Double the spectrum means double the video capacity for Rogers'
customers
TORONTO,
April 3, 2014 /CNW/ - With final
payments made to Industry Canada,
Rogers Communications today announced further details about its
plans for the twenty year licenses it scored for its customers
across the country.
"We went into this auction with a clear plan to win the best
spectrum for our customers. There is clear demand for the ultimate
video experience and it will be a big part of how we bring the NHL
to hockey fans," said Guy Laurence,
President and Chief Executive Officer.
Recent studies show the amount of video watched on smartphones
and tablets has grown by more than 700%1 since 2011and
sports is a significant share. Rogers data shows there was a 50
percent spike in traffic during the final men's Olympic hockey
games as Rogers customers tuned in to catch all the action live on
their phones and tablets.
Rogers was the only company to secure two 12MHz blocks of
contiguous, paired 700MHz lower band spectrum in virtually every
major market across Canada,
securing twice as much contiguous spectrum as the competition. This
is an advantage because the two contiguous blocks can be combined
to deliver consistently fast downloads and uninterrupted video
streaming in more places than ever before.
"Rogers has emerged as an LTE powerhouse," said Peter Rysavy, President, Rysavy Research, a
well-known U.S.-based firm specializing in wireless technology and
spectrum analysis. "They won highly desired spectrum and their
customers will enjoy the benefits of a well-executed spectrum
auction plan. The U.S. device ecosystem has evolved to make
the A band spectrum much more valuable. Rogers strategy of
acquiring both A and B band contiguous spectrum gives Rogers a
significant advantage over the competition that has spectrum split
between the lower and upper 700 MHz band."
Investing in this prime real estate builds on Rogers' multi-band
4G LTE spectrum strategy, which already uses both the AWS and
2600MHz spectrum bands. Rogers existing 4G LTE network has
already been proven to deliver the fastest broadband wireless
speeds in Canada. The new 700MHz
spectrum means our customers' devices will now be served on the
fastest LTE network in even more places in both urban and rural
markets.
Rogers customers will be able to use their existing LTE devices
as soon as the new spectrum is deployed, which will begin during
2014.
*Ooyala's Q4 2013 Global Video Index
About Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications is a diversified Canadian communications and
media company. We are Canada's largest provider of wireless
voice and data communications services and one of Canada's leading providers of cable
television, high speed internet and telephony services. Through
Rogers Media we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting,
televised shopping, magazines and trade publications, sports
entertainment, and digital media. We are publicly traded on the
Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York
Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). For further information about the
Rogers group of companies, please visit rogers.com.
SOURCE Rogers Communications Inc.