The launch enables wireless customers with Google Pixel 6, Google Pixel 6 Pro, and other 5G SA capable devices to connect to the 5G SA network
The first commercial 5G SA network in Canada has been launched by Rogers Communications. (Credit: F. Muhammad from Pixabay)
Rogers Communications in partnership with Ericsson has launched the first commercial 5G standalone (SA) network in Canada.
The Canadian telecommunications company has turned on the next-generation service after wrapping up the rollout of the first national standalone 5G core in the country as well as its first 5G standalone device certification.
The launch enables wireless customers having Google Pixel 6, Google Pixel 6 Pro, and other 5G SA capable devices to connect to the 5G SA network, said Rogers Communications.
Wireless customers who have capable devices will connect automatically to the 5G SA service where it has been launched.
The Canadian firm said that it plans to onboard other major devices later this year.
Rogers Communications chief technology officer Jorge Fernandes said: “We are thrilled to be the first in Canada to launch a commercial 5G standalone service.
“This milestone underscores our ongoing leadership in 5G and will bring immediate benefits to customers by increasing coverage, scalability and availability, and improving network response times, enabling a world of new use cases and applications.”
The 5G SA core network of Rogers Communications is said to have been developed from the ground up based on the latest cloud native technologies. It is expected to enable more advanced wireless capabilities such as ultra-low latency, mobile edge computing, and network slicing.
According to Rogers Communications, Rogers 5G SA has been built to massively scale and will underpin the high growth of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in the future.
The company said that 5G core and 5G radio access network (RAN) slicing allows it to offer innovative new services to customers, which include public safety applications, dedicated private networks, and access to edge compute for augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) consumer applications.
Ericsson has been the exclusive supplier for the 5G RAN and 5G core for Rogers Communications’ 5G network.
Ericsson Canada chief technology officer Yasir Hussain said: “Today’s launch delivers exciting new opportunities and capabilities to industries, businesses and consumers across Canada.
“Ericsson is collaborating with our partners at Rogers to deliver 5G advanced services and innovative network solutions to meet the growing demand from Canadian companies and consumers.”