Toronto’s Rogers Centre set for major 5G trial

The Rogers Centre multi-use venue in Toronto, Canada, is to undertake a trial of 5G connection technology ahead of a planned multi-year network roll-out.

Canadian communications and media company Rogers Communications, which owns the arena, plans to continue the rollout of its Gigabit LTE network with technology and equipment based on the latest global 3GPP standards.

Rogers has also committed to boosting and densifying its network with small cells and macro sites across Canada, with the idea of working with Ericsson on 5G trials in Toronto and Ottawa.

This activity will be expanded to other select cities over the next year.

“We are at the advent of the fifth generation of wireless networks. Similar to how 4G powered the proliferation of the smartphone and on demand economy, 5G will make the mass communication of IoT a reality, changing how we live and work,” Rogers Communication’s chief technology officer Jorge Fernandes said.

“We’re setting the table to lead on 5G with the right infrastructure, spectrum, partners and investments, so we’re ready when the ecosystem is ready.

“Ericsson has helped pioneer the 5G infrastructure across North America, so we couldn’t think of a better company to support the reliable and consistent network that our customers will use today and in the future with the performance and consistency they expect from us.”

Niklas Heuveldop, head of market area North America at Ericsson, added: “The future of our businesses, our industries and our daily lives will be impacted by 5G, led by innovative service providers like Rogers.

“Rogers is taking a significant leap forward today and we are very excited about the opportunity to jointly develop innovative services and new customer experiences.

“Ericsson is working hard each day to make 5G a reality, here in Canada and around the world. We estimate that there will be one billion 5G subscriptions worldwide by the end of 2023.”

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