Rogers accelerates investments in British Columbia to bring next gen technology to province

Rogers Communications is planning to double its investments this year to expand its LTE network in B.C., boost and densify its fibre-powered network in Vancouver, and lay the groundwork for 5G in the province.

“With a long history in British Columbia, we are proud to invest meaningfully to drive innovation across the province, and help Canada thrive in today’s digital, global economy,” said Jorge Fernandes, Chief Technology Officer. “Investment in B.C.’s infrastructure will not only connect people in B.C., it will help local businesses thrive, and enable governments and critical services to save time, money, and lives.”

“Our new fibre build will further connect thousands more businesses, as well as local governments, giving them more choice in the province,” said Dean Prevost, President, Rogers for Business. “More fibre allows Rogers to enable even more underserved businesses in the province, with reliable connectivity and flexibility for future growth as we go live with 5G.”

In 2018, Rogers and UBC announced a multi-million dollar partnership to build a real-world 5G hub on the UBC campus that will be a blueprint for 5G innovation in Canada. Our partnership with UBC is part of our multi-year program to bring 5G to Canadians and to drive Canada’s economic growth.

The first UBC research investment supports the Clean, Connected and Safe Transportation Testbed. This smart city initiative assesses how 5G networks and applications will improve autonomous vehicle safety, traffic management and fuel efficiency. The second investment supports research in reducing 5G frequency interference as multiple connected devices communicate at the same time, over the same spectrum. These findings will help the performance of mission-critical 5G-powered applications like autonomous vehicles, manufacturing robotics and remote surgery equipment.

“Partnerships are instrumental to our plans to bring next generation technology to B.C.” added Fernandes. “Together with UBC, we will continue to test real-world applications for 5G, and invest in top researchers and students so that we can bring Canadians the best that 5G has to offer.”

In 2018, Rogers contributed $14 billion to the Canadian economy. Its planned investments in B.C. expand upon its provincial technology, content, people and community investments in 2018. Rogers expanded its wireless network in B.C., including Vancouver Island, Sproat Lake, Qualicum Beach, Witset and along Highway 16, Kelowna, Burnaby, Maple Ridge, Vancouver and across the SkyTrain.

Last year, it announced plans to launch a national LTE-M network to enable the next era of IoT solutions in Canada, which is now live in select areas across B.C. as well as Alberta, Ontario and Atlantic.

The company employs thousands of British Columbians, own and operate Citytv Vancouver, OMNI B.C., and 10 radio stations providing local news and sports across the province, and invest millions to support B.C.-based independent filmmakers through the Rogers Group of Funds.