June 25 - 7:40am EDT   Telus could leap on the iPhone almost as soon as it has a network ready to support the device, a rumor floated today suggests. A historically reliable source of leaks on Howard Forums claims a Telus executive has said the carrier will pick up rights for the iPhone almost immediately after its HSPA-based network goes live in October and could support the handset. As Telus doesn't have a GSM network, the iPhone would have to use the new 3G service for both calling and data. [full story]

June 16 - 7:20am EDT   Ending a degree of speculation, Research in Motion on Tuesday launched the BlackBerry Tour 9630. The smartphone is the first modern QWERTY keyboard device for CDMA networks and inherits the overall design of the Curve 8900, including its larger 2.44-inch 480x360 screen, but the keys of the Bold. It's also the second 3G world roaming phone for these networks in recent months and has both CDMA and EVDO Revision A for North American carriers but GSM and EDGE for the Americas as well as HSPA for European 3G services. [full story]

May 27 - 2:50pm EDT   Telus' planned HSPA 3G network could go live on a national scale earlier than hinted earlier, an additional tip indicated today. Besides supporting the claim that the Canadian provider's new network should have an informal launch in Vancouver on September 2nd, the BGR source now has HSPA ready for the "majority" of the population in October. Previous unofficial timetables would have had the technology active only by early 2010. [full story]

May 18 - 11:35am EDT   (Updated with screen cap) Telus' purported early HSPA launch has gained potential support through information supplied to Electronista as well as separate leaks. A Calgary reader has noticed that the carrier selection option on his iPhone now shows Telus as a choice in addition to the expected Fido or Rogers options. It's not possible to connect, though this is unlikely due to the handset's SIM card being tied to Rogers. A Telus SIM would be necessary and wouldn't be publicly available. [full story]

May 15 - 1:35pm EDT   The conversion of Bell and Telus to HSPA networks is likely to have started earlier than expected based on sources. An engineer within Telus tells BGR that both Bell and Telus will informally launch their networks in the fall, with Telus' at a minimum being ready for September 2nd. The initial rollout will focus on southern British Columbia and is meant to have the network ready by the time the Vancouver Olympics begin in February 2010. [full story]

May 14 - 3:05pm EDT   Telus at midday took a more aggressive step into mobile data by picking up the Sierra Wireless USB 598 as its 3G modem of choice. The stick gives Mac OS X and Windows computers access to the Canadian carrier's EVDO network and, like most newer modems, has its own internal memory that contains the drivers needed to install the adapter without turning to a CD. A microSDHC slot also gives it room for general data storage up to 32GB. [full story]

May 6 - 9:20am EDT   Bell on Wednesday became the first Canadian carrier to say it would offer the Palm Pre. The phone is identical to the American version and has the same 3.1-inch multi-touch display, 3-megapixel camera, 3G over EVDO Revision A, GPS and Wi-Fi as the model destined for Sprint. No mention has been made as to whether the phone will include any special apps or other unique features for the carrier. [full story]

May 5 - 3:15pm EDT   Canadian carrier Rogers is likely to follow Bell and Telus in beginning to charge for incoming text messages outside of its normal plans. A tip sent to BGR says Rogers will start notifying customers today that, as of July 7th, it will charge 15 cents per incoming message for customers that aren't already signed up to a bundle that includes SMS. The changes don't affect Fido customers or incoming messages from Twitter, which were restored to the service today and are free until the end of the year. [full story]

April 23 - 4:05pm EDT   The BlackBerry 9630 is likely to show up with a new name and slightly later than expected if a leak proves true. Originally codenamed the Niagra, the phone is now reported by BGR as poised to become the BlackBerry Tour and may be drawing its name from RIM's current sponsorship of the ongoing U2 tour. The same tip also points to an early summer release instead of the spring launch anticipated in the past. [full story]

April 7 - 5:00pm EDT   Canada's Telus is now offering the Palm Treo Pro smartphone, the handset maker announced on Monday, and has also recently added the Samsung Omnia handset to its lineup. The Treo Pro is being touted as an ideal handset for business professionals, as the 320x320 pixel touchscreen-and-QWERTY handset runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, has integrated Wi-Fi and 3G data network support through EVDO. Its keyboard has dedicated shortcut keys to the e-mail client and calendar. [full story]

March 5 - 3:25pm EST   A roadmap presented late yesterday by Nokia senior technology marketing manager James Harper confirms that the phone maker plans to be one of the first phone manufacturers with shipping 4G devices using the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. In pledging Nokia to using the technology, Harper confirmed to GigaOM and others in attendance that the company will launch 4G hardware starting in 2010 and also predicts that notebooks and other such devices will also get support for the faster cellular data, which is topping 60Mbps in real-world tests. [full story]

February 19 - 12:15pm EST   (Updated with Rogers comment) Canadian provider Rogers is not only set to add 4G cellular service to its network but may make it the primary option for Internet access on its network, the company has reportedly said during a call. The company is said to have revealed that its Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G network is ultimately ahead of schedule and that its first commercial service will be live with a Vancouver network ready by February 2010, or roughly the same timeframe as similar plans from rivals Bell and Telus as well as Verizon in the US. Much of the second-wave rollout would take place next spring, when the first cellphones using LTE should be ready. The initial ... [full story]

February 12 - 11:15am EST   Samsung this morning said it would introduce its first Long Term Evolution (LTE) chipset for 4G phones at Mobile World Congress. The hardware is also suited to computer networking adapters and will let supporting devices connect at LTE's full speeds, which reach 100Mbps or higher in peak conditions. The bandwidth is enough that Samsung will show a video on demand service and VoIP calling running from a prototype at next week's event. [full story]

February 3 - 10:15pm EST   Verizon has quietly begun shipping its latest BlackBerry handset, the Pearl Flip 8230 that works on the CDMA and EVDO networks, according to a Crackberry member. The 8220 variant is currently available on the market, but configured to work exclusively on GSM networks. Other rumors suggested the 8230 would launch first from Canadian provider Telus sometime this month, at a "very reasonable" price and with the same color options as the 8220. [full story]

February 2 - 11:15am EST   Motorola today said it has started up one of the first Long Term Evolution (LTE) phone networks in the UK with a trial setup in Swindon. The test network runs on the 2.6GHz frequency and is capable of providing voice while providing live high-speed data at 4G speeds. Motorola estimates between 29Mbps and 226Mbps for downloads depending on the amount of bandwidth available and the number of antennas the device can use. [full story]