Telus And Hspa -- Engadget Mobile

telus,hspa posts

Telus kicks off HSPA+ network with iPhone November 5th, HTC Hero, LG New Chocolate and more to follow

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 26th 2009 @ 9:10PM

Telus already announced that it'd be launching the iPhone in November, but it's just now gotten official with an actual date: November 5th -- which just so happens to also be the day that it lights up its brand new HSPA+ network. Unfortunately for anyone hoping that a little competition would spark a price war, Telus is matching Rogers' prices across the board, starting at $99.99 for the basic 8GB iPhone 3G, and moving up to $199.99 for the 16GB 3GS, and $299.99 for the 32GB 3GS (all on a three-year contract, of course). What's more, Telus has also taken the opportunity to offer the first official confirmation of some of the other devices that'll take advantage of its new network, including the HTC Hero, the previously rumored LG New Chocolate (a.k.a BL40), the Blackberry Bold 9700, and the Nokia E71 (plus a USB stick, for good measure). No prices or release dates for any of those just yet, unfortunately, but the Hero and New Chocolate are apparently Telus exclusives.

iPhone headed to Telus and Bell's fancy new HSPA networks next month?

by Paul Miller posted Oct 5th 2009 @ 10:07PM

Rogers is losing its iPhone exclusivity in Canada next month, if a new report by The Globe and Mail is to be believed. Telus and Bell -- traditionally CDMA-bound -- have been prepping GSM networks of their own in a joint effort, and it sounds like they'll be getting this off on the right foot with the iPhone 3GS as a launch device. Nothing's official just yet, but those in the know expect an announcement tomorrow or Wednesday. Rogers isn't the best-loved carrier in Canada, and a bit of choice never hurt anybody, so this seems like pretty good news all-round for our friendly northern neighbors

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

GSMA backpedals, changes Telus' HSPA launch window to October

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 27th 2009 @ 5:22PM

We can imagine the phone call now:

"GSM Association, how can I help you?"
"Yo, this is Telus... where'd you hear September for our HSPA launch? What are you smoking?"
"But we..."
"Yeah, 'but you' nothing. October, broham... you heard it here first. Telus out." (click)

[Thanks, Alex]

GSMA spills beans on September launch for Telus' HSPA network

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 26th 2009 @ 8:01PM

There was really never any question that Telus' shiny new HSPA network was launching this fall, but the carrier's generally been tightlipped on specifics; fortunately, standards bodies and industry associations have a funny tendency to unintentionally help fill in some of those blanks, and this time around it's the GSM Association doing the honors. The GSMA is now reporting that HSPA (well, HSDPA, anyway) will be live next month, and customers apparently can expect to be treated to the opportunity to buy some world-class devices like the Hero and BL40 to celebrate the launch. It's hard to tell what Rogers is really thinking through the poker face -- but if you look closely, we think you can see a few beads of sweat forming.

[Via MobileSyrup and HowardForums]

Telus' CDMA-to-HSPA customer migration system caught doing its thing

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 28th 2009 @ 8:11AM

What's that, dear Telus subscriber? That, friend, is the look of inevitability. The look of a relentless march in the direction of GSMA-loved, 3GPP-approved standards. The look of what Telus employees across Canada will be seeing over the coming months as they port customers to HSPA hardware. We still don't know exactly when the carrier is flipping the switch on its shiny new network, but subsidiary Koodo is already showing SIMs on its site, so it can't be long now. So, does CAD $25 sound reasonable for the pleasure of making the switch?

