High-speed hungry Canadians will soon have a new option when seeking out a wireless carrier. This morning, TELUS officially announced its plans to get rolling on an HSPA network with a target launch sometime in early 2010 with a full-on 4G network to follow. That’s right people, our pals north of the border will probably be feasting on 4G data ar while we’re still angry that all the iPhone 3Gs out there are dropping throughput to EDGE-like speeds. TELUS CEO snippet time:
This technology evolution is a win for Canadian consumers. TELUS’ investment in next generation wireless services will give our clients more wireless functionality including; international roaming, fast network speeds and a compelling selection of globally-compatible handsets and devices. As the next evolution in our multi-network strategy, this initiative will position TELUS to actively participate in the future global LTE eco-system and leverage economies of scale, offer timely access to handsets, and enhance global roaming relationships and revenues.
Through a revised agreement with Bell, TELUS will be using the 1900 MHz and 850 MHz spectrum and both Nokia Siemens Networks and Huawei will be providing the LTE gear. The entire project is expected to run TELUS about $750 million.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]