Canada’s number-two mobile operator Bell is to switch on its new HSPA network tomorrow (4 November), several months ahead of schedule. In a statement, Bell described the new network as “the fastest in Canada,” offering peak speeds of 21Mb/s. The network covers approximately 20,000 Canadian cities and towns, around 93 percent of the country’s population. Originally scheduled to launch in time for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver next February, Bell described this week’s launch as “the fastest network deployment of its kind in the world.” It also noted that the HSPA network will provide Bell with the “most efficient upgrade path” to the next-generation LTE mobile standard.

Bell built the new network in conjunction with Canada’s third-placed operator Telus, and the two players have jointly invested around CAD1 billion (US$926 million) in the project. According to a report in Canada’s Globe & Mail newspaper, Telus will launch services on the network a day after Bell (Thursday). Both operators are currently CDMA-based operators and migrating to HSPA will allow them to compete with the GSM-based market-leader Rogers Wireless by offering devices such as the HSPA-based Apple iPhone. Rogers’ exclusive deal to offer the iPhone expired earlier this year and both Bell and Telus will begin offering the device soon.