To overlay its CDMA network with HSPA, Bell said it will "leverage" an existing network-sharing agreement with Telus, originally inked in 2001.

"We roam out west on Telus and for all intents and purposes you can't tell if you're on the Telus network because everything is routed back to our servers," Howe said. "You can think of it as an extension to our current agreement."

Telus did not get into specifics of cost, only saying that its "initial capital expenditures" for the HSPA buildout "are included" it its 2008 capital expenditures "guidance" of about $1.9 billion and total spending related to the HSPA network is "approximately $750 million."

Howe would not say how much Bell will spend but Surtees estimates each carrier will spend $350 million this year and next on the HSPA network. All figures are in Canadian dollars.

"Keep in mind (Bell has) an annual (capital expenditure) program of about $4 billion including mobility," he said.