[Via MobileSyrup]

LG BL40 helping to kick off Telus' HSPA network?

by Chris Ziegler posted May 18th 2009 @ 10:26AM

So there's this awesome new LG handset in the works for Vodafone and T-Mobile (probably Europe, but we're not sure) -- we haven't seen it, but from LG's published specs, we know it's got a whopper 800 x 345 display, HSDPA, and likely a 5 megapixel camera. That's really nothing to write home about by 2009 high-end LG standards, but the mayhem begins when you realize that there's also a version of this sucker specified for Telus. Yes, Telus -- the Canadian CDMA carrier that is currently in the process of building out its HSPA network but doesn't have any commercial markets live yet. With HSDPA in tow, could the BL40 (which we still haven't seen, by the way) be one of the carrier's inaugural GSM devices? Seems likely, and with 800 x 345 pixels front and center, we're cautiously optimistic that it's a strong choice.

[Via MobileSyrup]

Telus cuts employees, boosts spending on 3G network

by Chris Ziegler posted May 11th 2009 @ 5:17PM

In what has become an all-too-common theme across the telecom and wireless industries -- and just about every industry, for that matter -- Telus cut 1,160 employees from its payroll in the first quarter, a move that it says cost it roughly $28 million in restructuring fees. If it's any consolation, though, the reduction's being offset by capital investment in excess of CAD $2 billion this year to ramp up its 3G infrastructure buildout that'll ultimately see Rogers-fighting HSPA spectrum go live as an interim step on the way to LTE. With $700 million getting spent in Alberta, $500 million in British Columbia, and $300 million in Ontario, that work will undoubtedly create some jobs, so there's your silver lining right there.

[Via MobileSyrup]

Mystery 3G network appears in Canada -- tomfoolery from Bell and Telus?

by Sean Cooper posted Feb 3rd 2009 @ 3:17PM

Seems Howardforums user Treatz glimpsed a new MCC / MNC (Mobile Country Code / Mobile Network Code) tuple in Toronto Canada early yesterday, say hello to 302-640. Why should you, and why do we care? Well, each network uses an MCC / MNC, to uniquely identify itself and Fido has 307-370, Rogers 302-720, and Telus 302-86. We hunted down a great reference in the CNA (many thanks to Glenn at Canadian Numbering Administrator) and what do you know, 302-806 is Telus / Bell shared but 302-640 is Bell Canada. So the question is, could this be some late night testing of Bell and Telus' upcoming 3G network by some Bell people? We're not in the Toronto area, but would really dig it if anybody who happens to be up late at night could have a peek and see if this pops up for them -- because if people are seeing this all over, that's nothing but a good thing.

[Via Howardforums]

Sorry, CDMA: Telus, Bell finally fess up to HSPA, LTE aspirations

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 10th 2008 @ 3:48PM

Capping months of speculation, Canadian CDMA carriers Bell and Telus have both announced that they'll be moving to HSPA to power portions their 3G networks as a stop-gap on their way to an eventual LTE rollout. While both networks will be investing heavily to build out the necessary infrastructure, they'll be sharing the fruits of their collective labor to extend roaming agreements that are already in place between the two -- a logical move, considering they'll be going up against the Rogers juggernaut which has the distinct advantage of already being on the GSM technology roadmap. The carriers are looking at 2010 to flip the switch on HSPA, but don't worry, owners of EV-DO handsets: the CDMA goods will continue to be supported for the foreseeable future while HSPA is getting layered on top. Odds are, anyone using a CDMA handset will be due for new hardware long before the lights finally go out.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Bell, Telus to announce HSPA partnership this week?

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 1st 2008 @ 1:01PM

Now that literally everyone on the planet except Bell and Telus themselves has accepted that the Canadian carriers are moving away from CDMA, the rumors are really starting to heat up -- and there's a twist this time around. Rather than wait for LTE, the Financial Post is reporting that Canada's two CDMA giants will proceed directly to HSPA posthaste, dropping $1 billion in the process to try to get a network up and running in just one year's time. Furthermore, they won't be trying to outbuild one another; instead, FP's sources report that Bell and Telus will be partnering in an effort to take the Rogers juggernaut head-on. It's starting to look more and more like CDMA is becoming a burden and a competitive disadvantage for the carriers that are still on it -- and if this all goes down, Rogers had better be looking over its shoulder.

[Thanks, Justin S.]