[mordenxp]

You must need a Bold for this to work cause with my Curve all I see is Rogers here in Halifax.

curve's don't support 3g, so you wouldn't be expected to see it

[huckduck]

You must need a Bold for this to work cause with my Curve all I see is Rogers here in Halifax.

302-880 is the band that will be Telus/Bell 3G network. Borrow a friend's Bold and try looking for networks off their phone. you'll see what i mean

[asherwiin]

So when is it going to be active?

Supposedly according to this article, a 'soft launch' in a few selected markets early September, with a system-wide launch of the Bell/Telus HSPA network in October.

Bell/Telus is also rumoured to be getting new GSM/HSPA phones such as the iPhone and the upcoming Blackberry 9700 Onyx, so Rogers' monopoly on these types of phones is about to end.

Telus Rumoured to get iPhone in October

[dudermont]

Rural Alberta where Rogers is supposed to have 3g one day I found the 302-880 3g network...(Rogers claimed they were going to have it in this area for a while now)

I also talked with an employee of telus that had something to do with the network and he was completely convinced that telus would have the best network in canada and that it would be going main stream early next year.

Hope this kicks rogers into gear with there coverage...I am not a fan of telus.

[asherwiin]

Interesting development - in the area in rural Ontario where Rogers only had EDGE coverage when this post was orginally, they have now launched HSUPA and it is live (network ID 302-720) and the 302-880 network ID is no longer being broadcast, which makes me wonder if the 302-880 was actually a 'test' ID for Rogers, and then it flipped over to 302-720 for production? Anyone techie enough out there to know for sure?

Anyway, I'm happy with Rogers now. Got a 2mb connection on my Internet stick when I booted up this morning! Looks like Rogers is also racing to finally finish their 3G network to compete against the new one from Bell/Telus.

[jcox20]

Seeing that same network id here in fort st john bc and also in grande prairie alberta on an iphone 3gs. (Used to have a blackberry which is why i am a member of this site)

[rangerbob]

see it in Kitchener, ON

[brodys2]

Got it here in St Catharines Ontario (Telus 2G H. Last just for a second and then picks up rogers 2G. when will it stick? come on Telus...

[rangerbob]

i don't want to sound like a noob, but i will anyway i ask.
so I have an unlocked 9000 - Rogers. is there a way to roam on to the Belus network? or is it locked currently?

[neptune229]

Actually the belus network hasn't even officially launched yet. Right now they're supposedly doing testing, with the goal of launching by early 2010 (but hopefully earlier...). None of Telus, nor Bell's current phones will work on the new network, I know the Tour, TP2, and Storm all have HSPA radios, but they're at 2100Mhz (a European band) while the Belus HSPA network will be on 850/1900 Mhz.
Assuming Belus allows foreign handsets to use the new network with a sim card, then yes, you will be able to use the Belus network with your Bold.
I hope it launches soon, I want the Onyx!!!

[LazyStarGazer]

i don't want to sound like a noob, but i will anyway i ask.
so I have an unlocked 9000 - Rogers. is there a way to roam on to the Belus network? or is it locked currently?

.
Its testing only right now. Once its open for business, you should be able to roam on it.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[rangerbob]

.
Its testing only right now. Once its open for business, you should be able to roam on it.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

well that makes sense. the bold is 850 / 1900 / 2100 so i was trying to figure out why it wouldn't connext to the Belus HSPA signal i can see. oh well, guess we will have to wait a bit.

[rangerbob]

Bell is currently trying to buy our account out from Rogers (running 67 BB's on our BES currently). i am having a hard time figuring out if a switch to Bell is a smart one. coverage and speed is a major concern of mine.

[thvpham]

Bell's current 3G network has more coverage across Canada than Rogers. I would assume that their HSPA+ network will have extensive coverage as well since Bell and Telus will be sharing some of the networks across the provinces.

[skel420]

I have been having issues related to the 302-880 network in Calgary recently.

I work in downtown Calgary and if I venture to a part of the office which gets no Rogers network signal (internal offices), my BB will auto switch to the 302-880 network and show SOS.

Even after I re-enter an area that gets a Rogers signal, the BB will stay on the 302-880 network with SOS until I durn the wireless off and then back on. The only fix I have found is to leave the BB wireless network in manual mode.

[godson_2k]

Geese, hope it's not megawatts or we'll all be glowing in the dark...LOL

Lmao I second that

[sv123]

I see 302-880 in the Greater Toronto Area on my Bold, however, it when I attempt to connect it says "network connect failed". Now it's on SOS.

[asherwiin]

Here is the official Bell press release:

Bell clients to access the fastest, largest national wireless network deployment ever starting next month

Looks like a nationwide launch, with better coverage than Rogers, and the same HSPA+ speed. This could be a game-changer for the Canadian market, will make things a lot more competitive for Rogers.

[shabbasuraj]

Now for ROBBERS.. this is now officially going to get interesting.

TheStar.com | Business | Bell, Telus launch network that supports iPhone

[snowsquirrel]

Does anyone know what Roger's policy is for buying out a contract? It is a 3yr contract, and I am only a year in. Rogers only has 3g coverage in major urban centers, and in many places I lose coverage completely on the trans-canada. My Edge data speeds are generally slower than a 56k modem (that is not a subject observation, I am constantly running network speed tests to prove it). I don't see myself moving to the city anytime soon.

I knew about their ****ty coverage before I signed up (as I had been a rogers customer about 7 years ago). But I had assumed it would have improved. I also assumed that 3G would have been much more ubiquitous. Well it hasn't really improved very much, and 3G is non-existant for the most part in my world, and even worse in other provinces; I live in NS, but on a recent trip which took me all over the southern have of SK, I would say I was only in covergae 25% of the time.

