[jchanaga]

A wireless network unveiled Monday by Bell Canada promises data speeds up to five times faster than other mobile networks.

Called the Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO) network, the technology works at speeds of up to 2.4 megabits per second, and is being touted by Bell as the "fastest mobile network ever commercialized." With the new network, cellphone users can download streaming video, surf at broadband speed and download one megabyte files in 20 seconds or less, with an average speed varying between 400 and 700 kilobits per second, the company said.

Bell also unveiled three EV-DO-compatible cellphones — the Kyocera Passport, a PC card for wireless broadband; the BlackBerry 7130e, which offers telephone, wireless "push" e-mail, Internet, text messaging, an organizer and data applications and the ability to connect laptops to the Internet by using the device as a tethered modem; and the Samsung a920, which has a built-in MP3 player and stereo speakers with external MP3 player audio control keys on its cover.

"The productivity gains from this new 3G network are significant," Bell Mobility vice-president Jim Jaques said in a statement. "From file downloads to video-conferencing, the busy mobile executive now has constant real-time access to the people and information they need."

The EV-DO will be available in Toronto and Montreal immediately. Bell says it plans to roll it out across Canada beginning next year. Bell Mobility has also concluded an agreement with its U.S. roaming partner to extend EV-DO coverage for Bell Mobility customers into the United States.