DEBT FINANCING. Rogers LTE hits Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver

Rogers said two LTE smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S II and an HTC model,will be available in coming weeks. Darryl Dyck/CPRogers Communications Inc. has expanded its next-generation high-speed wireless network to Canada's three largest cities.
Customers in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal can now get access to speeds "similar to broadband connections" by tapping into the network based on long-term evolution technology (LTE), Rogers said in a news release Wednesday.
That will make it "easier for people to use their devices to download apps, stream HD videos and music or play online games, with virtually no delays or buffering," said John Boynton, the company's executive vice-president and chief marketing officer, in a statement.
Rogers also announced the first tablet in Canada that will support LTE, the HTC Jetstream, which will go on sale Oct. 18. Two LTE smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S II and an HTC model that was not named, will also hit stores in coming weeks, Rogers said, and can already be reserved online.
Up until now, the only LTE devices available from Canadian wireless carriers have been USB turbo sticks.
Rogers first launched its LTE network in Ottawa in July. Bell launched its Ontario LTE network in areas of Toronto, Mississauga, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph on Wednesday.
Both companies expect to expand LTE to other parts of Canada over the next year.
Both Rogers and Bell say typical download speeds on their LTE networks are between 12 and 25 megabits per second. That is significantly faster than their existing HSPA+ networks, which are advertised as offering typical speeds of up to 14 megabits per second.
Rogers has been encouraging people to get updates on when LTE is coming to their area by signing up online. However, the company has come under fire for using the same website to encourage customers to lobby their politicians to support Rogers' bid to participate in an upcoming auction of wireless airwaves.

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