Last spring, Rogers brought in Captain Kirk (William Shatner) to help launch its Vision service. Vision is still the only video calling service available in North America.
Today, Rogers announced further speed enhancements to its HSPA network, the first carrier in North America to begin the conversion to 7.2 Mbps data transport on its wireless network, with trials beginning in Montreal and Brampton.
Rogers current HSPA capability, running at up to 3.6 Mbps, is already available in the top 25 markets in Canada, representing about 60% of the population.
Fewer than 1% of the world’s carriers have begun to trial this doubled speed capability.
In today’s press release announcing the 7.2 Mbps service, Rogers Wireless president Rob Bruce said:
The consumer appetite for mobile applications is undeniable in Canada and around the world. The data speeds achieved in this trial will enable Rogers to meet our customers’ needs with the most advanced, innovative services today and in the future.
Rogers has spent $500M in the past two years in upgrades to its wireless network. Tuesday’s National Post carried a story about a report from the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association that forecasts mobile data usage to be on the verge of explosive growth:
With wireless service providers reporting data growth rates exceeding 50% per quarter, CWTA expects spending to triple to more than $3 billion in the next three years as Canadians increase their demand for non-voice wireless services such as e-mail, social networking, Web browsing, music downloads, mobile television, satellite radio and text, multimedia and instant messaging.
With Rogers launch of 7.2 Mbps service, mobile wireless will now be able to deliver the kinds of speeds that consumers are used to experiencing from wireline DSL and cable modem connectivity. What is the impact on demand for more spectrum?