Rogers expands HSDPA

Confirming rumors from earlier in the year, Rogers Wireless has now officially expanded its HSDPA services, broadening them to 22 new regions within Canada. Rogers is the only carrier in the country that supports HSDPA, and it had previously restricted it to the "Golden Horseshoe," encircling Toronto and some surrounding area. Rogers customers can now sign up for the high-speed Vision service in major cities such as Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver, as well as other important regions including Ottawa, Regina and Winnipeg.

Vision brings with it numerous abilities, such as video calling, which is not offered by any other carrier in North America. Users also have access to versions of YouTube and MySpace, along with 25 TV and video channels, plus radio stations including XM satellite feeds.

Rogers' plans remain highly restrictive compared to American counterparts, however: supported phones include a limited range, such as the Samsung A706 and the LG Shine Slider, and buying one with a three-year Vision contract (at $5/mo.) still limits users to 10MB of data per month for browsing, e-mail and instant messaging. Many American plans offer unlimited data under less restrictive conditions.

By Electronista Staff