"Investing in broadband networks and services and accelerating wireless are strategic imperatives for the Bell team, and they are key to achieving our goal - to be recognized by customers as Canada's leading communications company," said George Cope, President and Chief Executive Officer of BCE and Bell Canada.

"This investment initiative builds on our industry-leading wireless service - which already offers access to the largest and fastest network across North America- to deliver Canadians the broadest choice in high-speed wireless service, while confirming our path forward to LTE, the global 4G wireless broadband standard."

As it continues to expand and enhance its national 3G CDMA/EVDO service, Bell will also overlay this industry-leading network with HSPA technology, maximizing the latest-generation wireless options the company can offer customers across Canada.

Bell wireless customers will be able to choose between EVDO - already the dominant 3G standard in Canada and across North America - and HSPA, which is rapidly becoming the main platform with carriers outside North America. At the same time, overlaying HSPA on its national network will offer Bell the most efficient upgrade path to the 4G LTE broadband standard in coming years.

"This network initiative is proof positive of Bell's new 'better' brand promise - in this case, 'Wireless just got better.' We fully anticipate that our expanded national 3G networks will continue to offer Canadian consumers and business clients the best and broadest coverage and now with an unbeatable range of high-speed handsets and service options," said Wade Oosterman, President of Bell Mobility and Chief Brand Officer for Bell. "As the exclusive telecommunications partner to the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games, we look forward to delivering these enhanced capabilities before Canada hosts the world in 2010."

LTE is the 4G wireless broadband standard that will be rolled out globally post-2010, delivering extremely fast broadband mobile data speeds and a wide range of new mobile multimedia and personalized data services.

"Bell's transition to the global 4G LTE standard with a combined EVDO and HSPA network path aligns us with more than 30 major carriers worldwide planning a similar move to LTE," said Stephen Howe, Senior Vice President, Wireless Network and Chief Technology Officer for Bell Mobility. "This broad global technology ecosystem will mean a fast, efficient and cost-effective network transition to 4G LTE, and access to the broadest possible range of next-generation phones and data services."

Bell will greatly reduce time to market for its network overlay by leveraging its existing national network-sharing agreement with TELUS Corporation. The agreement was originally established in 2001 to ensure the fast delivery of and increased competition in national mobile data services, especially in rural and remote areas.

Following a comprehensive vendor evaluation process, Bell has chosen Nokia Siemens Networks and Huawei as infrastructure providers for its national network overlay.

Keywords: strategic imperatives, network initiative, investment initiative, term evolution, migration path, network capabilities, canadian consumers, 4g wireless, unbeatable range, 3g cdma, bell wireless, wireless options, brand promise, leading communications, 3G

By Robert Hoskins

Click here for more 802.11 News