Rogers launches LTE-Advanced: New technology that delivers even faster speeds to mobiles and tablets

Customers in 12 markets to benefit from new technology

TORONTO, Oct. 24, 2014 /CNW/ - Today, Rogers Communications announced that it is rolling out LTE-Advanced, the next evolution of wireless technology that combines its 700MHz and AWS spectrum, so customers can download and live stream video even faster on mobiles and tablets.  Starting today Rogers customers in 12 cities will be the first customers in Canada to benefit from LTE-Advanced.

"This new network technology allows us to combine our 700MHz beachfront spectrum with AWS, the backbone of our LTE network, to give our customers an even better and faster video experience.  It's like putting the highways in a major city together to make a superhighway, allowing more traffic at faster speeds," said Guy Laurence, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Rogers was the only carrier to secure two blocks of contiguous 700MHz spectrum across the country's major geographic markets. This 700 spectrum is located in the key rural and urban locations across Canada and carries wireless signals across longer distances, while the AWS spectrum has greater capacity and is suited for high density towns and cities.

Mobile video consumption is skyrocketing and likely to be more than half of all online video views within a year. In the first two weeks of the season, hockey fans streamed 650 terabytes (that's 650 million megabytes) of data on Rogers™ NHL GameCentre LIVE™ and on average 80,000 hockey fans are using their mobiles or tablets to live stream or watch special camera angles on the app each game night since the start of the season. Our investment in LTE-Advanced will allow Rogers to meet its customers' growing demand for data.

"This is just the first step," says Laurence. "In the future, we'll be able to combine even more spectrum to further enhance the video experience for our customers. We are the only network focused on bringing customers the ultimate video experience on mobile."

LTE-Advanced is launching today in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Windsor, London, Hamilton, Toronto, Kingston, Moncton, Fredericton, Halifax and Saint John, with more markets across the country to follow.

About Rogers

Rogers Communications is a leading diversified public Canadian communications and media company. We are Canada's largest provider of wireless communications services and one of Canada's leading providers of cable television, high-speed Internet and telephony services to consumers and businesses. Through Rogers Media, we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting, televised shopping, magazines and trade publications, sports entertainment, and digital media. We are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI).  For further information about the Rogers group of companies, please visit rogers.com.

SOURCE: Rogers Communications Inc.

Media contact: Jennifer Kett, [email protected], 416-935-2651