Nobody (Apple, Telus, Bell, Rogers) is commenting publicly, but people familiar with the matter said the two other carriers will announce a working partnership with Apple as early as Tuesday or Wednesday and begin selling the device in time for the launch of their new 21Mbs HSDPA+ network next month.
This is a shocker to us down here south of the border because until recently, Bell and Telus didn’t have GSM/EDGE/HDSPA Networks. According to the report, Bell and Telus have rushed to get their new network in place before the holiday shopping season [and the Vancouver Olympics]. Bell argues that its version is more advanced than Rogers’ because it uses the latest version of the standard, called HSPA+, which is capable of download speeds of up to 21 megabits per second. Rogers, which has used GSM technology since 2001, is still in the process of converting its entire national network to the HSPA+ standard. Last month it said the new technology is in place in five cities: Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. You hear that AT&T? The Canadians will be riding a 21Mbs network next month! We’re fumbling along on 3.6Mbs – if we are very lucky. That’s two generations we’re behind. Vancouver is looking pretty nice right about now.
