Rogers LTE launch details revealed; follow up
Yesterday morning we dropped some huge news regarding Rogers and its plans to deploy a new LTE network that will launch initially in Vancouver in time for the 2010 Olympics. We went on to detail plans for this new 4G network that go beyond Rogers’ high speed wireless data services to offer relief to its struggling cable network as well. We also revealed that our tipster said this information was gained from a conference call held prior to Rogers’ recent earnings call.
This is pretty massive news if it turns out to be true, however, we felt it needed a second look and a bit of background. The information we reported yesterday came from an anonymous source — one that we believe to have provided accurate information in the past — and he/she included some fairly solid audio evidence as well. We’ve discussed the post with Rogers and even went as far as to share a portion of the recording we received with them in an effort to get a clearer picture of its content. Following the exchange, here is Rogers’ official statement:
Yesterday’s post about Rogers’ move to an LTE network is inaccurate. Rogers did not participate in any such call.
With regard to the audio you shared with us, we do not recognize the voice of the speaker, but we can tell you that it is not an accurate reflection of our plans for LTE.
The audio in question is allegedly a recording of a web conference conducted for one or more Rogers board members to cover the company’s plans with regards to LTE. Rogers has now made its position regarding the audio known so in the interest of being open with our readers here at BGR, you should have the opportunity to hear what we heard. As such, hit the jump for seven minutes of exclusive audio of the alleged web conference.
So what’s the point in buying a 3G device today if we’re on the cusp of getting LTE?
Oh wait.. small coverage footprint initially, new network technology, still a year away from initial intro, nevermind
Sounds fake to me. I’m sure its just some devoted Rogers Wireless Store associate trying to stir the pot. Whatever happened to a telephone conference?
@ gingo balboa…anything that you buy will probably be outdated in 6 months. Most consumers know this
sounds like Nadir Mohammed. CEO of the wireless division at Rogers
Wait, so this is how you treat your sources – rat them out to the employer with audio evidence?
Props to BGR for posting an update/retraction. But:
1) It sounded like the speaker was using voice motification software and a fake accent.
2) Does a 7-minute audio clip with a single voice rambling on about technology he clearly knows very little about constitute a reliable source on this website?
And to cdawg: No, that isn’t Nadir Mohammed.
@Canuck Junk You’ve obviously never been involved with high-level conference calls at a big company. Big wigs do the talking, not the engineers who actually know the nitty gritty technical details of the systems involved. Plus, if it’s a board call it would be highly inappropriate to get into overly technical details. You think they give a fuck about technical minutia? They care about money and what Rogers is doing to make more of it.
Voice “motification” software? Please stop. You can’t even spell it let alone recognize indicators of it. If you’ve been on a web conference, this is exactly how it sounds.. like someone is using tins cans on a string.
No one with any responsibility in any company would ever say: “This will save us a lot of money”.
Also, that’s an Arabic accent on there, not brown. (I’m assuming this person is trying to fake a Nadir impression)
Fakeness.
Just listen to this audio,
It’s kind of weird that they would do all of this for the Olympics, since BELL is the official Provider and Sponsor. Why would they not launch at the same time in TO as well?That’s usually what they do “Center of the Universe” first!
The other weird thing is that 2 departments within a big corp. like RCI would actually communicate (Cable Division and Wireless).
It sure would be nice to see to get 50 Mbps on an USB Stick.
@CDAWG:
“sounds like Nadir”??????? People need to check their brains before dropping ideas that inflame a situation when corporate response is refuting current journalism articles.
It is a prejudice statement to automatically and ignorantly say that a person speaking with a seemingly Arabic or Indian accent would be Nadir Mohammed. If you knew anything, you’d go listen to the Q4 conf call done on the 18th. Nadir has no accent. Also Nadir’s latest title is President and COO of Rogers Inc. Communications Group.
Any person that leaks an internal conference call in any company would be subject to termination unless it is already public knowledge.
Hello, I work for one of the big 3 carriers in Canada and I can tell you that it’s not how a conference call goes down normally.
-Speakers gets introduced, they do not initiate the call
- A legal disclaimer about what is going to be said is confidential etc.. is also read before they start.
- like others said , this recording could have been done by anyone from home on a personal computer.
@El Bastardo: It’s not the lack of technical minutia that’s missing, it’s the strategy that doesn’t make any sense. Using the wireless network to augment the cable network? They haven’t even lauched DOCSIS3.0 yet. There are no issues with capacity on the cable network.
The content and format of the call (one speaker for over 7 minutes, with no questions or follow up from any other participants?) raises alot of red flags about its authenticity.
@Canuck Junk Fair enough. I’m not in Canada, though a quick Google search shows that many many people complain of issues with Rogers’ cable service, especially HD.
Regarding a single speaker for 7 minutes, I’ve definitely been on board calls where the speaker went MUCH longer than 7 minutes before an interruption took place. Also, this audio doesn’t start at minute-zero so he could have given format instructions earlier in the call.
Look, I’m not saying this audio is real. For all I know it could be a 17 year old white kid sitting with his laptop in a bathtub full of tang. All I’m saying is the content makes sense to an extent and the reasoning many are giving in the comments here as definitive evidence that this is fake don’t hold water.
The question isn’t “Why buy a 3G device when we’ll soon get LTE”, it’s “Why should I give a shit about Rogers’ LTE plans when they’re just going to charge me a ridiculous rate for it anyway?” Seriously, only in Canada is $60 for 3GB of data considered a good deal.
I didn’t listen but ultimately why would Rogers want LTE in Van for the Olympics? They already have the GSM/HSPA piece in place to take advantage of roaming revenues, I don’t see any value in them pushing LTE forward for a tight timeframe especially for Van. I call bullshit.