Telus becomes 3rd Canadian carrier with LTE

Telus became the third Canadian carrier with an LTE-based 4G network on Thursday. Starting on February 10 in Halifax, the carrier will have the same 75Mbps peak download speeds and 12-25Mbps averages as the existing networks from rivals Bell and Rogers. It plans to kick off the network with the Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE, LG's Optimus LTE smartphone, and Novatel's Ovation MC679 modem; the Galaxy Note with LTE will be available on February 14.

Unlike Rogers, Telus is stressing that it won't implement separate, LTE-specific plans with a higher minimum price. The choice lets users pay as little as $35 for 2GB or a flex-rate plan that starts at $5 for 10MB, although the maximum 6GB, $60 plan gives relatively little room for frequent users. Telus touts the ability to download a 600MB album in 3.5 to seven minutes, which would let a user hit a monthly cap in just over half an hour.

More cities and devices are expected over the course of the year, including 13 more cities that will focus mostly on key Ontario cities as well as Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Quebec City, Vancouver, and Yellowknife. The step will see the top three major carriers all having established LTE networks and should only leave budget, mostly regional carriers like Mobilicity and Wind without LTE for now.

By Electronista Staff

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