Canadian telecom giant Rogers launched that country’s first 5G network in a handful of markets, though consumer access to that network will have to wait until devices are available.

The carrier said it has started to roll out its 5G network in parts of Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal. It plans to expand that coverage to 20 more markets by the end of the year.

The initial network roll out is using Rogers’ 2.5 GHz spectrum. This is considered “mid-band” spectrum and is similar to what Sprint is using in the United States for its initial 5G launch. Rogers will add support in the 600 MHz band later this year, which will help expand coverage. The carrier spent $1.3 billion last year in a spectrum auction on those licenses. T-Mobile US is using the 600 MHz band for its “nationwide” 5G network in the U.S.

The carrier also plans to use dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) technology that will allow it to support its current 4G LTE and new 5G network using the same spectrum bands. Rogers is working with Ericsson on the 5G network deployment, pivoting off of an agreement signed in mid-2018. Ericsson has also been one of the leading vendors in trialing the DSS technology.

The Ericsson partnership also allows Rogers to sidestep ongoing debate within Canada’s government about the use of 5G network equipment from China-based vendors. That U.S.-led issue has rippled across 5G deployments in a number of Western countries.

Canada’s 5G network plans are between 12- and 18-months behind that of its Southern neighbor. The country’s other two large operators – Telus and Bell Canada – have been trialing 5G technology but have yet to announce formal deployment plans. Both of those carriers have said they were working with Huawei on their 5G plans and that a ban on Huawei equipment could delay their deployments.

Meanwhile, new market entrants are also prepping their own 5G plans. Videotron announced a deal last month with Samsung for that vendor to provide 4G LTE and 5G equipment toward a late 2020 market launch. That deal was the first for Samsung in Canada.

Rogers late last year struck a three-year deal with the University of Waterloo in Ontario to create a 5G smart campus to develop 5G use cases. The carrier is also working with the government’s ENCQOR 5G initiative to develop a 5G digital infrastructure corridor between Ontario and Quebec. IBM, Ciena, and Ericsson are also part of that group.

Rogers is also part of the recently launched 5G Future Forum group alongside Verizon, América Móvil, KT, Telstra, and Vodafone. That group is focused on developing interoperable 5G mobile edge computing (MEC) specifications for developers and enterprises in the Americas, the Asia-Pacific region, and Europe.