If Bell can give me HSPA in rural areas, it would be worth it for me to buy out my contract, if the buy out is anything close to reasonable.

edit, found solution:

An Early Cancellation Fee (ECF) applies if, for any reason, your service is terminated prior to the end of the service agreement. The ECF is the greater of (i) $100 or (ii) $20 per month remaining in the service agreement, to a maximum of $400 (plus applicable taxes), and applies to each line in the plan that is terminated. If you have subscribed to your Price Plan before February 1st, 2007 and you continue or renew on the same Price Plan on a 12, 24 or 36-month term, the ECF will be equal to $20 times the number of months remaining in the term, to a maximum of $200

[shabbasuraj]

Bell, Telus to offer iPhones in November - thestar.com

[smnc]

to answer the OP...yes...in short once Bell/Telus turn on their HSPA network they will have better coverage than Rogers.

The simple reason? well Rogers has not taken advantage of covering a lot of rural areas, including the maritimes, this alone makes bell/telus more appealing to folks in those areas.

Telus National Coverage Map

Belus has better coverage than Rogers already. Putting new equipment on their existing towers means they'll have better coverage than Rogers on more than one frquency.

Also, I've read that Rogers' HSPA transmitters are 25 Megs, while the Belus ones will be 100 Megs. ( I assume that Meg means Megawatt, similar to FM radio, and a stronger signal will travel farther and penetrate buildings better?)

A. I don't know if this has been confirmed.

B. Can anyone explain what that means?

(I assume that Meg means Megawatt, similar to FM radio, and a stronger signal will travel farther and penetrate buildings better?)

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Bell's current 3G network has more coverage across Canada than Rogers. I would assume that their HSPA+ network will have extensive coverage as well since Bell and Telus will be sharing some of the networks across the provinces.

Okay so there is a LOT of misinformation here, and I'll do my best to clean it up.

So first thing you all have to realize, is that Rogers actually has WAY more towers out there than Bellus CDMA (Bell/Telus shared network).
So why, you may ask, does Bellus offer superior coverage? It's simply technology limitations. It's not that "Rogers Sucks" or "Rogers doesn't care about rural areas".
CDMA/EvDO technology that Bellus uses right now has a MUCH longer range than the GSM/HSPA based Rogers network. However the cost of that range is bandwidth. That's why HSPA is SO much faster than EvDO.
The popular metaphor is that CDMA is a pipe a mile long and an meter wide, while GSM is a mile wide and a meter long.

So, just because the Bellus has better coverage NOW, does not automatically mean they will have better coverage with HSPA.

Now I know Bellus has been working hard, and have promised a million sq.km of coverage. GREAT. All I'm saying that great CDMA/EvDO coverage does not = great HSPA coverage.

Also, about Bell's rumored "more powerful transmitters", I've not heard anything, and it would have a very limited effectiveness anyway. The limiting factor in mobile communications is almost NEVER the base station transmitter (cell phone transmitter), it's the much weaker transmitter in the mobile handset.
Think about it. If I can yell really loud, and you can hear me a mile away, but you can't yell as loud and I can't hear you, then it's kind of hard to have a conversation, right? Cell tower transmitters could be made much more powerful and reach huge distances, but it would mean nothing due to the limited range of the phones.

[froesei]

In Manitoba Rogers and MTS just recently made a roaming deal. Rogers coverage outside of Winnipeg is spotty at best, but MTS covers much of the province, so for us in Manitoba on Rogers that is good news.

Maybe we'll see Rogers make deals with other regional carries to improve coverage.

"Spotty at best"? That's an extremely inaccurate statement. I'll give you that it's not as widespread as MTS, but nowhere near as bad as you are implying.

[kriEv]

Im gonna quote myself from the Telus forums:

Im going to help answer a few speculations if I may..

Im a ASP for Ericsson, working on Roger's HSPA network, the company I work for also does work for Telus and Bell. The only information i have is concerning Telus, since we've been installing the HSPA equipment all over Quebec over this past year.

Telus was asked to build the network in and surrounding the major citiies and Bell was asked to build to connect the citites. This new network is a joint venture, obviously they will launch at the same time and for you the user, you don't need to worry about coverage. Trust me.

As for the HSPA 2100 in Canada.. Rogers did purchase the rights for it 'nationally' and we did some testing in northern ontario with a new Tri-Band Cabinet, however this was not successful. Forget about 2100 in Canada for a while.

As for LTE, Rogers will be the first to upgrade to this called 4G network, within the next year im sure i will be running accross eastern canada modifying the current equipment to allow us to use LTE technology. However, sites are currently being upgraded to 21mbit as we speak, so give it another couple months and Roger's will pretty much dominate in terms of speed and quality.

I do hope this new venture for Telus and Bell will help them get a bit more competition on Rogers in the HSPA market, i believe we deserve more competition.


Cheers!

If you have any questions, let me know, ill try to answer


If your main concern is about coverage, i know for a fact that this new HSPA network will be 'everywhere'

They have it in places Rogers doesn't. (Rural) However, imo, Rogers is a lot stronger in main cities.

[RogersRiley]

kriEv that is EXCELLENT information. I for one was assuming Rogers was already ahead of the curve for LTE, since they have been the first to launch everything else. As far as the Telus/Bell joint network is concerned, it will be very nice for those in rural areas currently not covered by Rogers 3.5G or HSPA+, but I have no doubt Rogers will be the first to lead use into the next gen again.