Bell to launch national high-speed network

Bell said Monday that it will roll out its new high-speed wireless network across Canada in November.

That's ahead of its original deadline to be ready in time for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Montreal-based Bell said the service will serve 93 per cent of Canadians in almost 20,000 cities and towns. The network will support smartphone, turbo sticks and other mobile devices at speeds of up to 21 megabits per second.

"Bell announced in October 2008 that we would launch our next-generation network before the Winter Games in February 2010, and I am proud to say our team has over-delivered," Bell CEO George Cope said in a release.

"The new network will be ready to roll in November, quickly notching up competition and wireless choice for consumers and businesses across the country," he said.