Toronto Subway | Rogers launches 5G network without Bell and Telus

(Toronto) Rogers Communications has rolled out its high-speed 5G cellular service to its own customers on key parts of the downtown Toronto subway network while the company continues to battle with the other major telcos for access for all public transit users .


The company said it has also upgraded the cellular network to give all subway riders more reliable access to emergency services in the same areas.

Rogers President and CEO Tony Staffieri called the launch a significant milestone.

“We have increased our efforts to modernize and expand the current network so that riders can enjoy more reliable access to 911 service and connect to the 5G network from anywhere across the subway system, including the subway” , he said in a statement.

Rogers says customers will be able to connect starting Wednesday at Line 1 stations and tunnels in the “U” section of downtown, from Union Station in the north to St. George and Bloor-Yonge, as well as at the Spadina and Dupont stations can connect to its 5G network.

Users can also access the 5G network at 13 stations on Line 2 from Keele to Castle Frank, as well as in the tunnels between St George and Yonge stations.

Rogers in April acquired BAI Communications’ Canadian operations, which owned the rights to provide wireless service on the Toronto subway.

The company announced plans to upgrade existing infrastructure, which already has cellular capabilities in most of the metro stations in the city center, and roll out 5G capability to its entire network of stations and tunnels – a process that is expected to take two will take years.

Bell and Telus went to the sidelines

Rogers has promised to work with other wireless carriers and make the improved system available to everyone, but competitors have expressed concerns about the company’s plans.

The federal government launched a consultation process last month to speed up negotiations between the main operators.

In a document filed with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) earlier this month, Rogers opposed an option the department was considering that would prevent it from giving its customers access to the upgraded wireless network for the first time. He said he would prefer the matter to be resolved through trade negotiations.

Rogers is committed to making the improved system available to other wireless carriers so they can offer cellular coverage to their customers. This includes maintaining BAI’s previous contract with Freedom Mobile, now part of Quebecor and the only operator whose customers already have access to the network.

Bell and Telus both advocated building the metro’s 5G network together using a consortium model similar to that of the Montreal metro system, rather than a pay-per-access approach. Rogers has not publicly acknowledged either model.

In their own submissions to Ottawa, Bell and Telus called on the government to prevent Rogers from allowing its customers first access to the TTC. These companies indicated that Rogers should be forced to wait until it was technically possible for all users to use the cellular network.

Stuart Green, spokesman for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), said the decision to roll out cellular service on the subway network was entirely up to Rogers.

“As long as there is no order to the contrary, we cannot and do not want to stop them. As far as we know, nothing stands in the way of that launch,” he said in an email.

According to TTC CEO Rick Leary, this decision is “further evidence of Rogers’ commitment to providing modern, high-speed connectivity on the TTC subway system.”

“TTC and Rogers team members are working hard to bring this project to fruition quickly, and I look forward to seeing the end result when all wireless carriers are integrated,” Leary said in a press release.

Tyrone Hodgson

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