Rogers Communications announced yesterday that it has started to deploy its 5G 3500MHz spectrum holdings, with the first location going live in Nanaimo, British Columbia. The company will continue its deployment across Canada, including the urban centres of Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver and multiple rural areas. More regions will follow as they are released according to the regulatory timetable. Rogers highlighted that adding the 3500MHz band to its existing 5G network increases capacity and will boost speed and deliver ultra-low latency, paving the way for future service possibilities for consumers and business customers – from augmented reality and machine learning to smart homes, vehicles and cities.

Tony Staffieri, President and CEO of Rogers Communications, said: 'As the country's biggest investor in 5G spectrum and the first to launch 3500MHz … today's deployment builds on our foundational 5G investment in low-band 600MHz spectrum, so we can usher in a new era of mobile and fixed wireless broadband that will create jobs, fuel innovation and keep our economy competitive.' Rogers' press release gave examples of new solutions being made possible by 5G, including network slicing in the healthcare sector, supporting remote diagnostic capabilities to provide real time images and X-rays to health care providers as they work en route to health centres in ambulances. As another example, using 5G Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), port authorities will remotely control autonomous haulage vehicles in real-time to improve safety.

Thanks to TeleGeography for this industry update.