Rogers launches 5G in more than 50 communities in Canada: Here’s the list

That's faster than expected

Author of the article:

Joe O'Connor

Publishing date:

Sep 01, 2020  

Rogers Communications Inc has accelerated the expansion of its 5G network. PHOTO BY PETER J THOMPSON/NATIONAL POST

Telecom giant Rogers Communications Inc. initially projected its nascent 5G network would expand beyond Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Vancouver to cover an additional 20-plus markets by the end of 2020, but on Tuesday it said it now projects the network will cover more than 60 cities and towns by year-end.

The company initially began rolling out its new 5G network in a few major cities back in January, before a global pandemic sideswiped the economy and led to shuttered offices, pushing employees into remote work situations and children into remote learning scenarios.

“Strong digital infrastructure and investments in 5G are critical to fuel productivity and innovation across this country now, as we power out of COVID-19, and in the future as we reset the competitive landscape for Canada, globally,” Joe Natale, chief executive of Rogers Communications, said in a statement.

Some think 5G’s impact will be more incremental than transformational, but 5G has long been touted by the major telcos as a game-changer, given its promise of enhanced user connectivity, increased bandwidth and faster download speeds, all required to pile more and more devices onto the network without compromising performance.

Perhaps surprisingly, the accelerated expansion of Rogers’ 5G network isn’t, as so many other things have been since mid-March, related to COVID-19.

Timelines for the network build-out were surpassed due to a combination of factors, including Rogers’ partnership with Swedish multinational Ericsson as its 5G vendor, its deployment team’s efforts and its 600-MHz spectrum, a key building block underpinning the expansion.

Jorge Fernandes, Rogers chief technology and information officer, in a statement said the company is focused on continuing to build a “robust 5G ecosystem with strategic investments, world-class partners and cutting-edge technology.”

That ecosystem includes incubating a made-in-Canada 5G technology in partnership with several Canadian universities including the University of British Columbia, University of Waterloo and Ryerson University.

Rogers said launched in 50 new towns and cities Tuesday, making it Canada’s largest 5G network. Here is the list of the communities

Ontario

Aurora, ON
Barrie, ON
Brampton, ON
Caledon, ON
Cambridge, ON
Halton Hills, ON
Hamilton, ON
Kitchener, ON
Markham, ON
Milton, ON
Mississauga, ON
Newmarket, ON
Oshawa, ON
Ottawa, ON
Richmond Hill, ON
Toronto, ON
Uxbridge, ON
Vaughan, ON
Waterloo, ON
Whitchurch-Stouffville, ON

British Columbia

Abbotsford-Mission, BC
Burnaby, BC
Chilliwack, BC
Coquitlam, BC
Courtenay, BC
Delta, BC
Kamloops, BC
Kelowna, BC
Langley, BC
Maple Ridge, BC
Nanaimo, BC
New Westminster, BC
North Vancouver, BC
Oliver, BC
Osoyoos, BC
Penticton, BC
Pitt Meadows, BC
Port Coquitlam, BC
Port Moody, BC
Richmond, BC
Salmon Arm, BC
Surrey, BC
Vancouver, BC
Vernon, BC
Victoria, BC
West Vancouver, BC
White Rock, BC

Alberta

Calgary, AB
Edmonton, AB
Fort McMurray, AB
Grande Prairie, AB
Lethbridge, AB

Saskatchewan

Regina, SK
Saskatoon, SK

Quebec

Gatineau, QC
Montreal, QC
Quebec City, QC
Trois-Rivières, QC