However, for the time being it is only available in the Ottawa area. Rogers, a cable operator, says LTE service in the country's three biggest cities, Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, will start at an unspecified time in the fall. Twenty-one more cities will be added next year.

Meanwhile telco Bell Canada says it will launch LTE service in the fall, followed by Telus Corp. early next year.

Rogers picked Ottawa as its launch city in part because this is where its equipment partner, Ericsson, has a large wireless lab and is where it conducted LTE tests last fall.

"Ottawa has always had a vibrant technology sector," Rob Bruce, president of Rogers communications division, which includes wireless, told reporters. "We're proud to fule this innovative community by providing LTE -- the wireless network of tomorrow."

For the time being, subscribers can only leverage LTE through a Sierra Wireless data stick for laptops. Bruce said handsets from Samsung and HTC will come later this year, but he couldn't say what their form factors or capabilities will be.