Rogers Communications has partnered with Ericsson to launch Canada’s first commercially available 5G standalone (SA) network.
Rogers began deploying its 5G standalone core in December 2020 and completed the national rollout in October 2021. That same month the operator received the country’s first 5G SA device certification for the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
“Achieving Canada’s first 5G standalone device certification and completing our national 5G standalone core rollout underscore Rogers’ leadership and innovation in 5G,” said Luciano Ramos, Senior Vice President of Network Development and Core Engineering, when the certification was announced.
“For 5G innovation to reach users, compatible smartphones are needed to connect to 5G standalone service. We’re proud of our team for reaching this milestone with Google and our long-time partner Ericsson, helping to bring the best of 5G to our customers.”
This week Rogers has activated the next-generation service and is now offering 5G standalone commercially across its network where available.
“We are thrilled to be the first in Canada to launch a commercial 5G standalone service,” said Jorge Fernandes, Chief Technology Officer at Rogers Communications.
“This milestone highlights our continued leadership in 5G and will deliver immediate benefits to customers by expanding coverage, improving scalability and availability, and reducing network response times — enabling new use cases and applications.”
Rogers’ 5G SA network offers lower latency and includes edge computing and network slicing capabilities designed to support future enterprise and consumer applications.
“Today’s launch opens new opportunities and capabilities for industries, businesses and consumers across Canada,” said Yasir Hussain, Chief Technology Officer of Ericsson Canada.
“Ericsson is working with Rogers to deliver advanced 5G services and innovative network solutions to meet the growing demand from Canadian companies and consumers.”
Rogers says compatible devices should automatically connect to its 5G SA network where coverage is available, and additional major devices will be added later this year.
(Photo by chris robert on Unsplash)
Interested in learning more about 5G and the opportunities it offers? Attend industry events such as 5G Expo to hear from leaders and practitioners. Upcoming shows in the series were planned for Santa Clara on 11–12 May 2022, Amsterdam on 20–21 September 2022, and London on 1–2 December 2022.
For additional enterprise technology events and webinars, see the schedule provided by TechForge.