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Industry watchers say the launch this week of the High Speed Packet Access-plus cellular network shared by Telus Mobility and Bell Mobility will change Canada's wireless landscape almost overnight as both carriers prepare to launch a bevy of new products on their broadband network.

Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. has launched its service Wednesday while Telus Corp. plans to roll out its HSPA offerings Thursday.

The new network is based on upgraded GSM technology commonly used to operate wireless networks around the world. It puts the two national carriers on par with Rogers Communications Inc., which has been running its HSPA+ network for weeks.

“It will help Bell and Telus compete against Rogers,” says Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst for mobility at Toronto-based IDC Canada. “Rogers was able to pull away from the pack with a handset advantage over the last year. Now that advantage has been eliminated.”

Many cell phone manufacturers choose GSM technology because it is more widespread than the CDMA/EVDO networks used by Bell and Telus. However, CDMA networks are more common in North America.

HSPA+ is an upgrade to GSM technology and paves the path for a 4G network using Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology.

Bell has met its goal of launching the network before the Winter Olympics in B.C., says Andy Wright, director of business development at Bell Mobility.

“It's one of the largest single deployments anywhere in the world,” he says. “93 per cent of the population will be covered with our initial deployment … and over 1 million square kilometres.”

After launch, Bell will be running two country-wide networks and Telus three, including its iDEN-based Mike network acquired from Clearnet Communications in 2000.

Both companies plan to support their current networks in addition to the new HSPA+ network.

”Our customers will have the best of both worlds,” Bell Mobility's Wright says. “For our current customers, we firmly believe in the technology of the EVDO network.”

Bell claims to have more than six million customers on its EVDO network.

Telus will also continue to offer services on its three networks, says A.J. Gratton, spokesperson.

Existing customers of the big carriers are likely to experience any service deterioration because of the change, says Lawrence Surtees, principal analyst of communications research at IDC Canada.

“We've seen all cell phone and wireless networks operate dual networks as they migrate,” he says. “They've done this all the time.”

Both Bell and Telus are launching a bevy of new products alongside the new network. The carriers will offer Apple's iPhone and the new BlackBerry Bold 9700 from Research in Motion. Both will also be launching their own exclusive phones.

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