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By Shaun Penner
5g service

Rogers getting Grande Prairie connected with 5G service

Sep 1, 2020 | 12:34 PM

Rogers Communications Inc. is expanding its 5G technology to 50 new markets starting September 1, including here in Grande Prairie.

The company says in a release Tuesday the technology will be launched in a mix of small towns and big cities across Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec as it edges closer to its goal of bringing 5G to 60 markets by the end of the year.

Grande Prairie will join Edmonton, Calgary, Fort McMurray and Lethbridge as the five Alberta communities gaining access to the 5G network, building on Rogers’s January roll-out of downtown Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

The new service promises near-instantaneous speeds for downloading, uploading and streaming.

However, most Canadians won’t be able to access the technology immediately because the network requires use of a 5G-enabled phone.

Rogers has a few 5G phones on the market, but is expecting more to come and consumers to make the switch as they upgrade old devices.

(With files from the Canadian Press)

by Shaun Penner