Bell announces roll out of 3G HSPA, future LTE 4G commitment

In a move whose time has certainly come, Bell Mobility will be adding HSPA technology to their existing EVDO wireless network.

The announcement has profound significance for the wireless landscape in Canada, where customers have often needed to make the choice between the handset they wanted and the wireless carrier they wanted to do business with.

Most recently, Apple's introduction of the iPhone to Canada, was a bitter-sweet event for some. Initial excitement was tempered by the realization that Rogers and Fido were the only carriers capable of supporting the ground-breaking new device.

With Bell's announcement, smartphones like the iPhone and handsets from Sony Ericsson and others, will soon be available to a much broader range of mobility subscribers.

The move to HSPA technology, not only puts Bell Mobility's network in direct competition with Rogers, but also signals the path they will take to get to 4G, using an emerging global platform known as LTE.

Bell will be handling the roll-out of HSPA in conjunction with Telus, which presumably will give both mobile operators enhanced network coverage for both sets of customers.

In addition to greater compatibility with existing handsets on the market, HSPA means that Bell and Telus will no longer need to wait for handset manufacturers to provide EVDO versions of their products. New handsets entering the global market will now operate on all major carriers in Canada.

Disclosure: Sync is published by Sympatico / MSN, a partnership between Bell Canada and Microsoft.

What are your thoughts on this announcement?

If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe to this blog via RSS? It's easy and you'll never miss another sync article.