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Rogers Wi-Fi Rocket Hub Shares 7.2 Mbps Wireless Connectivity

Categories: HSPA+, Rogers, Wi-Fi
By: , IntoMobile
Thursday, October 1st, 2009 at 1:54 PM

While y’all down south are playing with Novatel MiFi hotspots for sharing cellular data connections with multiple devices, up here in Canada, Rogers has just launche HSPA+ – capable Rocket Hub, made by Ericsson. Although it looks like it’s more for home use, this is apparently highly portable and a great option for mobile offices. Having lived in an area that was out of range for DSL or cable, I could see this sucker doing a great job in remote towns. For those just on the fringe of wireless coverage, an outdoor antenna accessory will be available to boost your signal. This is hot on the heels of Rogers’ first product to take advantage of their newly rolled-out 7.2 Mbps network, setting a great clip for product releases, but I’m getting the impression they’ll just keep supporting mobile broadband, rather than mobile phones, until it’s time to flip the LTE switch. In any case, the hub will cost $35.00/month when it becomes publicly available later this month.

[via CNW]

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About The Author

Simon Sage

Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.

  • Michael

    Don’t be fooled by all the Rogers hype. I tried out 2 of these devices and tech support told me all kinds of stories about needing an antenna, they deleted my acct., exchange the unit for another one, and then when I go to return it, I find out that Rogers has a problem setting the units up and they are delayed by over a week. Well, they only let you return it within 15 days so waiting a week or would have put me outside my return period. Tech support tells you to call nerdsonsite for an antenna and nobody there can tell you how much the antenna costs. Someone else has to call you and when they finally do, you need to spend about $350 and on top of that the antenna company that makes them is closed for holidays, so you can’t get an antenna till mid January when, once again, my 15 day trial period expires. Seems Rogers has rolled this out before putting the proper infrastructure into place. Oh, and tech support either can’t speak English or the ones that do are arrogant and rude and hung up on me. You won’t see this device in my house again. Definitely NOT ready for prime time. Be afraid, be very, very afraid.

  • andy

    you need not be “afraid”.. this product works quite well.. if you have dial up now and want high speed,, the cost is about double for light users and four times for heavier ones.. plus the initial cost of the hub.. but compare that to satelite for instance which costs close to a grand by the time you are set up and here you are way ahead.. yes,, you need to know if you are in the coverage area.. thats not a big deal to determine.. if you are on the fringe of a coverage area,, then micheals (above) concerns could be valid.. but rogers is only improving.. give them another 6 to 12 months and all will be seamless.. afterall this is new technology.. and please note,, i have no connections to or with this product.. i am simply a kinda happy customer who suffered the wraths of dial up after enjoying fast speed in the city….