Rogers spends $5 million on Vancouver network upgrades
Rogers spent $5 million to upgrade cellular coverage across downtown Vancouver ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with work concentrated around BC Place, fan zones, SkyTrain stations and hotels. The carrier said the move is aimed at keeping service stable as match-day crowds build around the stadium and its surrounding pedestrian routes.
BC Place and False Creek
Temporary cell towers on wheels and cells on light facilities were deployed in high-traffic areas of the city centre, including the Concord Pacific lands in Northeast False Creek. Some of those towers sit beside the Pacific Boulevard/Quebec Street pedestrian corridor, the only spectator entrance to BC Place Stadium, where more than 50,000 spectators are expected to stream through on match days to reach security screening.
Rogers said the temporary sites are designed to provide faster speeds, lower latency and greater reliability during the tournament. For users moving between the stadium and nearby transit or hotel corridors, that means the network has been built to absorb spikes in demand where the crowd is most concentrated.
5G+ Ultimate Access
Rogers 5G+ Ultimate customers will receive Priority Network Access, which gives them front-of-the-line access to the fastest speeds available, including during peak times. Mark Kennedy, the company’s chief technology officer, said: “As Canada’s best 5G+ network, we continue to invest in venues so fans can stay connected when it matters most” and “These enhancements ensure our network is ready for global events like FIFA, while delivering long‑term benefits for Canadians in Vancouver.”
The service is the first and only offering of its kind in Canada, according to Rogers. That gives the carrier a clear way to separate premium users from the broader crowd when traffic is heaviest around the stadium and the nearby fan areas.
7,000 Hours Before Kickoff
Rogers crews spent about 7,000 hours planning and installing the new infrastructure before the tournament. The company also added 5G+ upgrades at fan zones, SkyTrain stations and hotels just in time for the event, and deployed additional 5G+ spectrum and technology at BC Place Stadium.
Those stadium upgrades build on Rogers’ $10 million investment in BC Place ahead of Taylor Swift’s final three concerts in late 2024, when fans on the Rogers 5G network used 32 TB of data across three shows, including 11 TB during her last-ever concert at the venue. The same building handled a far smaller load than the one now expected for FIFA, so the latest spending is aimed at a much denser and more mobile crowd.
Rogers’ work sits alongside tournament-time infrastructure being installed by Telus for the City of Vancouver, which is acting as the local organizing committee for FIFA in the city. The city’s FIFA host committee chose Telus’ $18.1 million bid last fall to install up to 400 new public WiFi access points, leaving Vancouver with both carrier upgrades and city-led connectivity work before the tournament begins.
