dan9999
11-04-2009, 08:48 PM
Bell, Telus launch high-speed networks
Tue Nov 03 2009
Iain Marlow - Business Reporter
thestar.com
The end of Rogers' iPhone monopoly is drawing near, as its two main Canadian rivals prepare to launch their next-generation wireless network this week.
BCE Inc. president and CEO George Cope said Bell Canada will launch its new high-speed wireless network Wednesday, one day before Telus Corp. does, though both companies worked to build the network and are sharing the new infrastructure.
That means Bell and Telus customers will be able to upgrade to smartphones, like the trendy Apple iPhone, much more easily – and without switching over to Rogers.
News of Bell's ramped-up launch, months ahead of schedule, came in a presentation Cope gave to a business luncheon in Montreal.
"Wireless is still, without a doubt, the fastest-growing area of telecom," Cope said, calling the network's launch the most significant tech announcement for Bell in 25 years.
BCE's decision to announce an earlier launch means little when compared to the long-term strategies Bell and Telus will have to devise to communicate the network's worth to their customers, said analyst Amit Kaminer of the telecom consultancy SeaBoard Group. Another analyst, Carmi Levy, said it was simply "one-upmanship."
"It will make the iPhone more accessible," Kaminer said. "If you want to have the iPhone and you're a Bell or Telus customer, you can get it more easily."
For a while, Kaminer said, "the community was asking itself, `What would Bell and Telus do?'" The options were to go from the aging but efficient CDMA network to either a third-generation HSPA network or a more advanced, fourth-generation LTE network.
They chose HSPA (high speed packet access) technology over LTE (long-term evolution), a decision Kaminer said makes sense.
"It's an easy evolution path, so when the time is right they'll just upgrade," he said.
Customers on the CDMA network have nothing to worry about, however, since there is no point in eradicating an older network while customers, many of whom are on plans, are still using it – and cheap providers like Telus's Koodo Mobile rely on it.
The new networks do not mean any real increase in competition, though, even if the tightly regulated telecom industry in Canada is in a period of intense flux. The sector remains dominated by the three national providers – Rogers, Bell and Telus. A new national challenger, Globalive, was denied the ability to launch by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission last week, but has vowed to fight on.
"There is no increase in the amount of competition in Canada's wireless industry – you still have three, dominant incumbent players," said Levy. However, consumers benefit from the addition of new third-generation (3G) networks. "Up until now, if you wanted true 3G, you pretty much only had one choice," Levy said. "A Canadian who is buying a smartphone next week will have much more access to faster service than if they buy today."
With files from The Canadian Press
Tue Nov 03 2009
Iain Marlow - Business Reporter
thestar.com
The end of Rogers' iPhone monopoly is drawing near, as its two main Canadian rivals prepare to launch their next-generation wireless network this week.
BCE Inc. president and CEO George Cope said Bell Canada will launch its new high-speed wireless network Wednesday, one day before Telus Corp. does, though both companies worked to build the network and are sharing the new infrastructure.
That means Bell and Telus customers will be able to upgrade to smartphones, like the trendy Apple iPhone, much more easily – and without switching over to Rogers.
News of Bell's ramped-up launch, months ahead of schedule, came in a presentation Cope gave to a business luncheon in Montreal.
"Wireless is still, without a doubt, the fastest-growing area of telecom," Cope said, calling the network's launch the most significant tech announcement for Bell in 25 years.
BCE's decision to announce an earlier launch means little when compared to the long-term strategies Bell and Telus will have to devise to communicate the network's worth to their customers, said analyst Amit Kaminer of the telecom consultancy SeaBoard Group. Another analyst, Carmi Levy, said it was simply "one-upmanship."
"It will make the iPhone more accessible," Kaminer said. "If you want to have the iPhone and you're a Bell or Telus customer, you can get it more easily."
For a while, Kaminer said, "the community was asking itself, `What would Bell and Telus do?'" The options were to go from the aging but efficient CDMA network to either a third-generation HSPA network or a more advanced, fourth-generation LTE network.
They chose HSPA (high speed packet access) technology over LTE (long-term evolution), a decision Kaminer said makes sense.
"It's an easy evolution path, so when the time is right they'll just upgrade," he said.
Customers on the CDMA network have nothing to worry about, however, since there is no point in eradicating an older network while customers, many of whom are on plans, are still using it – and cheap providers like Telus's Koodo Mobile rely on it.
The new networks do not mean any real increase in competition, though, even if the tightly regulated telecom industry in Canada is in a period of intense flux. The sector remains dominated by the three national providers – Rogers, Bell and Telus. A new national challenger, Globalive, was denied the ability to launch by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission last week, but has vowed to fight on.
"There is no increase in the amount of competition in Canada's wireless industry – you still have three, dominant incumbent players," said Levy. However, consumers benefit from the addition of new third-generation (3G) networks. "Up until now, if you wanted true 3G, you pretty much only had one choice," Levy said. "A Canadian who is buying a smartphone next week will have much more access to faster service than if they buy today."
With files from The Canadian Press