LTE to Fido. That has apparently changed and I think it only makes sense. Eventually, “legacy” networks will have to fall out and all carriers, sub-branded or otherwise, will need to transition to newer wireless technology. They’re not going to give up on regular 2G for voice and 3G for data any time soon, but moving to “4G” LTE is a natural transition.

The above screen comes up with an employee clicks to activate a customer on the “LTE Voice and Data Sharing Bundles” option, but there are currently no LTE products in the Fido lineup. So, maybe they’re coming soon. As a matter of perspective, my experience with Rogers LTE has seen download speeds from 14Mbps to 43Mbps and upload speeds from 4Mbps to 13Mbps.

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Bell and Rogers were first to do it for this round, but Telus has now joined the 6GB party too. Remember that the regular $30/month data add-on usually only provides you with 1GB of data, so this is a pretty good deal. Interestingly, unlike some of the previous offerings, you don’t necessarily have to sign up for a three-year contract to get the promotional data add-on.

The $30/6GB option is available on one, two, or three year service agreements, as well as for those of you who are doing the month-to-month thing. The catch is that you still need that “$50 minimum spend” requirement that is the same for any subsidized smartphone. The data add-on is compatible with HSPA and CDMA customers, but it’s unclear if this supports LTE too. A document from Rogers points toward a February 28th expiry date for this offer, but that could get extended. No indication from Bell or Telus about expiry.

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The post Canada’s Big Three Now All Offer 6GB Data for $30/Month appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

While the official rollout across “several provinces” happens on February 10, your local mileage will likely vary somewhat. The new LTE network will supplement the existing HSPA+ network and it should be accessible by 25 million customers by the end of the year. The initial launch cities include 14 cities: Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Kitchener, Waterloo, Hamilton, Guelph, Belleville, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Yellowknife and Halifax.

Not surprisingly, the LTE rollout needs to coincide with some LTE compatible products. We already know that the Samsung Galaxy Note will be arriving next week, for example, in addition to devices like the LG Optimus Black. They’re claiming speeds of between 12Mbps and 25Mbps with a theoretical maximum of 75Mbps. It will be interesting to see how the speeds compare to Rogers and Bell.

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The Rogers One Number service has now officially launched and it effectively lets you enjoy unlimited calling, texting, and picture messaging from your computer. The kicker is that the person on the other end will think that you are using your phone. With Rogers One Number, your phone’s identity is carried through to the computer equivalent. It uses the existing Internet connection and minutes (and texts) used do not come out of your monthly bucket. You also get free Canadian long distance and, if you’re talking to another Rogers One Number user, you can have free video chats a la Skype or IM protocols too.

One other feature is the ability to transfer your call between your actual mobile phone and your computer, simply by pressing the corresponding button in the computer app or by dialing a special number on your smartphone.

You can get more information, as well as register, by visiting RogersOneNumber.ca. However, it seems that more than a couple of users have already encounted some problems. Some aren’t getting their PINs, others are being told that the service isn’t supported in their area code. It should also be noted that Rogers One Number does not work with business accounts, pre-paid accounts, or Alternate Line Service. And of course, there’s the issue of entrusting all your services to one provider.

[ source via Redboard ]

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On the AT&T side of the equation, they’ve formally announced a launch date of February 19th for the phone/tablet and it’ll sell for the expected $299.99 with a qualifying two year contract. They’re starting pre-orders this weekend with the first batch of deliveries starting on February 17th. You’ll have your choice of carbon blue and ceramic white.

For Canadians, Rogers isn’t being quite as specific, merely saying that the Galaxy Note will come to Rogers “in February.” The Rogers Reservation System has the Note listed, so you can add yourself to the pack and wait for the LTE-equipped smartphone that way. Best Buy has apparently narrowed it down to the February 14th launch date, not only for Rogers, but for Bell and Telus too. We’re hearing a $250 price point with a 3-year contract is likely.

Happy Valentine’s Day?

The post Samsung Galaxy Note Confirmed: February Release for AT&T and Rogers appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

This announcement hardly comes out of left field. We already knew that Bell/Virgin would have about a month’s worth of exclusivity on the new Android phone during the holiday shopping season, but the other major carriers would get their shot at ICS in January. While it was previously rumored that Rogers and Fido would get the Galaxy Nexus on January 10 (Tuesday), it looks like they’re getting bumped to the same release date as Telus: Friday the 13th. Hopefully that’s not a bad omen.

While Rogers, Fido, and Telus haven’t made a formal announcement about the pricing for the Galaxy Nexus, we imagine that it’ll fall in line with Bell’s pricing scheme of $160 on contract and $650 straight up. At the same time, considering what we saw with the Nexus S before it, the competition between carriers might see some price adjustments for further enticement.

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